Honeymoon Suite

Honeymoon Suite

Honeymoon Suite. Rock band, so-named in reference to its origins in Niagara Falls, Ont, 'honeymoon capital' of North America. The band was formed in 1982 by the singer Johnnie Dee with the songwriters Derry Grehan (guitar) and Ray Coburn (keyboards), as well as Gary Lalonde (bass guitar, formerly of Toronto) and Dave Betts (drums). Coburn was replaced by Rob Preuss in 1986.

Honeymoon Suite's spirited, commercial style, supported by the then-new promotional medium of music videos, brought the band success quickly. Its first LP, Honeymoon Suite (WEA 25-07301), issued in 1984, included 'New Girl Now,' a modest international hit which led to several tours in the USA (as an opening act for Jethro Tull, Journey, Heart, etc) and Canada. Notable among its Canadian appearances were several concerts at the Kingswood Music Theatre, at Maple, Ont. A second US hit, 'Feel It Again' (from The Big Prize, WEA 25-28241), followed in 1986, by which time the band had made its European debut. Honeymoon Suite also appeared in Japan in 1986, taking part in the Yamaha Song Festival in Tokyo, where Coburn's 'Those Were the Days' won a gold award.

The songs 'Stay in the Light' (1984) and 'What Does It Take' (1986) were popular in Canada, as were 'Love Changes Everything' and 'Lookin' Out for Number One' (1988, from Racing After Midnight, WEA 25-54451). Honeymoon Suite received a Juno Award as group of the year in 1986. Canadian sales of its first three LPs exceeded 200,000 each. A compliation album issued in 1989, The Singles (WEA 25-69791), included 'Still Lovin' You,' a modest domestic hit. A fifth album, Monsters Under the Bed (WEA 75532, CD and cass), followed in 1991.