The Honeydrippers | |
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| Origin | England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1981–1985, 2006 |
| Labels | Es Paranza/Atlantic |
| Past members |
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The Honeydrippers were an Englishrock and roll band of the 1980s. FormerLed Zeppelin lead singerRobert Plant formed the group in 1981 to satisfy his long-time goal of having a rock band with a heavyrhythm and blues basis. Formed originally in Worcestershire from an existing cover band, it has had many members come and go, including fellow former Led Zeppelin memberJimmy Page,Jeff Beck (a formerYardbirds member like Page), and other friends and well-known studio musicians, including originalJudas Priest guitarist Ernest Chataway.[1] The band released only one recording, anEP titledThe Honeydrippers: Volume One, on 12 November 1984.[2]
The Honeydrippers peaked at number 3[3] in early 1985 on theBillboardHot 100 with a remake of thePhil Phillips' tune "Sea of Love",[4] and hit number 25 with "Rockin' at Midnight",[5] 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.[4]
There are a number of views on the origin(s) of the name Honeydrippers.Paul Stenning (2008) says Plant joined aMidlands blues cover band called "The Honeydrippers". In this telling, the band and its name existed prior to Plant: it is unstated who came up with the name and what it means.[6] In Paul Rees's 2013 biography, Plant joined a "makeshift" cover band, and Plant gave the band its name, inspired byRoosevelt Sykes, an American blues singer known as "Honeydripper".[7] Jean-Michael Guesdon in his 2018 bookLed Zeppelin, All the Songs says the name is an allusion to the Led Zeppelin song "Black Dog", which contains the lyric "Watch your honey drip, can't keep away".[8] Another theory is that it is derived from 1940s R&B starJoe Liggins, his most popular song was "The Honeydripper", and it was also the name of his backing band.[9] The term "honeydripper" is black slang for the vagina or a female lover; it can also mean a male lover who frequently says ("drips") sweet nothings to his female lover.[10]
Original lineup (1981)
The Honeydrippers: Volume One lineup (1984)
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