A Story That Is Over 30 Years In The Making
The group
known as Milk and Honey formed in
the fall of 1967. The group was originally based
in western Iowa. The name Milk and Honey
came from a poem about the "Land of Milk and
Honey." In 1968, the group purchased an old
school bus, outfitted it for traveling, and hit the
road. They lost a lot of money and had a great
time performing rock and roll. In the winter of
1968, this group decided to go their separate
ways.
In 1969, Rick Koch, Luke Kjolhede, Larry
Koch, Mike Kane, and Jack Fellenzer
reorganized the band around college
careers. To the right is a picture of this
group performing at the Circle Lounge in
Cedar Falls, in 1970.
The turning point for the group came in
1971, when Jack and Mike left the group.
The female singer, Maureen Hastings,
came to replace Jack and Mike. This
addition of a female singer, proved to be
very popular because there were very few
bands with female lead singers. During this
time period, the group performed nearly
250 nights a year.
In 1974, Milk and Honey recorded and
released a song that was a regional hit,
"Have A Nice Day." Due to family responsibilities, the group made the very
difficult decision to remain a regional group, rather than travel nationally.
Since then, the group has focused on having fun
and making music, rather than becoming famous.
Several personal changes have taken place since
1982. Pictured are some versions of Milk and
Honey that existed during the 1980s and 1990s.
Pictured below, is the present group with
the additions of: Wayne Risvold, Roger
Miller, Jenny Fitkin, John Arntson, and Jesse Koch. This addition has allowed
for greater variety and uniqueness within the group
.