Voice of the Beehive are an
Anglo-American
Anglo-Americans are people who are English-speaking inhabitants of Anglo-America. It typically refers to the nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world who spe ...
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band formed in London in 1986.
The group featured Californian lead vocalist sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland (daughters of
The Four Preps
The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Their million-selling signature tunes included "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", "Big Man (The Four ...
singer Bruce Belland). They teamed with British musicians Mike Jones, Martin Brett,
Mark Bedford
Mark William Bedford (born 24 August 1961),Strong, Martin C. (2002) ''The Great Rock Discography'', Canongate, , p. 638 nicknamed Bedders, is an English musician, songwriter and composer. Bedford came to prominence in the late 1970s as the bass ...
and
Daniel Woodgate
Daniel Mark (Woody) Woodgate (born 19 October 1960) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Woodgate came to prominence in the late 1970s as the drummer for the English ska band ...
, the latter two of whom were former members of
Madness. Bedford left after making formative contributions to the band and did not feature again, while Woodgate stayed for most of the band's main period of activity. The band took their name from the Greek meaning of the name Melissa, meaning honey bee.
Career
The band had five
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
from two albums in the UK.
Their biggest commercial success came with the singles "I Say Nothing", "
Don't Call Me Baby
"Don't Call Me Baby" is a song by Australian house music duo Madison Avenue (band), Madison Avenue, taken as the first single from their only studio album, ''The Polyester Embassy'' (2000). Written by Cheyne Coates, Andy Van Dorsselaer, Duane Mo ...
", "Monsters and Angels" and "
I Think I Love You
"I Think I Love You" is a song by Tony Romeo, written as the debut single for fictional musical TV family the Partridge Family, released in August 1970, a month prior to the debut of the ABC-TV musical sitcom ''The Partridge Family'' starring Shi ...
", taken from albums ''
Let It Bee
''Let It Bee'' is the debut album by alternative rock band Voice of the Beehive. Released in 1988 on London Records, the album earned positive reviews from music critics and was a success on U.S. college radio stations. In the UK, the album r ...
'' and ''
Honey Lingers''. ''
Sex & Misery'', a third album, was released in 1996;
by this point sisters Tracey and Melissa were the sole group members. The band reformed in 2003 to play a two-week UK tour.
The members of Voice of the Beehive have gone their separate ways. Tracey Bryn is a teacher in
Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservat ...
. Melissa Belland runs her own company Made in Heaven, also in Laguna Beach. Martin Brett runs Brett Dempsey Music Productions in London and joined
I, Ludicrous
I, Ludicrous is an English pop music trio, formed in February 1985, by John Procter (born 1957) and David Rippingale ("Will Hung") (b. 1956).Strong, Martin C. (2003) "I, Ludicrous" in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 375. Their deb ...
on bass guitar in 2008. In 2011, he released his first solo single "Lover's Lane" under his original punk name Brett Martini. He also trained to become a facial hair specialist for film, theatre, and television in 2010. Daniel "Woody" Woodgate still plays drums, together with Mark Bedford on bass, in
Madness. Mike Jones lives in
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
, England and still plays guitar.
In October 2017, Bryn and Belland reformed with the original line-up to play a pair of concert dates in London, including the '80s/'90s revival show Indie Daze 4.
Band members
* Tracey Bryn – guitar and vocals – (born 17 May 1962, Encino, California)
* Melissa Brooke Belland or "Missy Beehive" – vocals – (born 17 February 1966, Los Angeles, California)
*
Mark Bedford
Mark William Bedford (born 24 August 1961),Strong, Martin C. (2002) ''The Great Rock Discography'', Canongate, , p. 638 nicknamed Bedders, is an English musician, songwriter and composer. Bedford came to prominence in the late 1970s as the bass ...
– bass guitar
* Martin Brett (Brett Martini) – bass guitar
* Mike Jones – guitar
*
Daniel "Woody" Woodgate – drums
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
Video albums
EPs
Singles
Other appearances
Voice of the Beehive provided
harmonies
In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However, ...
on
Bill Drummond
William Ernest Drummond (born 29 April 1953) is a Scottish artist, musician, writer, and record producer. He was a co-founder of the late-1980s avant-garde pop group the KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with wh ...
's album, ''
The Man'' (1986).
An early version of "Beat of Love" was featured on the London Records compilation ''Giant'' (1987).
Melissa and Tracey contributed a
cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
of "
Five Feet High and Rising" to the
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
tribute album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
''Til Things Are Brighter'' (1988), credited as ''"Tracey & Melissa Beehive"''
In 1993, Voice of the Beehive contributed a cover version of "
Gimme Shelter
"Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. Released as the opening track from band's 1969 album ''Let It Bleed''. The song covers topics of war, murder, rape and fear. It features prominent guest vocals by American singer ...
" with
Jimmy Somerville
James William Somerville (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He sang in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a solo career. He is known in particular for his powerful and soul ...
to an
EP released to raise funds for the Putting Our House in Order homeless initiative. The single, which contained different duet versions of the song on each format, peaked at No. 23 in the UK,
and No. 214 in Australia.
Notes
References
External links
The Beehive—Voice of the Beehive OnlineVoice of the Beehiveat
Myspace
*
*
Voice of the Beehive1992 interview with
Maynard (broadcaster)Melissa BellandInstagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voice of the Beehive
English pop rock music groups
English alternative rock groups
London Records artists
Musical groups from London
Musical groups established in 1986
Musical groups disestablished in 1996
1986 establishments in England
Female-fronted musical groups