| Honey Cone | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, funk, disco |
| Years active | 1966–1973 |
| Labels | Hot Wax/Invictus/Buddah |
| Associated acts | Tramaine Hawkins |
| Members | |
| Edna Wright (1966–1973) Carolyn Willis (1966–1973) Shelly Clark (1966–1973) |
|
Honey Cone was an American R&B and soul all girl vocal group, who are best remembered for their Billboard #1 hit single, "Want Ads". They were the premier female group for Hot Wax Records, operated by Holland–Dozier–Holland after they had departed from Motown Records.
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Honey Cone comprised Carolyn Willis, Shelly Clark and Edna Wright. Formed in 1966 and based in Los Angeles, they were the newly created Hot Wax Records' first signing to that fledgling label. The trio had previous musical experience with Willis previously a member of The Girlfriends; Clark an ex-member of the Ikettes; while Wright was a member of gospel group The COGIC'S. They had been singing together for a short while when they were spotted by Eddie Holland in 1966 who re-named them Honey Cone.
Honey Cone and Hot Wax's debut single, "While You're Out Looking for Sugar," peaked at #26 on Billboard's R&B chart, but the follow-up, "Girls, It Ain't Easy," reached #8 on the same listing. It was their third release "Want Ads", that proved to be their biggest success topping both the R&B and pop chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in May 1971.[1]
The same year Honey Cone had another #1 R&B hit and #11 pop hit with "Stick-Up," which also sold in excess of one million units.[1] Further chart success continued in 1972 with "The Day I Found Myself," and "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show". However all three of Honey Cone's releases in 1973 were not hits. The Hot Wax and Invictus labels then ran into financial problems, despite other hit records they had with Freda Payne, 100 Proof Aged in Soul, Laura Lee, and the Chairmen of the Board.
Honey Cone split before 1973 ended and the labels folded soon after under increasing debt. Wright went solo, releasing Oops! Here I Go Again (1976) on RCA, and Willis appeared as a backing vocalist on Seals and Crofts hit "Get Closer."
In more recent years, Wright has performed across the US with Latari Martin and Melodye Perry, billed as 'Edna Wright and The Honey Cone.'
In 1985, Shelly Clark married Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White. The couple recently celebrated their 26th anniversary.
| Year | Album | Chart positions[2] | Record label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
|||
| 1970 | Take Me with You | — | — | Hot Wax |
| When Will It End | Unreleased | |||
| 1971 | Sweet Replies | 137 | 14 | |
| Soulful Tapestry | 72 | 15 | ||
| 1972 | Love, Peace & Soul | 189 | 41 | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | ||||
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
|||
| 1990 | Greatest Hits | — | — | HDH |
| 1998 | Cone to the Bone: The Best of Honey Cone | — | — | Sequel |
| 2001 | Soulful Sugar: The Complete Hot Wax Recordings | — | — | Castle Music |
| 2002 | The Best of Honey Cone | — | — | EMI-Capitol |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | ||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions[3] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
|||||
| 1969 | "While You're Out Looking for Sugar?" | 62 | 26 | |||
| "Girls It Ain't Easy" | 68 | 8 | ||||
| 1970 | "Take Me with You" | 108 | 28 | |||
| "When Will It End" | 117 | — | ||||
| 1971 | "Want Ads" | 1 | 1 | |||
| "Stick-Up" | 11 | 1 | ||||
| "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show Part I" | 15 | 5 | ||||
| 1972 | "The Day I Found Myself" | 23 | 8 | |||
| "Sittin' on a Time Bomb (Waitin' for the Hurt to Come)" | 96 | 33 | ||||
| "Innocent Til Proven Guilty" | 101 | 37 | ||||
| "Ace in the Hole" | — | — | ||||
| 1973 | "If I Can't Fly" | — | — | |||
| 1976 | "Somebody Is Always Messing Up a Good Thing" (feat. Sharon Cash) | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | ||||||