Blake, Ginger (1947

Background vocalist who started out as a member of The Honeys in the early ’60s. The Honeys were an all-girl, surf-rock group that grew out of The Rovells and were produced by Marilyn Rovell’s then-boyfriend and soon-to-be husband Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys . In spite of Wilson’s lush, Wall-Of-Sound-like arrangements, The Honeys never had a hit in the States, although the Stephen-Foster-Meets-Jan-And-Dean novelty hit “Surfing Down the Swanee River” reached #1 in Denmark, of all places.

Ginger co-wrote many of their songs, including “Girls Are Vicious”, “Go Away Boy” and “Running Away From Love”. The Honeys may not have had chart success, but they could be heard on other artists’ hits, rah-rah-sis-boom-bah-ing as cheerleaders on The Beach Boys’ “Be True To Your School” and supplying background vocals for Jan & Dean’s “Deadman’s Curve” and “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena”.

They also recorded as Ginger & The Snaps, but the name change didn’t do much except obviate their already anonymous blip on the music scene.

Ginger quit the group in the late ’60s and embarked on a successful career as a session vocalist. One of her first albums in this new role was Dylan’s Gospel , a 1969 effort by The Brothers and Sisters featuring–you guessed it–gospel versions of Bob Dylan songs. She went on to collaborate with a litany of artists, including Herb Alpert, Eric Andersen, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Bobby Bridger, Glen Campbell , Cashman & West, Cher, Michel Colombier, Papa John Creach, Cheryl Dilcher, Dillard-Hartford-Dillard, The Four Tops, Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, Kinky Friedman, Thelma Houston, Bryan Hyland, Barry Manilow, Van Morrison, The Righteous Brothers, Johnny Rivers, Tommy Roe , Evie Sands, Bob Seger, Tony Sciuto, The Smithereens, and Jim Weatherly.

In 1983, The Honeys re-united for the Rhino Records release Ecstacy. Almost a decade later, Capitol Records issued The Honeys Collector Series, a boxed set of B-sides, singles, and a few unreleased gems. Ginger went on to co-author The California Sound… An Insider’s Story: The Musical Biography of Gary Lee Usher, Volume 2, with Stephen J. McParland and Brian Wilson . She was portrayed on-screen by Tamara Fay in the TV mini-series The Beach Boys: An American Family.

Tommy Roe recordings
Dizzy (Tommy Roe/Freddy Weller)
ABC Records – 45-11164 (US)

Bob Seger recordings
Fire Lake (Bob Seger)
Capitol P-4836 (S96012) (US promo 45)

Here she is singing her “Spare Time”…

Sources:

Blake, Ginger (1947 – Present)

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