Honey Cone was an American R&B and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

girl group formed by lead singer

Edna Wright Edna Wright (February 2, 1945 – September 12, 2020) was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of Honey Cone, the girl group that went to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with the song "Want Ads" in 1971. She was the younger sister ...

(sister of

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist. She began singing as a child with her ...

) with Carolyn Willis and

Shelly Clark Shelly Clark (born July 27, 1947) is an American singer, dancer and actress, best known as a founding member of the 1970s R&B girls group, Honey Cone who had the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit single, " Want Ads" released in March 1971. Early life ...

in 1968. They are best remembered for their number-one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single, "

Want Ads "Want Ads" is a song that was a million-selling #1 pop and R&B hit recorded by female group, Honey Cone for their second album '' Sweet Replies'' and also appears on their third album ''Soulful Tapestry''. The song on the Detroit-based Hot Wax ...

". Honey Cone were the premier female group for Hot Wax Records, operated by

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. Du ...

after they had departed from

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

Records.

Career

Backgrounds

The trio each had previous professional singing experience with various groups and in the studio before forming Honey Cone in 1968. Edna Wright, a Los Angeles native, grew up singing in the church. Her father, Bishop J.W. Wright, was a pastor at King's Holiness Chapel in Los Angeles. She began her career in a gospel group called The COGIC (Church of God in Christ) singers in 1960. Through her sister, singer

, she met producer

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spe ...

, an associate of Spector, produced her first feature recording in 1964. Wright sang lead on "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" by Hale and the Hushabyes which was a pseudonym for a group that included

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop music, pop composition, ex ...

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songw ...

. That year she released her debut solo single "A Touch of Venus," which led to a nationwide nightclub tour. Between 1964 and 1967, Wright recorded as Sandy Wynns. She then became a backing vocalist for

the Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Lo ...

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

then for

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

who asked her to join the Raelettes. Carolyn Willis began singing at the age of 16, she was a member of the girl group the Girlfriends. They released one single, "My One and Only Jimmy Boy" (No. 49 Pop), on

Colpix Records Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia (Col) and Pictures (Pix). CBS, which owned Columbia Records, then sued Columbia Pictures for trademark infringement o ...

in 1963. She also did some session work with

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

, O.C. Smith, and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans. Willis and Wright were also members of Darlene Love's group

The Blossoms The Blossoms are an American girl group that originated from California. During their height of success in the 1960s, the group's lineup most famously consisted of Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King. Although the group had a recording ...

. Shelly Clark, a native of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, began her career at the young age of six. Along with her older brother. they released an album on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

titled ''Calypso Songs For Children'' (1957). At the age of 7, Clark appeared in the hit Broadway musical ''House of Flowers''. Her family moved to Los Angeles in 1957. Her

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...

singing earned her a scholarship to attend the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. She later became an Ikette in the

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voca ...

Revue, leaving after she was injured in a bus accident in 1966. Clark also was lead dancer on tour with

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

and

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

. She became a regular singer and dancer on '' The Jim Nabors Show'' in 1969.

Honey Cone

Wright, Willis and Clark first appeared together on an

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

TV special in 1968. Wright's sister Darlene Love was scheduled to appear on the show, but was unable to so she asked Wright to fill in for her. Wright asked Willis and Clark to join her. She also contacted

Eddie Holland Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", he ...

, who recently left

Records along with

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous h ...

and

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

to form HDH Records, to watch the show. Impressed by what he saw, Holland signed the trio to Hot Wax Records. Initially, he offered Wright a contract, but she preferred to be in a group. Holland named the act Honey Cone for a favorite flavor of ice cream. At first, group members rejected the name, but Holland prevailed, and the ladies soon embraced its distinctiveness. Although the group was based in Los Angeles, their recordings were recorded in Detroit. Most of their songs were written by General Johnson and Wright's boyfriend at the time Greg Perry. Martha & the Vandellas and

The Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who wa ...

— two of the female vocal groups who represented Motown Records' sound in the 1960s — were among Honey Cone's main influences as the group favored a blend of sweetness and grit in their own sound. Honey Cone's debut single "While You're Out Looking for Sugar" was also the first single released on Hot Wax. It peaked at No. 26 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

s R&B chart, but the follow-up "Girls, It Ain't Easy," reached No. 8 on the same chart. Their fifth release "

" proved to be their biggest success, topping both the R&B and pop chart, selling over one million copies, awarded with a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in May 1971. The trio began headlining their own shows across the US, including at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

and they performed a series of one-nighters in the South. The same year, Honey Cone had another No. 1 R&B hit and No. 11 pop hit with "

Stick-Up "Stick-Up" is Honey Cone Honey Cone was an American R&B and soul girl group formed by lead singer Edna Wright (sister of Darlene Love) with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark in 1968. They are best remembered for their number-one ''Billboa ...

," which also sold more than one million units. Honey Cone were named The Best Female Vocal Group by the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers (NATRA) in 1971. Willis' fiancé, promoter

Dick Griffey Richard Gilbert Griffey (November 16, 1938 – September 24, 2010) was an American record producer and music promoter who founded SOLAR Records, a RAS acronym for "Sound of Los Angeles Records". The label played a major role in developing a ...

, traveled with them on the road and handled their finances. Further chart success continued in 1972 with " One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" (No. 15 Pop, No. 5 R&B) and "The Day I Found Myself" (No. 23 Pop, No. 8 R&B). However, none of the three of Honey Cone's releases in 1973 sold well. Then, Hot Wax and sister label Invictus Records ran into financial problems reportedly caused by difficulties receiving payments from distributors. Honey Cone were featured on the cover of '' Jet'' on September 2, 1971. As the vocal arranger for the group, Willis became unhappy with the material they were recording and she left the group in 1973. Honey Cone tried to replace her but the chemistry wasn't coherent so the group split up before 1973 ended. Hot Wax folded soon afterwards under increasing debt. In 1976, Hot Wax tried to revive the label and released a single by Honey Cone with none of the original members.

Post-Honey Cone careers

Wright released a solo album, ''

Oops! Here I Go Again ''Oops! Here I Go Again'' is the debut and only studio album by former Honey Cone vocalist Edna Wright. It was produced by her husband Greg Perry and released on RCA Victor in 1977. Track listing #Oops! Here I Go Again - (Edna Wright, Greg P ...

'' (1977), on

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

. She returned to session work, recording and performing with

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart w ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

, and her sister Darlene Love. In more recent years, Wright performed across the United States with Latari Martin and Melodye Perry, billed as Edna Wright and The Honey Cone. She was married to musician Greg Perry, who co-wrote and produced many of Honey Cone's recordings at Hot Wax, including their two gold records. Wright died on September 12, 2020. Willis appeared as a featured vocalist on the

Seals and Crofts Seals and Crofts was an American soft rock duo made up of James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938) They are best known for their hits " Summer Breeze" (1972), " Diamond Girl ...

hit " Get Closer," in 1976, and on two tracks from their live album ''

Sudan Village ''Sudan Village'' is a live album by Seals & Crofts. It features the single "Baby I'll Give It to You", which reached #58 on Billboard's charts, #85 on the RPM charts, and #5 on the RPM AC charts. Track listing #"Sudan Village" ( James Seals, ...

''. She recorded jingles for major companies such as

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

American Airlines American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...

, and

Max Factor Max Factor is a line of cosmetics from Coty, Inc. It was founded in 1909 as Max Factor & Company by Maksymilian Faktorowicz. Max Factor specialized in movie make-up. Until its 1973 sale for US$500 million (approximately $ billion in 2017 dollar ...

. Willis recorded and toured with various artists, including

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, he began his solo career in 1969, though he lacked a major hit until ...

, and

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include " Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Th ...

. Clark has been married to

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

bassist

Verdine White Verdine Adams White (born July 25, 1951) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist for the band Earth, Wind & Fire. White was placed at No. 19 on Rolling Stone's list of The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time. Early l ...

since 1980. She was previously married to Thad Spencer, a

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

boxer and Honey Cone's former bodyguard. She later worked as a production coordinator and casting director for Eddie Murphy Television. She also formed W&W Management Company which represents celebrities. The original members of Honey Cone attempted a reunion in the 1990s, but Willis backed out of the project. They reunited in February 2014 on the third sailing of the Soul Train Cruise. Original members, Edna Wright and Shelly Clark White, combined with Wright's daughter Melodye Perry, where they presented two concerts that included their hit songs and they covered Earth, Wind & Fire's, "

September September is the ninth month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars, the third of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the fourth of five months to have a length of fewer than 31 days. September in the Northern H ...

", as a tribute to Shelly's marital connection to that band. After Edna Wright's passing in 2020, Shelly Clark White continued the legacy of Honey Cone by joining with singers Wendy Smith Brune' and Kathy Merrick and the three continue to tour and perform the hits of Honey Cone. In 2022 they were the featured artists at The HAL Awards (Heroes and Legends) in Los Angeles California.

Awards

RIAA Certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets.

- On May 14, 1971, Honey Cone were awarded a Gold Record for their single "Want Ads" for sales of one million units. *

- On September 23, 1971, Honey Cone were awarded a Gold Record for their single "Stick Up" for selling a million units. *On September 18, 2016, Honey Cone were honored with the 2016 National Rhythm and Blues Music Society Unsung Heroine Award at their Black Tie Gala, Dinner & Awards Ceremony at the Double Tree by Hilton in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. Willis, who was not in attendance received an award as well. *On September 24, 2017, Clark along with Wright were honored with the Heroes and Legends Award (HAL) in Music as Honey Cone at The Beverly Hill Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. *On 8, January 2021, Honey Cone was inducted into the Soul Music Hall Of Fame Class of 2020.

Discography

Studio albums

* Album was never released

Compilation albums

Singles

Television and film credits

*1968 - The Andy Williams Show - Back-up Singers. *1970 - Soul! (TV Series) *1971 -

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series ...

TV Show, Season 1 , Episode 1. *1971 -

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

(TV Series), Episode #14.49. *1971 -

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

. *1972 - The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, Episode #2.6. *1972 - American Bandstand (TV Series), Episode #15.32. *1972 - The Merv Griffin Show (TV Series), Season 9 , Episode 82. *1972 - Soul Train TV Show, Season 1 , Episode 17. *1973 - Midnight Special TV Show, Season 1 , Episode 9. *1973 - The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. *1973 - Soul Train TV Show, Season 2 , Episode 24. *2013 - My Music: '70s & '80s Soul Rewind (TV Movie) - (archive footage).

References

External links

Edna Wright and The Honeycone
official website * * {{Authority control 1968 establishments in California 1973 disestablishments in California Northern soul musicians Musical groups established in 1968 Musical groups disestablished in 1973 American disco groups African-American girl groups American soul musical groups