Sweet Honey in the Rock is an all-woman,

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

a cappella ensemble. They are an American three-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

–nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance, and

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

. Originally a four-person ensemble, the group has expanded to five-part harmonies, with a sixth member acting as a sign-language interpreter. Although the members have changed over four decades, the group continues to sing and perform worldwide.

Musical career

Sweet Honey in the Rock was founded in 1973 by

Bernice Johnson Reagon Bernice Johnson Reagon (born Bernice Johnson on October 4, 1942) is a song leader, composer, scholar, and social activist, who in the early 1960s was a founding member of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee's (SNCC) Freedom Singers in ...

, who was teaching a vocal workshop with the Washington, D.C. Black Repertory Company. Reagon retired from the group in 2004. The name of the group was derived from a song, based on Psalm 81:16, which tells of a land so rich that when rocks were cracked open, honey flowed from them. Johnson has said that this first song in which four women blended their voices was so powerful, that there was no question what the name of the group should be. The ensemble's most powerful messages are proclaimed through an enormous catalog of songs addressing the world's woes. They are currently occupied with immigration injustices, congressional greed and lack of compassion for citizens, the environmental imbalance, racial issues and women's issues. Sweet Honey in the Rock has received several

nomination Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In th ...

s, including one for their children's album, '' Still the Same Me'' which received the Silver Award from the National Association of Parenting Publications. They contributed their version of

Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, Virtuoso, virtuosity on the twelve-string guita ...

's "Grey Goose" for from the compilation album '' Folkways: A Vision Shared'' which won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. Sweet Honey in the Rock at the White House 2-18-09

Sweet Honey in the Rock at the White House 2-18-09

Their vocals appeared in a number of animated counting cartoons on the long-running

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

series ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) and ...

'', and the group was the subject of the 2005 documentary '' Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice''. The group has ventured through 20 vocalists since its creation. Embarking on a new chapter in their musical journey, Sweet Honey In The Rock now includes four core vocalists—Louise Robinson, Carol Maillard (both founding members), Nitanju Bolade Casel, and Aisha Kahlil. Shirley Childress, an American Sign Language Interpreter, performed live with the group from 1981 until her passing in 2017.

Influences

Sweet Honey in the Rock has been making music since the mid-1970s. Although the members of the group have changed over time, their music has consistently combined contemporary rhythms and narratives with a musical style rooted in the Gospel music,

spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the ...

and

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

s of the African-American Church. The ensemble composes much of their own music. They have addressed topics including motherhood, spirituality, freedom,

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

, domestic violence,

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

issues, and

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

. In their latest album, "#LoveinEvolution," they address the additional topics of police shootings, specifically the

Charleston church shooting On June 17, 2015, a mass shooting occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, in which nine African Americans were killed during a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Among those people who were killed was the senior past ...

, and the environment.

Members

Over the decades, more than 20 individuals have lent their voices to Sweet Honey in the Rock. Beginning as a

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations ...

, the group is now composed of six African-American women (including a professional

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

interpreter who accompanies the group on concert tours).

Current group members

* Nitanju Bolade Casel * Aisha Kahlil *Louise Robinson (an original ensemble member) *

Carol Lynn Maillard Carol Lynn Maillard (born 1951) is an American actress, singer, and composer. She is one of the founding members of the Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. Early life and education Born and raised in Philadelphia, ...

(an original ensemble member) *Barbara Hunt (sign language interpreter) *Rochelle Rice *Christie Dashiell *Romeir Mendez (bassist)

Previous group members

* Ysaye Maria Barnwell *

(founder) *

Shirley Childress Saxton Shirley Childress Saxton (c.1947–2017) was an African-American sign language instructor and interpreter. She performed with Sweet Honey in the Rock from 1980–2017. Biography Early life and education Shirley Childress was born and reared in ...

(

interpreter) (B.1947-D.2017) *Arnae Batson *Mie *Dianaruthe Wharton *Evelyn Maria Harris *Rosie Lee Hooks *Ayodele Harrington *Ingrid Ellis *Tia Juana Starks *Patricia Johnson *

Yasmeen Williams Yasmeen Williams (Also known as Betty J. Williams, Bheti Yasmeen Williams, and Yasmeen Bheti Williams-Johnson) is an American gospel singer and former member of the African American a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. Early life Yasme ...

*Laura Sharp *Tulani Jordan Kinard *Helena Coleman *Geraldine Hardin *Akua Opokuwaa *Navasha Daya (special guest for "40 and Fierce Tour")

"Are We a Nation?"

On June 22, 2010, the group released the song "Are We a Nation?", their response to Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB-1070. An official music video of the song was released online on July 2, 2010. Directed by James Lester, the video was shot in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

at Tainted Blue Recording Studio during a live recording session of the song. Amanda Navarro researched and provided the video's archival images and Russel Soder was the cinematographer. Ramon Hervey II served as the project's executive producer. The band donated a portion of the proceeds from the sales of "Are We a Nation?" to the

Center for Community Change Community Change, formerly the Center for Community Change (CCC), is a Progressivism in the United States, progressive community organizing group active in the United States. It was founded in 1968 in response to civil rights concerns of the 1960s ...

, an organization founded in 1968 to honor the life of Robert F. Kennedy. Sweet Honey in the Rock also joined The Sound Strike, boycotting performances within Arizona in protest of the law.

Discography

* ''Sweet Honey in the Rock'' (1976) * ''B'lieve I'll Run On... See What the End's Gonna Be'' (1978) * ''Good News'' (1981) * ''We All... Every One of Us'' (1983) * ''The Other Side'' (1985) * ''Feel Something Drawing Me On'' (1985) * ''Breaths... The Best Of'' (1988) * ''Live at Carnegie Hall'' (1988) * ''All for Freedom'' (1989) * ''In This Land'' (1992) * ''Still on the Journey: The 20th Anniversary Album'' (1993) * ''I Got Shoes'' (1994) * '' Sacred Ground'' (1995) * ''Selections 1976–1988'' (1997) * ''...Twenty Five...'' (1998) * ''Still the Same Me'' (2000) * ''Freedom Song'' (2000) * ''The Women Gather'' (2003) * ''Alive in Australia'' (2003) * ''Endings & Beginnings'' (2004) * '' Raise Your Voice'' (2005) oundtrack* ''Experience...101'' (2007) * ''Go in Grace'' (2008) * "Are We a Nation?" (2010) * ''A Tribute — Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center'' (2013) * "Silent Night" (2014) * ''#LoveInEvolution'' (2016)

Awards and nominations

Nominations

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

– 2008 – Best Musical Album For Children – ''Experience... 101'' *

– 2000 – Best Musical Album For Children – ''Still the Same Me''

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet Honey in the Rock African-American musical groups American gospel musical groups American vocal groups Professional a cappella groups American folk musical groups Political music groups Women's music Grammy Award winners Musical groups established in 1973 Flying Fish Records artists Rykodisc artists