Some may say that success comes easy. Perhaps when speaking of Janice-Marie Johnson, it’s more correct to say that success comes naturally. A brief glance at Janice-Marie’s musical accolades may seem daunting to both insiders and outsiders alike. A Taste of Honey’s self-titled debut release, rocked the record industry in more ways than one. It featured the multi-platinum smash hit “Boogie Oogie Oogie,” a Janice-Marie penned composition, which garnered the group a Grammy for “Best New Artist of the Year,” and nominations for “Best R&B Single” and “Best Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo.”
While this was a phenomenal accomplishment, it was no fluke. Their second release, Another Taste earned international acclaim by walking away with the coveted Gold Prize at the “8th Annual Tokyo Music Festival,” with Janice-Marie also receiving the Gold Prize for songwriter. The Janice-Marie composition, “Do It Good,” as well as the Another Taste album were both certified Gold in Japan.
Janice-Marie’s talented magic transformed Japan’s Kyu Sakamoto’s 1963 hit “Sukiyaki” into an international mega hit classic. Produced by George Duke, it was certified Gold in both the United States and Japan, along with “Rescue Me,” another single from a Taste of Honey’s third release, Twice As Sweet.
Not to be labeled with a specific genre, sound or style Janice-Marie confides, “I like a variety of music…classical music in the mornings… reggae in the afternoons. I like to get my boogie on in the evenings…but at night…I want my love songs. I’m a ballad, fireplace, take-a-walk-up-in-the-hills sort of person.” To this end, her music punctuates her diversity of spirit.