# The Honeydrippers
**The Honeydrippers** were an English rock and roll band formed in 1981 by former [Led Zeppelin](https://www.edgepedia.org/led-zeppelin) singer [Robert Plant](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-plant) to perform the vintage American blues and R&B music he grew up with, and best remembered for the 1984 five-song EP *The Honeydrippers: Volume One*, recorded with an all-star roster that included [Jimmy Page](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-page), Jeff Beck, and Nile Rodgers[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507). Their cover of Phil Phillips' "Sea of Love" reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, Plant's highest-charting single in the United States[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507) • [2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1981 in England, by Robert Plant after Led Zeppelin's dissolution[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507) |
| First lineup | Plant with guitarists Andy Silvester and Robbie Blunt, saxophonist Keith Evans, harmonica player Ricky Cool, bassist Jim Hickman, and drummer Kevin O'Neil[2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers) |
| Name origin | The nickname of blues pianist Roosevelt Sykes, "The Honeydripper"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507) |
| Only recording | *The Honeydrippers: Volume One*, a five-song covers EP released 24 September 1984 on Es Paranza[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/276550-the-honeydrippers-the-honeydrippers-volume-one.php) |
| Studio guests on the EP | Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Nile Rodgers, Paul Shaffer, bassist Wayne Pedziwiatr, drummer Dave Weckl[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507) |
| Singles | "Sea of Love" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100; "Rockin' at Midnight" reached No. 25[2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers) |
| Chart peak | The EP reached No. 4 on the US Billboard 200 and became a million-seller[4](https://parade.com/news/the-honeydrippers-disbanded-after-four-years-ranked-among-greatest-supergroups-of-all-time) • [5](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/post-led-zeppelin-robert-plant-albums-ranked) |
## Origins in 1981
After drummer [John Bonham](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-bonham)'s death in 1980 ended Led Zeppelin, Plant was considering leaving music altogether and had applied to, and been accepted into, a teacher-training program[2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers). What pulled him back was a suggestion from guitarist Andy Silvester that he play some back-to-basics R&B shows. The Honeydrippers debuted in [Stourbridge](https://www.edgepedia.org/stourbridge) on March 9, 1981, with Plant fronting Silvester, additional guitarist Robbie Blunt, saxophonist Keith Evans, harmonica player Ricky Cool, bassist Jim Hickman, and drummer Kevin O'Neil[2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers).
The 1981 group was a deliberately low-key Midlands affair rather than a supergroup. Plant recruited musicians he had known since his schoolboy days around the Midlands blues clubs, including Robbie Blunt of Bronco and Silverhead and Andy Silvester of Chicken Shack and [Savoy Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/savoy-brown), and the band played unannounced dates at small venues, skipping London[6](https://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-plant-honeydrippers-debut/) • [7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/robert-plant-birthday-70-led-zeppelin-the-honeydrippers-a8499176.html). The repertoire was covers Plant had loved as a teenager, among them [Muddy Waters](https://www.edgepedia.org/muddy-waters)' "I Can't Be Satisfied", Elvis Presley's "Little Sister", and the swing standard "Deep in the Heart of Texas"[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/robert-plant-birthday-70-led-zeppelin-the-honeydrippers-a8499176.html). The contrast with Zeppelin was sharp: no extended solos or epic structures, just bouncy 1950s-style [jump blues](https://www.edgepedia.org/jump-blues) and rockabilly, with Plant's long hair cut short[6](https://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-plant-honeydrippers-debut/). Plant treated it as a temporary sideline, telling journalist Dave Lewis that it was "only like a rag thing" started to stop boredom setting in[2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers).
## The 1984 EP
Plant set the band aside to build his solo career, releasing *Pictures at Eleven* in 1982 and *The Principle of Moments* in 1983, but the Honeydrippers returned as his next project[2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers). The 1984 version existed at the behest of [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records) chief [Ahmet Ertegun](https://www.edgepedia.org/ahmet-ertegun), who had caught a concert by the 1981 lineup and proposed a record of Plant singing the old songs, with a great band behind him[6](https://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-plant-honeydrippers-debut/) • [8](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/archive/interview/robert-plant-with-ahmet-ertegun/). Sessions took place in March 1984 at Atlantic Studios in New York and at Marcus Studios in London[9](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-honeydrippers-volume-one-mw0000650260).
The resulting EP assembles established session players and rock luminaries: guitarists Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and [Nile Rodgers](https://www.edgepedia.org/nile-rodgers), keyboardist [Paul Shaffer](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-shaffer), bassist Wayne Pedziwiatr, and drummer Dave Weckl[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507). [Jeff Beck](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-beck), summoned by a Sunday phone call from Ertegun to Atlantic Studios, played lead on "I Got a Woman" and "Rockin' at Midnight"; Page played on "Sea of Love" and "I Get a Thrill", both appearances uncredited on the sleeve[10](https://www.loudersound.com/music/tracks-singles/jeff-beck-my-life-in-11-songs) • [9](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-honeydrippers-volume-one-mw0000650260). Recording followed a live-capture approach; Beck recalled Plant chasing a Sun Studio feel, cutting two or three takes and picking the best one[10](https://www.loudersound.com/music/tracks-singles/jeff-beck-my-life-in-11-songs).
The five tracks, all covers of pre-Beatles rhythm and blues and rock and roll, were "I Get a Thrill" (2:39), "Sea of Love" (3:03), "I Got a Woman" (2:58), "Young Boy Blues" (3:30), and "Rockin' at Midnight" (5:57), running about 18 minutes in total[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/276550-the-honeydrippers-the-honeydrippers-volume-one.php).
## Commercial performance
The EP was a surprise hit. Released 24 September 1984 on Plant's Es Paranza label, produced by Ahmet Ertegun, Phil Carson, and Robert Plant, it reached No. 4 on the US Billboard 200 and sold a million copies; CREEM noted that it was the first-ever mini-LP to crack Billboard's Top 10[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/276550-the-honeydrippers-the-honeydrippers-volume-one.php) • [4](https://parade.com/news/the-honeydrippers-disbanded-after-four-years-ranked-among-greatest-supergroups-of-all-time) • [11](https://www.creem.com/archive/article/1985/09/01/robert-plant-moods-and-moments) • [5](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/post-led-zeppelin-robert-plant-albums-ranked). "Sea of Love", a cover of Phil Phillips' 1959 swamp-pop ballad, entered the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1984 and climbed to number 3, spending 20 weeks on the chart; the follow-up "Rockin' at Midnight", a Roy Brown jump-blues number with Beck on guitar, reached number 25[12](https://musicchartsarchive.com/singles/honeydrippers/sea-of-love) • [2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers). The number 3 placement put it one spot above Led Zeppelin's highest-charting US single, "Whole Lotta Love"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507).
In the United Kingdom the record fared more modestly. "Sea of Love" first charted on 26 January 1985, peaked at number 56, and spent four weeks on the Official Singles Chart; the *Volume One* album also peaked at number 56 on the UK albums chart[13](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/honeydrippers-sea-of-love/) • [14](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/22258/honeydrippers/). The band promoted the EP on American television, performing on NBC's Saturday Night Live on February 18, 1984[15](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/History-of-Rock/History-of-Rock-1985.pdf), and toured North America in 1985, including a [Wembley Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/wembley-arena) date in London on September 10, 1985[16](https://www.songkick.com/artists/562746-honeydrippers/calendar) • [17](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/the-honeydrippers).
## The name and its sources
The group's name traces to rhythm and blues history of the 1940s. Roosevelt Sykes, a leading blues pianist of the 1930s, was nicknamed "The Honeydripper" and formed his own band, the Honeydrippers, in Chicago in 1943[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507) • [18](https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/roosevelt-the-honeydripper-sykes-5881/). Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers scored the first big hit for a rhythm and blues combo with the 1945 song "Honeydripper", and a Los Angeles Times profile of Liggins states that Plant acknowledged Liggins' importance by adopting the name for his 1984 lineup[19](https://www.originals.be/en/originals/2506) • [20](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-09-ca-41-story.html). One retrospective puts it plainly: the name came "from either the nickname of bluesman Roosevelt Sykes or the song and backing band of '40s R&B star Joe Liggins, depending on who you ask"[6](https://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-plant-honeydrippers-debut/).
## Aftermath and standing
There was never a *Volume Two*. The title promised a series the project never delivered, and the band recorded no further studio material[2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers) • [3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/276550-the-honeydrippers-the-honeydrippers-volume-one.php). AllMusic lists the group as active into the 2000s and disbanded in 2006, though its recorded output remained the single 1984 EP[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507). The EP was remastered and expanded in 2006 as part of Plant's *Nine Lives* box set and reissued separately in 2007 with a live bonus track[9](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-honeydrippers-volume-one-mw0000650260) • [21](https://mikeladano.com/2016/11/18/review-the-honeydrippers-volume-one-1984-ep-2007-reissue/).
The project's place in Plant's career is disproportionate to its size. It gave him his highest-charting US single to date[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/robert-plant-birthday-70-led-zeppelin-the-honeydrippers-a8499176.html), it briefly reunited him on record with Jimmy Page[22](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record/1985/Record-1985-08.pdf), and Rhino's retrospective credits it with pulling Plant back into performing after Bonham's death[2](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers). A 2026 WatchMojo-ranked list of the 20 greatest supergroups placed the Honeydrippers at number 14[4](https://parade.com/news/the-honeydrippers-disbanded-after-four-years-ranked-among-greatest-supergroups-of-all-time). AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes the EP as unabashedly retro, with "Sea of Love" drenched in far more strings than the Phil Phillips original, and calls it a lark that is genuinely fun[9](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-honeydrippers-volume-one-mw0000650260).
## References
1. [The Honeydrippers biography by Steve Huey, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4507)
2. [Rhino Factoids: Introducing The Honeydrippers, Rhino Records](https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-introducing-the-honeydrippers)
3. [The Honeydrippers: Volume One, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/276550-the-honeydrippers-the-honeydrippers-volume-one.php)
4. ['80s Rock Band, Disbanded After Four Years, Ranked Among 'Greatest Supergroups' of All Time, Parade](https://parade.com/news/the-honeydrippers-disbanded-after-four-years-ranked-among-greatest-supergroups-of-all-time)
5. [Every album Robert Plant has made since Led Zeppelin broke up, ranked, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/post-led-zeppelin-robert-plant-albums-ranked)
6. [Revisiting the Day Robert Plant Debuted the Honeydrippers, Ultimate Classic Rock](https://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-plant-honeydrippers-debut/)
7. [Robert Plant at 70: Remembering the Led Zeppelin singer's oft-forgotten side-project, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/robert-plant-birthday-70-led-zeppelin-the-honeydrippers-a8499176.html)
8. [Robert Plant with Ahmet Ertegun, American Masters Digital Archive, PBS](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/archive/interview/robert-plant-with-ahmet-ertegun/)
9. [The Honeydrippers, Volume One review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-honeydrippers-volume-one-mw0000650260)
10. [Jeff Beck: My Life In 11 Songs, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/music/tracks-singles/jeff-beck-my-life-in-11-songs)
11. [Robert Plant Moods and Moments, CREEM, September 1985](https://www.creem.com/archive/article/1985/09/01/robert-plant-moods-and-moments)
12. ["Sea Of Love" by Honeydrippers, Music Charts Archive](https://musicchartsarchive.com/singles/honeydrippers/sea-of-love)
13. [SEA OF LOVE – HONEYDRIPPERS, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/honeydrippers-sea-of-love/)
14. [HONEYDRIPPERS songs and albums, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/22258/honeydrippers/)
15. [History of Rock 1985, New Musical Express archive](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/History-of-Rock/History-of-Rock-1985.pdf)
16. [The Honeydrippers tour dates, Songkick](https://www.songkick.com/artists/562746-honeydrippers/calendar)
17. [The Honeydrippers Concert History, Concert Archives](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/the-honeydrippers)
18. [Roosevelt "The Honeydripper" Sykes (1906–1983), Encyclopedia of Arkansas](https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/roosevelt-the-honeydripper-sykes-5881/)
19. [HONEYDRIPPER, THE, The Originals](https://www.originals.be/en/originals/2506)
20. [JOE LIGGINS: A HONEY OF AN R&B MAN, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-09-ca-41-story.html)
21. [Review: The Honeydrippers – Volume One (1984 EP, 2007 reissue), mikeladano.com](https://mikeladano.com/2016/11/18/review-the-honeydrippers-volume-one-1984-ep-2007-reissue/)
22. [The Record interview with Robert Plant, Record magazine, August 1985](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record/1985/Record-1985-08.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Rock bands › Blues rock and Southern rock bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license