The group formed in Los Angeles, California, and originally consisted of Janice Marie Johnson (vocals, bass), Hazel Payne (vocals, guitar), Perry Kibble (keyboards) and Donald Johnson (drums). Their first single, “Boogie Oogie Oogie,” from their self-titled debut album A Taste of Honey, tapped into the popular disco style and spent three weeks at number one (#1) on the Hot 100 in 1978. The group were awarded a platinum record for this single and went on the win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Their subsequent disco releases, such as “Do It Good” (#79 in 1979) from Another Taste and “Rescue Me” (1980) failed to attract attention, and by 1980 the group had reduced to a duo consisting of Janice Marie Johnson and Hazel Payne. When recording their cover version of the Kyu Sakamoto song “Sukiyaki” (from their third album- Twice As Sweet, released in 1980) they resisted suggestions to turn it into a dance tune, and as a soft and simple ballad it brought them the second and final major hit of their careers in 1981, when it reached number one (#1) on the Billboard R&B and Adult Contemporary charts and number three (#3) on Hot 100. The group were awarded a gold record for this single. A Taste of Honey released their final major album, Ladies of the Eighties in 1982. It featured their final Billboard Hot 100 charting single “I’ll Try Something New” (#41). Although their popularity waned in the early 1980s and beyond, both Janice Marie Johnson and Hazel Payne have remained active in the music business and released solo albums in the late 1990s. |
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