Honk
Band members Related acts
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line-up 1 (1970-72) - Tris Imboden -- drums, percussion - Don Whaley -- vocals, bass - Steve Wood -- vocals, keyboards
line-up 2 (1972-74) NEW - Craig Buhler -- sax, flutes NEW - Beth Fitchet (aka Beth Fitchet-Wood) -- vocals, rhythm guitar - Tris Imboden -- drums, percussion NEW - Richard Stekol -- vocals, lead guitar - Steve Wood -- vocals, keyboards
supporting musicians: (1973) - Red Rhodes -- pedal steel guitar
line-up 3 (1974-75) NEW - Will Brady -- bass (replaced Don Whaley - Craig Buhler -- sax, flutes - Beth Fitchet (aka Beth Fitchet-Wood) - vocals, rhythm guitar - Tris Imboden -- drums, percussion - Richard Stekol -- vocals, lead guitar - Steve Wood -- vocals, keyboards
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- Will Brady (solo efforts) - Craig Buhler (solo efforts) - Chicago (Tris Imboden) - The Cindermen (Don Whaley) - Beth Fitchet Wood (solo efforts) - Firefall (Tris Imboden and Richard Stekol) - The Funky Kings (Richard Stekol) - The Girls (Beth Fitchet) - The Howland / Imboden Project (Tris Imboden) - La Seine (Tris Imboden and Don Whaley) - Nara (Steve Wood) - The New Life (Don Whaley) - The Second Time (Richard Stekol) - Richard Stekol (solo efforts) - Storywood (Craig Buhler and Will Brady) - Thunder (Tris Imboden) - Mark Turnbull (solo efforts) - Don Whaley (solo efforts) - Steve Wood (solo efforts) - Zero Ted (Beth Fitchet Wood and Steve Wood)
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Genre: yacht rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: The Original Sound Track from Five Summer Stories Company: Granite Catalog: GR
7720 Country/State: Laguna Beach, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5666 Price: $25.00
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Honk originally came together in 1970 featuring the talents of drummer Tris Imboden, bass player Don Whaley and keyboardist Steve Wood. Undergoing a steady stream of personnel changes the band became popular at Southern California high school and college dances and the local club circuit.
They recorded a couple of demos landing a one-shot deal with MGM's Amaret subsidiary. Penned by bassist Don Whaley, "Don't Take Anything" was a forgettable slice of Poco-styled country-rock.
- 1970's "Don't Take Anything (You Don't Need)" b/w "Love Machine" (Amaret catalog number 45-123)
By 1972 the line-up had expanded to a sextet with the addition of sax player Craig Buhler, singer/guitarist Beth Fitchet and lead guitarist Richard Stekol.
The same year high school buddy/film producer Jim MacGillivray hired the band to provide incidental music for a surf film he'd produced with partner Freeman. I've never seen the film, but Freeman and Greg MacGillivray's documentary "Five Summer Stories" is supposedly the ultimate surfer flick. Reportedly paid $1,500 for their work, the accompanying soundtrack album briefly turned the Laguna Beach, California-based band Honk into pseudo-stars.
Released
by the small Hollywood-based Granite label, 1972's "The
Original Sound Track from Five S
"The
Original Sound Track From Five Summer Stories" track listing: 1.) Creation (instrumental) (Steve Wood) - 0:40 rating: ** stars Opening up with a throbbing mechanical noise that would have sounded at home on a Kraftwerk album Wood's instrumental "Creation" opened up into the beautiful ballad "Blue of Your Backdrop" sporting some wonderful CSN&Y-styled harmony vocals. 2.) Blue of Your Backdrop (instrumental) (Richard Stekol) - 2:01 rating: **** stars "Blue of Your Backdrop" featured some lovely Stekol lead guitar (he wrote the track) and a surprisingly "churchy" Hammond B-3 organ and harpsichord interlude - imagine Booker T. and Gary Brooker hanging out on a Southern California beach. Wonderful atmospheric and the only criticism was it faded out too soon. 3.) Brad and David's Theme (instrumental) (Richard Stekol) - 2:38 rating: *** stars Showcasing some nice Stekol acoustic guitar, the standout performer on the instrumental "Brad and David's Theme" was bassist Don Whaley 4.) High In the Middle (Beth Fitchet - Don Whaley - Steve Wood - Tris Imboden - Richard Stekol) - 4:51 rating: ** stars The first of two group compositions, complete with barrelhouse piano, pedal steel guitar and typical country lyrics, "High In the Middle" had a distinctive country flavor Wonder how they fit that into a surf flick ... Way too country for my tastes. 5.) Hum Drums (instrumental) (Tris Imboden) - 1:19 rating: * star So why not give the drummer a solo? At least "Hum Drums" was brief. 6.) Bear's Country (instrumental) (Don Whaley) - 2:41 rating: *** stars The country-rock instrumental "Bear's Country" was one of the few tracks that actually sounded like it was penned for a surf film. Wonder it was meant to be a tribute to their days playing Huntington Beach's Gold Bear. 7.) Made My Statement (Love You Baby) (Steve Wood) - 2:38 rating: *** stars Wood's "Made My Statement (Love You Baby)" was a surprisingly tough R&B-flavored rocker. Wouldn't have expected to hear it on this set ! It would have been better if Wood had spent a little more time on the lyrics which most reflected "Love You Baby" repeated over and over and over. The song was also tapped as the "B" side on their "Pipeline Sequence" 45.
(side
2) Stekol turned in a beautiful country-rock ballad with "Don't Let Your Goodbye Stand". He may have had the best voice of the four lead singers ... 2.) Lopez (instrumental) (Steve Wood) - 3:56 rating: *** stars The electric piano powered instrumental "Lopez" sounded like it was written for a quickie porno flick, but actually sounded right at home here. 3.) Blue of Your Backdrop (instrumental) (Richard Stekol) - 2:19 rating: ** stars Complete with cheesy synthesizer, the instrumental "Blue of Your Backdrop" was another track that actually sounded like something you'd expect on a surfer soundtrack. 4.) Tunnel of Love (instrumental) (Richard Stekol) - 4:02 rating: *** stars Powered by Stokel's fantastic guitar (check out the freak out solo that closes the song), some nice drumming from Imboden and an unexpected Wood harpsichord solo the instrumental "Tunnel of Love" was one of the album's most memorable melodies. 5.) Pipeline Sequence (instrumental) (Beth Fitchet - Don Whaley - Steve Wood - Tris Imboden - Richard Stekol) - 4:29 rating: **** stars And best of all was the closing instrumental "Pipeline Sequence". Bouncing between Stekol's lead guitar and Wood's B-3 this was a near perfect track. I don't surf, but this one's always struck me as being the perfect song for a surfer film. The song was released as a single:
- 1972's "Pipeline Sequence" b/w "Made My Statement" (Granite catalog number GR-101)
© Scott R. Blackerby September 2025
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Genre: yacht rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Honk Company: 20th Century Records Catalog: T-406 Country/State: Laguna Beach, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $25.00
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While Honk's 1972
"The
Original Sound Track from Five Summer Stories" wasn't a
massive seller, the album attracted enough attention to bring 20th Century
Records calling. Signed by the label the sextet quickly found
themselves in Hollywood's Criterion Studios. 20th Century Fox
seemingly had considerable faith in the group, allowing them to self-produce
1973's "Honk" with a little help from engineer Fred
Borkgren. That faith took a beating when the band turned in their albu
"Honk" track listing: (side 1) 1.) I Wanna Do For You (Richard Stekol) - 2:36 rating: *** stars With Beth Fitches and Richard Stekol sharing lead vocals "I Wanna Do For You" opened the album with the jazzy tinged rocker "I Wanna Do For You". With a catchy chorus the song wasn't half bad, though Craig Buhler sax washes didn't do a lot for me. The song was tapped as the album's second single:
- 1973's "I Wanna Do For You" b/w "Another Light" (20th Century catalog number TC-2029)
2.) So Much Easier (Steve Wood) - 2:44 rating: *** stars Wood's breezy, keyboard-powered "So Much Easier" veered towards "cutesy" pop tune ... Lots and lots of "clever" words gave it kind of a "Broadway" soundtrack flavor. Not saying that's a good, or bad thing. 3.) Don't Let Your Good Bye Stand (Richard Stekol) - 3:00 rating: *** stars "Don't Let Your Good Bye Stand" was one of two songs salvaged from the earlier soundtrack. Written and sung by Stekol, the song was a pretty acoustic country-rock ballad. After Fitchet Stekol may have had the second best voice of the four vocalists ... 4.) Circles In Sand (Richard Stekol) - 3:37 rating: **** stars Powered by what was one of Beth Fitchet's finest performances, the sweet, flute driven ballad "Circles In Sand" should have been released as a single. Great melody with the combination of Fitchet's mournful vocals and the backing harmonies certain to choke up English majors everywhere. 5.) Caught On a Greyhound (Mark Turnbull) - 2:31 rating: ** stars Written by future Honk guitarist Mark Turnbull and featuring Red Rhodes pedal steel guitar, "Caught On a Greyhound" was a slice of Poco-styled country-rock. Okay, but derivative and not particularly memorable. 6.) Another Light (Steve Wood) - 4:04 rating: **** stars To my ears Wood wrote some of the band's most interesting tunes. He had a commercial ear, but his melodies were always a bit quirky - imagine something penned by The Move's Roy Wood. Wood also had a nice, commercial voice and it all came together on the poppy "Another Light". The album's catchiest tune, it would have made a nice single, but sadly was relegated to the "B" side to their "I Wanna Do For You" single.
(side 2) 1.) We're on Wheels (Richard Stekol) - 3:03 rating: ** stars Opening with some Buhler sax, "We're on Wheels" blended a jazzy vibe with some bar band moves. Odd performance. 2.) Hidin' Out (Steve Wood) - 2:58 rating: *** stars Opening with some Wood electric piano, the ballad "Hidin' Out" has always reminded me of something the UK/German band Lake might have recorded. I like Lake so that's a compliment. 3.) I Wanna Stay (Steve Wood) - 5:50 rating: *** stars With Fitches back on lead vocals, the ballad "I Wanna Stay" found the band shifting into adult contemporary; almost yacht rock territory. 4.) Money Slips Through My Fingers (Mark Turnbull) - 3:31 rating: ** stars Another Mark Turnbull-penned country tune, "Money Slips Through My Fingers" spotlighted Red Rhodes pedal steel guitar. Prominently featured on backing vocals, Fitchet's voice has always reminded me of a Southern version of Linda Ronstadt. Turnbull subsequently rerecorded the track for his 1978 solo album "When I Was Six I Got A Ukulele" (Beachtown Records catalog number BTR 0001) 5.) Buckeyed Jim (Mark Turnbull) - 3:54 rating: **** stars The acoustic ballad "Buckeyed Jim" was simply gorgeous. Turnbull's best composition, the more I hear Fetcher's voice, the more I've come to appreciate her clear, calming delivery. 6.) Pipeline Sequence (instrumental) (Beth Fitchet - Don Whaley - Steve Wood - Tris Imboden - Richard Stekol) - 4:29 rating: **** stars The best song on their debut collection, the instrumental "Pipeline Sequence" was repurposed for their studio debut. The song was also notable as being the only group composition on the LP. Bouncing between Stekol's lead guitar and Wood's B-3 this was a near perfect track. I don't surf, but this one's always struck me as being the perfect song for a surfer film. It was released as the album's first single:
- 1973's "Pipeline Sequence" b/w "Made My Statement" (20th Century catalog number TC-2007)
The band have a small web presence at: https://www.honkband.com/
© Scott R. Blackerby September 2025
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Genre: yacht rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Honk Company: Epic Catalog: KE
33094 Country/State: Laguna Beach, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $25.00 |
Another album;
another record label, but the same album title ... How many times can you
use the name "Honk" as an album title? Signed
by Epic, if nothing else their second self-titled album underscored the
band's need for a new marketing approach. With five of the six
band members contributing to the writing chores 1974's Henry Lewy
produced "Honk" featured a collection that w
In support of the album the band hit the road opening for The Beach Boys, Chicago, Loggins and Messina and other national acts. Sadly it did little for sales and within a year they'd called it quits.
(side 1) 1.) Move Me (Steve Wood) - 3:15 rating: *** stars "Move Me" was one of two Wood compositions. I'm guessing he also handled the lead vocals. The track was curious in that it straddled Marshall Tucker-styled country-rock (Wood's vocals have always reminded me of Marshall Tucker) and courtesy of Craig Buhler's sax accompaniment, a jazzier vibe. 2.) Home (Steve Wood) - 3:18 rating: *** stars With a lilting Caribbean flavor, the ballad "Home" sounded like a mash-up of Rupert Holmes and Jimmy Buffett. Very commercial and radio friendly. 3.) All My Time Is Free (Richard Stekol) - 2:43 rating: *** stars The combination of Beth Fitchet's pretty vocals, some un-credited harmonica and "I miss the old childhood days" lyrics gave "Move On" a sweet, mournful country-rock feel. 4.) Hesitation (Richard Stekol) - 4:03 rating: **** stars Even if you're not a big yacht rock fan, I have to admit that the bouncy "Hesitation" sounded great on a good set of speakers, or quality headphones. In addition to writing the song, guitarist Richard Stekol handled the lead vocals. It was one of his standout performances. Picture a mid-'70s band like Pablo Cruise, or Orleans and you'd have a feel for what this one sounded like. Beats me why, but whereas lite-jazzy horn arrangements normally leave me cold, Craig Buhler's sax solo made the song. Epic tapped this one as the single:
- 1974's "Hesitation" b/w "Dog at Your Door" (Epic catalog number 8-50056)
Featuring the original line-up with the exception of bassist Will Brady, YouTube has a September 2025 performance of the song at the San Juan Capistrano Coach House Theater. The clip was filmed by an audience members so the quality isn't great: Honk - Hesitation
5.) You Better Do Something (Richard Stekol) - 3:27 rating: *** stars "You Better Do Something" was a pretty, if somewhat anonymous ballad. Again powered by Fitchet's sweet voice, this was the perfect slice of music to have served as the theme for a '70s television sitcom, or perhaps an oral care commercial. 6.) Gimme That Wine (Jon Hendricks) - 2:37 rating: * star One of two covers, Jon Hendricks' "Gimme That Wine" was a weird, jazzy tune. Apparently a song keyboardist Steve Wood learned from his parents' recording collection. With Wood handling lead vocals the combination of the breezy jazz vibe and faux-live gave this one a second-rate Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen sound.
(side 2) 1.) Dog At Your Door (Richard Stekol) - 2:45 rating: **** stars With Beth Fitchet on lead vocals, "Dog At Your Door" was a catchy blues-rocker. Her performance reminded me of a less gritty Bonnie Raitt. That wasn't to imply Fitchet-Wood was a lesser vocalist. She was easily as commercial as Raitt (though not as bluesy) and when she unleashed that gritty edge it her voice ... things turned magical. The track was also tapped as the "B" side to their "Hesitation" 45. It should have been an "A" side. 2.) Where Is Love (And When Will It Come To Me) (Richard Stekol - Will Brady) - 3:48 rating: **** stars Opening with some jazzy Craig Buhler "love man" sax, "Where Is Love (And When Will It Come To Me)" slowly revealed itself as one of the band's prettiest ballads. Yeah, it was firmly in the Ambrosia/Christopher Cross yacht rock catalog, but the band's harmony vocals provided the song's secret sauce. Not sure if co-writer Will Brady or Buhler handled lead vocals. 3.) Oh Daddy Blues (William Russell - Edward Herbert) - 3:48 rating: * star A remake of the jazz standard "Oh Daddy" which has been covered by scores of artists including Bessie Smith, served as the album's second cover. It was nice to hear Fitchet using her grittier voice, but the song's '20s jazzy flavor didn't do much for me. 4.) Mademoiselle (Mark Turnbull) - 3:14 rating: **** stars Written by longtime band friend and associate Mark Turn bill, "Mademoiselle" was one of my favorite tracks. Built on a breezy, Cajun-tinged melody the results were simply charming. 5.)There Is a River (Richard Stekol) - 5:22 rating: **** stars Opening up with the combination of Stekol's guitar and Wood's keyboards "There Is a River" was another river. You weren't going to mistake them for a heavy metal band, but this was still one of their more rock oriented performances. Nice melody, great Stekol vocals and Allman-ish guitar solo and those harmonies made for another standout performance. I would have tapped this one as a single.
© Scott R. Blackerby February 2026
There's also a posthumous live release:
- 1991's "Coach House Live" (Restless catalog number 72393)
"Coach House Live" track listing: (side 1) 1.) (Love
Is Like a) Heat Wave (side 2) 1.)
Move Me
They had a reunion in 1983 and have occasionally regrouped for charity occasions.
Replacement bassist Brady's gone on to a solo career and has a website at:
Buhler has a website at:
Fichet also enjoyed a solo career and has a website at: http://www.bethfitchetwood.com
Imboden joined Chicago (whom Honk had once opened for). He has a website at: http://www.trisimboden.com/home.htm
Stekol became an in-demand sessions player, was a member of The Funky Kings and even taught golf. Of course he has a website !!!
Wood opened up a recording studio and has worked on a number of IMAX soundtracks. Did you doubt that he would have a website as well? http://www.stevewoodmusic.com/
So that leaves Don Whaley ... After Honk called it quits together with Imboden he released an album as a member of La Seine. Then what?
left to right: Steve Wood - Beth Fitchet - Don Whaley - Craig Buhler - Richard Stekol - Tris Imboden
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ummer Stories"
was a major surprise to my ears. Based on the brief descriptions
I'd read and knowing it was related to a surfer flick, I was expecting to
hear a throwaway set of surfer instrumental - kind of a
low-tech
Ventures-styled offering. Sure, there were several surf-styled
instrumentals including "Blue of Your
Backdrop" and "Pipeline
Sequence", but the album was way more than that. With all of the members
contributing material, this may have been billed as a soundtrack, but for
all intents and purposes it was a regular rock album. True,
exemplified by tracks like "Blue of Your
Backdrop" and
"Brad and David's Theme"
there were lots of brief instrumental interludes and it wasn't
the most coherent album you've ever heard and stylistically it was all over
the map. In spite of those flaws it somehow managed to latch onto that
early-1970s Southern California vibe that people longingly dream
about. Wish I could explain it better, but even the throwaway
cover art captured the vibe. Bottom
line is this was another album that was far better than any
description I could give it.
m.
20th Century Records
management weren't thrilled with the results, demanding about half of the
tracks be replaced with more commercial content. The band reluctantly
complied. With all six members contributing to the material, the album
featured a collection of twelve originals, including two tracks re-purposed
from the soundtrack - "Don't Let Your Good Bye Stand"
and "Pipeline Sequence". Freed from the need to write
material suitable for a surf movie, the set let guitarist Richard Stekol,
keyboardist Steve Wood and future band member Mark Turnbull each explore
their areas of musical interest. Tracks like the
opener "I
Wanna Do For You"
and the beautiful ballad "Circles In Sand" found
Stekol displaying his affection for rock and country-rock. "So Much Easier"
and "Another Light" found keyboard player Wood contributing the
album's most pop and commercially oriented tunes. Turnbull contributions
like "Caught On a Greyhound" and "Money Slips Through My Fingers"
displayed his affinity for country music. The biggest surprise was how
talented rhythm guitarist/singer
Beth Fitchet. Reminding me of a Southern Linda Ronstadt, her voice
provided album highlights on tracks like "Circles In Sand" and
"Buckeyed Jim".
Not particularly original but the album was way better than their
debut. Certainly not meant as an insult, and I suspect the band might
even agree, but based on the album's diversity, Honk struck me as being a
good party band and I bet they were a blast to hear in a live
setting.. 
as
heavy on band originals. Like the previous albums the set was
musically diverse covering territory from '20s jazz ("Oh
Daddy Blue"), country-rock ("Gimme
That Wine"), Cajun-influences
("Mademoiselle")
and 70s yacht rock ("Hesitation"). Hard to put my finger on
it, but this was one of those collections were the album in totality was
better than the individual tracks. That's not to say there weren't
some great performances on the album. No matter what she touched lead
singer
Beth Fitchet had a wonderful voice and it provided album highlights on the
blues-rocker "Dog
At Your Door" and the country-rock ballad "All
My Time Is Free". The band was also gifted given lead guitarist Richard Stekol
and keyboardist Steve Wood were both strong singers. Song-for-song
Stekol had the strongest "batting average" with the single
"Hesitation", the blues-rocker "Dog
At Your Door", "Where
Is Love" and "There
Is a River" all having commercial potential. At the other end of
the spectrum their dives into '20s jazz ("Oh
Daddy Blues") and Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen-styled
old-timey tunes ("Gimme
That Wine") did nothing for me.
