Sweet Honey in the Rock was formed in 1973 in Washington, DC by former leader Bernice Johnson Reagon. Reagon was teaching a workshop at the Black Repertory Company in DC. She retired from the group in 2004. The group’s greatest messages are told through a wide array of songs addressing global issues. Those issues include immigration injustices, congressional greed and lack of compassion for citizens, the environmental imbalance, women’s issues and racial issues.
Sweet Honey in the Rock has received many different Grammy award nominations. They won a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album for their version of Lead Belly’s “Grey Goose” from their album Folkways: A Vision Shared.
The current group members are Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil, Louise Robinson, Carol Lynn Mallard and Navasha Daya.