Janice Marie Johnson Of A Taste Of Honey

Singer/bassist/guitarist/songwriter Janice Marie Johnson, as a founding member of A Taste of Honey, sang lead on the million-selling hits "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and a cover of Kyu Sakamoto's 1963 gold hit "Sukiyaki." The group won the 1978 Grammy for Best New Artist. The number one R&B/pop "Boogie Oogie Oogie" was used in a national TV ad campaign by fast food chain Burger King during summer 1999. The track has also been sampled by hip-hop and rap groups MC Lyte, Mac 10, and others. Johnson also sang background vocals on Lionel Richie's ten-million-selling LP Can't Slow Down. Capitol Records released as a part of their Double Shot series a two-album single CD that included the group's debut album, A Taste of Honey (includes a 12" remix of "Boogie Oogie Oogie") and Twice As Sweet (includes "Sukiyaki") in January 2000.
The Los Angeles native, whose father was a musician, started playing music as a small child. Growing up, Johnson sang in L.A.-area jazz clubs, opening for Miles Davis, among others. While attending college she began playing bass. About 1971, Johnson met keyboardist Percy Kibble while auditioning for a vacation cruise gig with Princess Cruises lines, and the two started a band using the title of one of their favorite songs, "A Taste of Honey," as the band's moniker. Adding guitarist Hazel Payne and drummer Donald Johnson, they began playing Southern California bars and military bases in the U.S. and abroad.
After meeting with producers Fonce Mizell (formerly of the Motown songwriting/arranging/producing collective The Corporation that had hits with the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," "ABC," and "The Love You Save") and his brother Larry Mizell who had success with LTD ("Love Ballad"), the group was signed to Capitol Records by Larkin Arnold after meeting him after a performance at the wedding of Smokey Robinson's bass player.
While playing before a staring, apathetic audience during a gig at an airbase in San Bernardino, CA, Johnson improvised these lyrics: "If you're thinking that you're too cool to boogie/we've got news for you/everyone here tonight must boogie/and you are no exception to the rule." The infamous bass solo intro on "Boogie Oogie Oogie" came about when Johnson was warming up before the recording session unaware that she was being recorded. The single "Boogie Oogie Oogie" b/w "World Spin" sold more than two million copies, and topped Billboard's charts at number one R&B/pop for three weeks in fall 1978. After the huge success of "Boogie Oogie Oogie," Johnson detested the group being labeled as a "disco group," but that would change later in a big way. The follow-up single, the slinky funky "Do It Good" b/w "I Love You" went to number 13 R&B in summer 1979. The A Taste of Honey album went platinum, going to number six pop in summer 1978.
A Taste of Honey was a favorite in Japan long before signing with Capitol, having traveled there to play military bases and entering the Yamaha Song Festival. One of Johnson's favorite records was Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki." After hearing Linda Ronstadt's version of Smokey's "Oo Baby Baby," Johnson decided that the group (now Johnson and Payne) should do a remake of a classic song. Contacting her Japanese subpublisher who in turn contacted the original writers, Rokusuke EI and Hachidai Nakamura, to get permission to redo the song with English lyrics. After employing two translators, one of which came up with lyrics that were close to the bittersweet theme of the original song title, which translated into English as "I Look Up When I Walk (To Keep the Tears From Falling)," Johnson decided to add her own original lyrics to the song.

[@parisdblack1711]

💜 The Iconic Janice Marie Johnson, a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul.

[@garfieldharrison510]

Great interview. Nice to see how much she contributed to society. "Boogie Oogie Oogie" was so hot back in the summer of 78. Especially in New York where I grew up. So she is a part of my soundtrack in life.

[@NDGOCHYLD]

Love me some Taste of Honey. I saw Janice a few years in concert. She is so beautiful in person.

[@egroovesoldschoolmusic7171]

Hi Victor, Thank you so much for this interview with Janice Marie Johnson. So many Original and Oldschool artists don't get the credit that they deserve and your show is one that does give artists their credit like they should be. Keep going keep going keep going! When you get time, please look up Adrian Younge on either Itunes or Spottify or whatever you love to look up your new music you wanna get on. You just might wanna interview him. He is a beautiful music producer who does Analog, that sounds like real music instead of straightup digital and computerized like how these kids do it. Adrian Younge's music is a mixture of Oldschool sounding Jazz when he wants it to be and real Soul music the way it use to be, only he has his own groove, I've never heard this style from Oldschool music, but it reminds me of Oldschool music because the singers he picks out actually can sang, and he makes beautiful music. He must have practiced lots for years because he's a master at it now. Victor, please look him up and see if you like him and want to do an interview. It's amazing how Janice Marie Johnson did all that music and we didn't know about it, or, too many of us have forgottin and we need to go back and remember. It seems like we need to go back and remember a lot of music, especially these kids, I know because I've collected Oldschool music for 30pluss years, but these kids, Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh! They need a teacher.