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A Taste of Honey – ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’

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‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’ was A Taste of Honey’s debut single and was released in June 1978. It was a huge hit for the band, reaching the top of several charts in the U.S., and performing well around the world. Propelled by bassist Janice-Marie Johnson’s infectious groove, the song has since become a disco classic, making it required study for any aspiring funk/disco bassist. Alongside her low-end duties, Johnson also co-wrote the song and sang lead vocals.

When learning this piece, you might find the following courses (all included in the monthly subscription cost) useful:

A transcription (with TAB and without) is available for this course. To download it, please visit the Free Stuff page.

This course is 24 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:

1. ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’

This video is a demonstration of the song, performed on 1972 Fender Jazz bass strung with old Rotosound string for a warm, vintage tone.

2. Course Overview

This video contains an overview of the song and the challenges it presents, as well as offering some advice on choosing the right instrument and tone for a piece like this.

3. Intro Section

This video will show you how to play the eight-bar Intro section, which features a melodic bass part from bassist Janice-Marie Johnson.

4. Main Groove and Verse Sections

This video covers the song’s famous bass groove, which is played four times during the second part of the Intro, then used for each of the song’s two verse sections.

5. Chorus Sections

This lesson will cover the first two chorus sections. The chords move upwards in fourths here, with the bass connecting them with double chromatic approaches.

6. Bass Solo

This video covers Janice-Marie Johnson’s bass solo, which is heavily based on the main groove, but with some simple variations.

7. Final Chorus

This final video of the course breaks down the closing chorus sections, which have a couple of simple fills that are important to learn.