Born Nancy Henigbaum was born into a family of professional classical musicians. As a teen Nancy Honeytree was drawn toward the hippie kids at her school, University of Iowa High School, eventually drifting into the drug culture. In 1970 she met some Jesus People at her sister's art school, and became one herself. After graduating, she worked at a youth ministry in Fort Wayne, Indiana called "The Adam's Apple", a part of the Jesus movement, and it was during these years that she began to write songs about her new-found faith, recording her self-titled first album in 1973. Billed simply as "Honeytree" most of her career, the singer's folk rock-soprano style was influenced by mainstream artists such as Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Judy Collins, but her lyrics were largely dealing with one's personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Still, she was somewhat unusual in that some of the songs on her albums were not just dealing with Jesus, but with friends and relationships, the loss of a friend, family memories and, increasingly, the solitary life of an unmarried Christian adult woman. Her songs were intricate and at times, playful. "Hummer, Bummer, Bashmobile" recalled the trials and joys of her first car, using her blue Valiant as a metaphor for friendship, or, some said, Christ. Some of her fans fondly recall the pivotal line, "Sometimes the friends who give the strongest love/are the ones other people don't think much of... but that's the kind of love youneed to get you by." She continued recording throughout the 1970s and toured as a solo artist and with some of the best-known names of the Jesus Movement, such as Phil Keaggy, Mike Johnson, and Mike Warnke. Her third album, Evergreen, is often considered among her best. As her career progressed, Honeytree's style shifted to a classical/bluegrass mix. On October 30, 1983, Honeytree was formally ordained by her church, Calvary Temple, in Fort Wayne. During the 1980s she developed a ministry to single adults, a focus she maintains to this day. In the 1990s, she recorded several Spanish-language albums and took her show on the road to Spanish-speaking countries.
Marriage
In June 1990, Honeytree married John Richard Miller, also an ordained minister. In 1995 the couple gave birth to their first child; however, he died less than three hours after birth. After the loss, a song, "Up to Something Good", became a song of her faith. Three months later, the Millers were able to adopt another child. John Richard Miller died May 15, 2018 of heart disease.
