Anne Margot Lantree ( August 28, 1943 - December 23, 2018) better known as Honey Lantree, was one of the few female drummers to come out of the
British Invasion. As a member
of The Honeycombs, she was probably the best-known woman drummer in rock & roll in the 1960s, at least in England.
She was working in a London hair salon managed by Martin Murray when the latter decided to form a rock & roll group in 1963. Having played drums previously, Lantree took to that spot in the band naturally. The Honeycombs hit the number one spot in early 1964 with "Have I the Right," produced by the renowned Joe Meek.
With an international hit to the group's credit, Lantree
became the most well-known female drummer in the world thanks to the
touring and film and television appearances that followed. She also
proved her worth as a singer by sharing the lead vocal spot on one of
their follow-up hits, "That's the Way"; their second album, All Systems Go,
offered her singing a soulful pop ballad, "Something I Got to Tell
You," that only confirmed her talents in this area. A little later in
the group's history, the band's managers decided to move Lantree to center stage, with Viv Prince from the Pretty Things
taking over the drumming on tour. Her fortunes declined with those of
the group, which lost most of its audience after 1965 as music moved on
and popular styles changed, and they ended up playing in cabaret during
their final phase. The band split up in 1967 following Joe Meek's suicide early that year.
She died on December 23, 2018, at the age of 75.
