Honey Ltd.

Honey Ltd. were an American 1960s girl group made up of sisters Alexandra and Joan Sliwin, Laura Polkinghorne and Marsha Temmer.

Honey Ltd.
Top: Alexandra, Marsha. Bottom: Laura, Joan
Top: Alexandra, Marsha. Bottom: Laura, Joan
Background information
OriginDetroit, Michigan, United States
GenresPop, ambient, neo psychedelia
Years active1968-1970
LabelsLHI Records
Past membersLaura Polkinghorne
Marsha Temmer
Alexandra Sliwin
Joan Sliwin

Background

The group members began singing with each other at Wayne State University. They formed the Mama Cats and began performing in local venues with other Detroit-based musicians like Bob Seger (who wrote both sides of their first single), Glenn Frey and Suzi Quatro. The group relocated to Los Angeles where they auditioned for producer Lee Hazlewood who signed them immediately and took them to the studio to record with backing from the famed Wrecking Crew. He would later rename them Honey Ltd.[1]

Frey was the boyfriend of bandmember Joan Sliwin and followed her to Los Angeles. He was introduced to J.D. Souther by Joan's sister and bandmate, Alexandra Sliwin.

Career

The group did not achieve widespread commercial success and only released one album. Their version of Laura Nyro's Eli's Comin' was well received but was eclipsed by Three Dog Night's version released a few months later.[2] In 1969 the group joined Bob Hope on a USO tour and headed to Thailand and Vietnam to perform for the troops. Television appearances in 1968-1969 included The Ed Sullivan Show, The Joey Bishop Show, Kraft Music Hall, The Jerry Lewis Show, The Andy Williams Show, Operation: Entertainment, and The Bob Hope Christmas Special: Around the World with the USO.[3][4]

By 1970 Alexandra Sliwin had dropped out of the group to marry J D Souther. The remaining members continued as a trio with a name change to Eve. The new group released another album that went unnoticed and were subsequently dropped by LHI. They split up shortly after and went on to varied musical careers as singers and songwriters.

Laura Creamer (née Polkinghorne) is a songwriter, vocalist, and arranger who has recorded and/or toured with Billy Joel, Bob Seger, Van Morrison, Glenn Frey, Bruce Hornsby, Kid Rock, Eric Clapton, Thomas Dolby, and many others. She is credited as a backing vocalist on multiple albums including Billy Joel's 1973 Piano Man. Her West of Detroit CD was released in 2001.

Alex Sliwin, Joan Sliwin, and Marsha Temmer were in the short-lived group Bijou with former Association members Jules Alexander and Russ Giguere, and subsequently wrote and performed with Loretta Lynn and others. Marsha Temmer Darigan continued with studio work plus a stint as a backup singer/dancer for Tina Turner. Her songwriting credits include a track for the Angel movie series and, along with Alex Sliwin, many of the songs for the "musical novel" UnderWing. The Sliwin sisters are still actively performing as Like Honey.

In 2013, a compilation CD titled Honey Ltd. - The Complete LHI Recordings was released featuring tracks recorded during the group's tenure at LHI.[5][6][7] The CD includes all eight songs from the first album, two songs released only as singles, and three previously unreleased songs.

Discography

Studio albums

  • 1968: Honey Ltd. (LHI-12002)[Note 1]
  • 1970: Take It And Smile (as Eve) (LHI-3100)[Note 2]

Compilations

Singles

Soundtrack

Other appearances

  • 1987: Girls In The Garage Volume 2 (Romulan Records UFOX03) - "Miss You" (as Mama Cats)[Note 5]
  • 2002: Boyd Rice Presents Music for Pussycats (Caciocavallo CAD 13) - "The Warrior", "Silk & Honey"
  • 2002: Just The Right Sound: The Association Anthology (Rhino Records, 8122783032) - "Carry On" (as Bijou)
  • 2010: Lost Sixties Delights Volume 6 (U-Spaces) - "Come Down"
  • 2010: ...Next Stop Is Vietnam (The War on Record 1961-2008) (Bear Family Records BCD16070, 13-CD set) - "The Warrior"
  • 2012: Lee Hazlewood - You Turned My Head Around - Lee Hazlewood Industries 1967-70 (Light in the Attic Records, LITA 094, 7" vinyl box set, 11 records) - "Tomorrow Your Heart" & "Come Down" (as Honey Ltd.), "Anyone Who Had A Heart" & "Dusty Roads" (as Eve).
  • 2013: Lee Hazlewood - There's A Dream I've Been Saving (Light in the Attic Records, CD promo) - "Silk 'n' Honey"
  • 2013: Lee Hazlewood - There's A Dream I've Been Saving (Light in the Attic Records, LITA 109, 4-CD box set) - "Tomorrow Your Heart" & "Silk 'n' Honey" (as Honey Ltd.), "Dusty Roads" & "Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham" (as Eve).
  • 2014: Night Walker: The Jack Nitzsche Story, Volume 3 (Ace Records, CDCHD 1430) - "Louie Louie"
  • 2016: Where The Girls Are, Volume 9 (Ace Records CDCHD 1431) - "Come Down"

References

Notes
  1. Vinyl LP is rare. Reissued in 2012 as part of the Psychedelic Folk Essentials series by Vintage Masters Inc. Includes eight original LP tracks plus three bonus tracks. Available only as mp3 download.
  2. Reissued in 2011 on CD by Kismet (KISCD4016). Includes all 10 original LP tracks plus bonus track "So Tired" from the Vanishing Point movie soundtrack.
  3. Released on CD, limited edition cassette (500), and special edition 180 gram 12" vinyl.
  4. Released in UK on London SHU 8420. Re-released on CD in 2004 on Sound Track Classics SCL 1410-2.
  5. "Miss You" is on the original vinyl LP release only. Not included on the 1997 CD reissue.
Citations
  1. Ward, Jonathan (March 2005). "Loud Harmonic Transcendence - The Honey Ltd. Story". Perfect Sound Forever.
  2. "Honey Ltd. Discuss Key Tracks From Their Long-Lost Lee Hazlewood Sessions". self-titled Magazine. September 10, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  3. "List of Honey Ltd. television show appearances". imdb.com. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  4. "Like Honey bio info". likehoneymusic.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  5. "Honey Ltd. - The Complete LHI Recordings". Light in the Attic Records. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  6. "Honey Ltd: 'After 45 years, we're finally going to get copies of our own record'". The Guardian. July 27, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  7. "Detroit girl group Honey Ltd. gets another shot at fame". The Detroit Free Press. July 21, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
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