Sweet Honey In The Rock

Music has become a pivotal part of our lives. Everyone everywhere in the world likes some sort of or genre of music. Musicians are some of the richest and most successful celebrities in the world today. Music has become a complicated, intricate business where a single track is layered with so many instruments and subtexts that the real music gets hidden beneath the noise. Then there is the media hype, the commercial launch with advertisement campaigns and hype trains leading the way of the music's success, instead of the talent of the artist. In this world of Auto-tune and studio musicians, there is still a ray of hope left for true artists. One of the reasons to believe that true music still exists is Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Sweet Honey in The Rock is an acapella ensemble that was formed in 1973 in the city of Washington DC by its founding member Bernice Johnson Reagon. The name of the band is taken from the Bible and reflects the metaphor that heaven will be such a land where even rocks would flow with sweet honey if broken. The ladies of the band have applied this metaphor on themselves and the characters of African American women in general, where they are tough enough to fight their challenges but are capable of sweet honey like music.

The band consists of Aisha Kahlil as the lead singer. Aisha is a truly well trained and talented singer. She has had musical education from a young age and has been all over the country learning different forms and natures of music. She has performed with a number of different bands and won awards including an award for Best Soloist from the Smithsonian Institute. She worked with a number of different bands and in various executive musical capacities in DC before she joined Sweet Honey.

Another significant member of the band is Shirley Childress Saxton. She is the official interpreter of the band for the deaf. Learning sign language from her deaf parents, Shirley now runs a charity organization for the deaf and dumb. Shirley tours with the band and is present on stage to interpret the band's message in sign language, really proving that music is universal and no one should be left out.

The other members of the band include the Howard University graduate Louise Robinson, former Director of Art of Black Dance and Music Nitanju Bolade Casel, Speech Pathologist Ysaye M. Barnwell and theatre/television writer Carol Maillard. All members of the band are also trained dancers or speech specialists.

The music of Sweet Honey in The Rock can only be described as a nurtured blend of gospel, R&B, spoken word, blues and soul. Their songs have strong lyrical content, discussing matters like racism, the struggle of women and religion and the voices of the whole band blend together to form a strong vocal connection. This is something that transforms the beautifully composed melodies into the great gift of song, which is received by fans all over the world. The band has limited itself to only hand percussion instruments, making the sound more genuine and natural than ever.

The band has released 23 albums to date with content ranging from children's songs to adult contemporary and gospel. Since there first album 'Sweet Honey in the Rock' the band has had a total of 20 singers in the line-up over 3 decades. Their latest album Experience 101 has won them a Grammy Award for the best Children's album. There previous work has also won them 2 other Grammy awards.

Apart from their success as studio artists, the real magic of their performance can only be heard live. They have a great visual representation and the perfect compositions are made to be sung live. With such a vast experience of working together, you can feel that the symphonies and notes that are being hit are perfectly practiced and beautifully organized.

Sweet Honey in the Rock is currently on tour and is mesmerizing crowds all over the country with their vocal techniques and expertly written songs. If you want to grab a seat at their next live performance, we suggest you get your Sweet Honey in Rock Tickets at the next available opportunity.