The Honeys

The Honeys were a 1960s girl group, who recorded for Capitol Records, and were a kind of female counterpart to the Beach Boys; Beach Boy Brian Wilson served as their record producer and chief songwriter.

The Honeys (the name a slang term for a female surfing enthusiast) consisted of sisters Marilyn and Diane Rovell, and their cousin Ginger Blake. Marilyn and Diane had met the Beach Boys when the boys performed at a Hollywood club called Pandora's Box, in late 1962. Brian and Marilyn (who was still in high school) began dating, and he brought the girls into the recording studio, to produce their songs ("Surfin' Down The Swanee River", "Shoot The Curl", "Pray For Surf"), and included them as backup performers on Beach Boys records. The cheerleader voices on "Be True to Your School" were performed by the Honeys, and the two groups sometimes shared the same concert bill.

In 1964 The Honeys sang background vocals for Jan and Dean on the hit singles, "The New Girl In School", "Dead Man's Curve", and "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena".

The Honeys' career faded as surfing music went out of vogue. Marilyn and Brian were married, and became the parents of Carnie and Wendy Wilson, who later found fame as members of Wilson Phillips. Marilyn and Diane later re-teamed as a duo called Spring (aka American Spring), during the 1970s.

During the 1990s, the Honeys reunited, and performed locally around Hollywood and Los Angeles. An anthology CD of their music (including several Spring recordings) was also released by Capitol Records in 1992.

Discography