The Honeys !

History | Discography | Unreleased | References

The Honeys are : Diane Rovell, Ginger Blake (AKA Sandra Glantz), Marilyn Rovell Wilson - vocals

Spring/American Spring was : Diane Rovell, Marilyn Rovell Wilson - vocals, Brian Wilson - producer, songwriiter

History

The Honeys were formed in 1963 by Brian Wilson as the world's first all girl surf music group consisting of his girlfriend (and future wife), Marilyn, her sister, Diane, and their cousin, Ginger. They got their name from the 1962 Beach Boys hit, Surfin' Safari, which contained the lyric :

"Early in the morning we'll be startin' out, some Honeys will be comin' along..."

The group recorded several singles for Capitol Records, and one for Warner Brothers, in the '60's. During this time, they also served as backing singers for the Beach Boys (Be True To Your School, as well as possibly others), Jan & Dean (New Girl In School), Bruce & Terry, and The Surfaris (I Wanna Take A Trip To The Islands), and cut demos for Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, Hayley Mills, and The Shangri-Las.

Ginger left the group for awhile in the early '70's to sing backup for the Supremes, Cheryl Dilcher, Jimmy Webb, and others, as well as to start up her own publishing company. Marilyn and Diane continued to record with Brian under the name Spring through 1972, releasing two more singles and their first LP through United Artists. In 1973, they released one more single under the name American Spring (it seems there was already a European pop group going by the name of Spring) for Columbia Records.

In 1983, Mariyln, Diane, and Ginger reunited as the Honeys and released their first LP, "Ecstacy", under that name from Rhino Records. Five years later, in 1988, Rhino Records released a CD compilation that included the entire Spring album, all the Spring and American Spring singles and B-sides, and a few additional bonus tracks.

1992 saw the release of "The Honeys Collector Series" on CD from Capitol Records, which included all their '60's singles and B-sides, and several unreleased tracks.

Since that time, the Honeys have stayed busy in the studio backing groups like the Smithereens and Carnie & Wendy Wilson (Marilyn and Brian's daughters !).

Discography

1963 (as The Honeys)
Capitol 4952 (45 with picture sleeve) Surfin' Down The Swanee River (with the Beach Boys) b/w Shoot The Curl
Capitol 5034 (45) Pray For Surf b/w Hide Go Seek
Capitol 5093 (45) The One You Can't Have b/w From Jimmy, With Tears
1964 (as The Honeys)
Warner Brothers 5430 (45) He's A Doll b/w The Love Of A Boy And A Girl
1969 (as The Honeys)
Capitol 2454 (45) Tonight You Belong To Me b/w Goodnight My Love
1971 (as Spring)
United Artists 50848 (45) Now That Everything's Been Said b/w Awake
1972 (as Spring)
United Artists 50907 (45) Good Time b/w Sweet Mountain
United Artists UAS-5571 (LP) Spring (12 tracks, including all 4 from UA 50848 and UA 50907)
1973 (as American Spring)
Columbia 4-45834 (45 with picture sleeve) Shyin' Away b/w Fallin' In Love
1983 (as The Honeys)
Rhino 018 (45) Running Away From Love b/w Go Away Boy
Rhino 851 (LP) The Honeys in "Ecstacy" (10 tracks, including both tracks from Rhino 018)
1988 (as Spring)
Rhino 75762 (CD) Spring Produced By Brian Wilson (16 tracks, including all
listed above under 1971-1973, and two bonus tracks : It's Like Heaven, Had To Phone Ya)
1992 (as The Honeys)
Capitol CDP 7-93193 2 (CD) The Honeys Collectors Series (20 tracks, including all listed above under 1963-1969, plus additional bonus tracks which include It's Like Heaven and Had To Phone Ya from Rhino 75762)
2001 (as The Honeys)
EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets CCM-163-2 (CD) The Honeys Collection (26 tracks, including all the A and B sides listed above from 1963-64, both sides from MGM single 13413 listed below, five previously unreleased tracks, as well as six songs the Honeys guested on)
The Complete Collection !
To get all of above tracks by The Honeys, get a copy of Rhino 851, Capitol CDP 7-93193 2, and EMI-Capitol CCM-163-2.
To get a complete Spring/American Spring collection, get a copy of Rhino 75762.

Ginger & The Snaps (Ginger Blake)
1961 Tore 1008 (45) Love Me The Way That I Love You b/w Truly
1965 MGM 13413 (45) Seven Days In September b/w Growing Up Is Hard To Do (both tracks included on the 2001 EMI-Capitol CD, The Honeys Collection)

Guest Appearances
1961 Titan 1716 (45) You're The Girl b/w Driven Insane - Gary Usher, featuring Ginger Blake, AKA Sandra Glantz, vocal
1963 Dot 16518 (45) Three Surfer Boys b/w Milky Way - Gary Usher & The Usherettes (who were actually The Honeys)
1963 Capitol (45) Be True To Your School (Single Version) - The Beach Boys (The Honeys as cheerleaders)
1963 Decca 31581 I Wanna Take A Trip To The Islands - The Surfaris (The Honeys on backing vocals)
1964 Liberty 55672 (45) Dead Man's Curve (Version 2) b/w New Girl In School - Jan & Dean (The Honeys on backing vocals)
1964 Capitol 5193 (45) Sacramento b/w That's Just The Way I Feel - Gary Usher (The Honeys on backing vocals on Sacramento)
1965 Capitol 5441 (45) Guess I'm Dumb - Glen Campbell (Brian Wilson and The Honeys on backing vocals)
1966 Valient 740 (45 ?) My Love And Life (b/w Talkin' About Love ?) - Musique & The Lyrics (possible Honeys involvement, written, produced, and arranged by Gary Usher)
1972 United Artists 50859 (45) Vegetables b/w Jenny Lee - Jan & Dean (Brian and Spring vocals overdubbed)
1976 Ode 66117 (45) Just 14 b/w Baby Love - Tim Curry (Brian and Spring sing backing vocals on Just 14)
1989 The Smithereens (the album after Green Thoughts)
1993 SBK K2-27113 (CD) Hey Santa ! - Carnie & Wendy Wilson (The Honeys do background vocals on Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer)
Columbia Records (45) Draggin Wagon - The Surfer Girls (possible Honeys involvement)
Against The World - Bob Segar (Ginger Blake on background vocals)

Compilations
1972 United Artists 9961 (S) (LP) Jan And Dean Anthology Album - contains New Giril In School with The Hooneys on backing vocals and Vegetables with Spring's overdubbed vocals
1974 United Artists 341-H2 (S) (LP) Gonna Take That One Last Ride - Jan & Dean - contains Vegetables witth Spring's overdubbed vocals
1981 Capitol ST-26463 (Austrailia LP) Beach Boys/Brian Wilson Rarities - contains The Honeys' The One You Can't Have, Pray For Surf, Surfin' Down The Swanee River, and Goodnight My Love
1981 Columbia 37412 (S) (LP) California U.S.A. - contains American Spring's Shyin' Away
1986 EMI America ST-17223 (LP) Catch A Wave - contains The Honeys' The One You Can't Have
1990 WEA/Atlantic/Rhino (CD) The Best Of The Girl Groups Volume 2 - contains The Honeys' The One You Can't Have
1990 Capitol CDP 593693 (CD) Little Deuce Coupe & All Summer Long - The Beach Boys - includes Be True To Your School (Single Version) with The Honeys as cheerleaders
1991 Capitol/BMG Music 1130756 (CD) Monster Summer Hits - Wild Surf - contains The Honey's Pray For Surf and RRide The Curl
1993 NXT CD 249 (3 CDs) The Surf Set - contains The Honeys' Shoot The Curl, Gary Usher & The Usherettes' Three Surfer Boys, The Surfari's I Wanna Take A Trip To The Islands, and Jan & Dean's New Girl In School
1998 Warner Brothers/Black Music Ol' School/Columbia House 233775 (CD) 60's Girl Groups - contains The Honey's He's A Doll
Ace Records CDCHD 630 (CD) Let's Go Trippin' - contains Gary Usher & The Usherettes' Three Surfer Boys and Milky Way
American Pie Records (?) 992 91632 (CD) Jukebox Hits/1963 Volume 2 - contains The Honey's Surfin' Down The Swanee River
American Pie Records (?) 992 91642 (CD) Jukebox Hits/1964 Volume 2 - contains The Honey's He's A Doll

Unreleased

The following is a list of several known unreleased recordings made by The Honeys and American Spring with Brian Wilson.

September 1963 (The Honeys as The Westwoods)
Brian produced "Miss My Little Surfer Boy".
September 1963 (as The Honeys)
Brian wrote and produced "Rabbit's Foot".
January 1964 (as The Honeys)
Brian wrote and produced "You Brought It All On", and co-produced two other tracks : "Make The Night (Just A Little Bit Longer)" and "In The Still Of The Night", all of which appear on the bootleg The Honeys - Rare Archives 1. One version of "In The Still Of The Night" appears on the 2001 EMI-Capitol CD, The Honeys Collection.
February 1964 (as The Honeys)
Brian wrote and produced "I Can See Right Through You", which would eventually evolve into "Go Away Boy".
December 1968 (as The Honeys)
Brian wrote and produced "I Know You're Gonna Be Allright".
April 1973 (as American Spring)
Brian co-write and co-produced "Snowflakes".
Date Unknown
"Honeycomb", "Holiday", "Come To Me", "It's Never Over", "I Think It's Gonna Be Allright" (possibly the same as "I Know You're Gonna Be Allright").

There was also a bootleg album, The Honeys - Rare Archives 1, which included the following rare Honeys-related tracks :

Musique & The Lyrics - My Life & Love, Talkin' About Love.
Ginger & The Snaps - I'm No Runaround, Dry Tears, I Have Faith, Love Me (The Way That I Love You ?), Sh-Boom-Boom, Truly, Spare Time.
The Honeys - Three Surfer Boys (Gary Usher & The Usherettes ?), Always And Forever, Darlin' I'm Not Stepping Out On You, Hide Go Seek (alternate version), Little Dirt Bike, Make The Night (Just A Little Bit Longer), Once You've Got Him, In The Still Of The Night, The One You Can't Have, You Brought It All On Yourself, I Think I'm Gonna Be, It's Like Heaven (produced by Brian Wilson), California Feeling (produced by Brain Wilson, done with Rocky Pamplin), Shyin' Away, and Lady.

Another bootleg called The Beach Boys Unsurpassed Masters Volume 4 (1963) Miscellaneous Trax included the following Honeys related tracks :

The One You Can't Have (instrumental take, vocal take, vocal takes 1-3, first vocal overdub takes 1-2) from May, 1963.
(I Can See Right Through You) Go Away Boy (instrumental takes 2-6) from 1963.

One CD, of questionable origin, called Makin' Waves put out by Sharktown Records in 1999 (Sharky 0003) contained the following Honeys related tracks :

The Honeys - Radio Spots #'s 1-5, Raindrops, Don't Be Cruel.
Rodney & The Brunettes - Surfin' Safari (by The Honeys and The Ramones), Little G.T.O. (by The Honeys and Blondie).

References

Dunn, Steven. "Non-Beach Boy, Brian Wilson Productions". Online. Mike Wheeler's Brian Wilson web page. Internet. 8 June, 1998. Available WWW : http://www.cabinessence.com/brian/essays/bwprods.html

Johnson, Jon E. "The Honeys Interview" Discoveries. Vol. 2, No. 10 Oct, 1989 : 130-134.

Osborne, Jerry. "Honeys Discography" Discoveries. Vol. 2, No. 10 Oct, 1989 : 135.

Regis (you know who you are...) - Thanks for the info from the Blitz magazine interview !

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Page Created : 9/21/1998
Last Updated : 08/04/2002