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Carl's Scrapbook: My 80s Bands: Southern Honey #1 (1981)  |
Clockwise
from left: Nancy
Chambers, Joni Canova, Cindy Cromeans, Duke Burr, Denise Helms. Center: Carl Chambers |
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Southern
Honey #1On May 21, 1981, Southern Honey started rehearsals at Joni Canova's parent's guest house on Lake Ariana in Auburndale. We rehearsed roughly 4-6 hours a day, five days a week, for a couple of months. Everyone was enthusiastic and we were getting tighter and tighter. We were putting together a solid mix of Top 40 country hits and a show set of mostly original material. We also worked up up several tunes with Judy Bailey that we featured as a show set on occasion.
We decided to name the band after one of the songs I had written entitled, Southern Honey. The original "Southern Honey" lineup was: Carl Chambers (vocals, rhythm and lead guitars), Duke Burr (vocals, lead guitar, harmonica, mandolin, xylophone), Nancy Chambers (bass), Joni Canova (vocals, drums), Cindy Cromeans (vocals, piano), Denise Helms (vocals).
Every member of the band (except Nancy) sang both lead and harmony and vocal arrangements were often complex. Although Denise didn't play an instrument, she had a beautiful "country" voice that was on a level of it's own and sang harmony as a second nature. On the music side, I always believed that if I were to ask Duke to play guitar, harmonica and sing all at the same time -- while standing on his head -- he'd figure out a way to pull it off. He was (and still is) an extraordinary musician. Nancy was developing very precise timing and was continually improving in technique, Joni was working hard on a rock solid and steady beat, Cindy added the midrange tones that glued the sound together and I got to play mostly rhythm - which I always felt was my strongest asset.
On June 15, we played our first job, a private party in Lutz, Florida and by July, we were booked for the first of what would be many stints at the Hartridge Restaurant and lounge on Highway 17 between Lake Alfred and Winter Haven, Florida. In addition to the Hartridge, the band played several one-nighters up though September, including the Lake Alfred Lion's Club Park and the Ramble Inn.
Unfortunately, it was around this time that Denise left to pursue other interests and the "original" Southern Honey was no more.
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