The Honeydrippers were an English

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

band of the 1980s, deriving their name from

Roosevelt Sykes Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, 1906July 17, 1983) was an American blues musician, also known as "the Honeydripper". Career Sykes was born the son of a musician in Elmar, Arkansas. "Just a little old sawmill town", Sykes said of his birthplace. The ...

, an American blues singer also known as "Honeydripper". Former

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

lead singer

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...

formed the group in 1981 to satisfy his long-time goal of having a rock band with a heavy

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

basis. Formed originally in Worcestershire, the band was also composed of fellow former Led Zeppelin member

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;

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(a former Yardbirds member like Page); and other friends and well-known studio musicians including original

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guitarist Ernest Chataway. The band released only one recording, an EP titled '' The Honeydrippers: Volume One'', on 12 November 1984. The Honeydrippers peaked at number 3 in early 1985 on the '' Billboard''

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with a remake of the

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' tune "

Sea of Love Sea of Love may refer to * ''Sea of Love'' (film), a 1989 American thriller film * "Sea of Love" (Phil Phillips song), a 1959 song by Phil Phillips and The Twilights, covered by many performers * "Sea of Love" (The National song), 2013 * ''The S ...

", and hit number 25 with " Rockin' at Midnight", originally a Roy Brown recording and a rewrite of " Good Rockin' Tonight." With the EP's success, Plant stated that a full album would be recorded, but it never was.

Members

Original lineup (1981) *

– vocals *

Andy Silvester Andrew Frederick Silvester (born 16 June 1947, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England) is a British bassist and multi-instrumentalist. Silvester has played in various bands during his career, most notably as co-founder of both Chicken Shack and ...

– guitar *Kevin O'Neill – drums *Ricky Cool –

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...

*Jim Hickman – bass *Keith Evans –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

*Wayne Terry – bass *

Robbie Blunt Robert William Blunt (born 4 March 1951) is a rock guitarist who has worked with a variety of bands, most notably with Robert Plant's solo band in the 1980s. Since leaving Plant's band in the mid 1980s, Blunt has provided session work for a numb ...

– guitar '' The Honeydrippers: Volume One'' lineup (1984) *

– vocals *

– guitars *

– guitars * Paul Shaffer –

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mu ...

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

– guitar, co-producer * Wayne Pedzwater – bass * Dave Weckl – drums * Brian Setzer – guitar (guest appearance) * Keith "Bev" Smith – drums

Discography

*'' The Honeydrippers: Volume One'' (1984), US number 5, US R&B number 67, UK number 56

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Honeydrippers, The Atlantic Records artists British rock music groups Jimmy Page Robert Plant Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1985 Rock music supergroups