The Babys

Origin and name

Founding member Mike Corby places the origin of the idea for the band at Smalls Café on the Fulham Road in London in 1973, during a chance meeting with manager Adrian Millar. An agreement was signed between Corby and Millar on 4 September 1974, and auditions were held to fill out the remaining members.

Tony Brock was the third member of the group to join. Brock was playing with a group called Strider. Brock was already an established rock drummer, but some financial difficulties with Strider, and the opportunity to join a group with sound financial backing like Corby and Millar's project, made him decide to take a chance with this group instead. The last member to join the line-up was Wally Stocker.

In 1977 they purchased a 24 track mobile unit with which to record their music. They went to a ranch house in the Malibu mountains and put down the tracks in six weeks. The influences of the songs came about from their first year in Los Angeles and the culture shock of their relocation there.

Millar ultimately deciding on "The Babys".

In a 1979 Hit Parader magazine interview, Waite stated,

"The name was meant to be a joke. We took the name simply because the record companies wouldn't listen to any bands they thought were rock & roll. I mean, they wanted sure-fire teen bands, pre-teen bands. We couldn't get anybody down to hear us to get a record deal, so we called ourselves The Babys. We thought we'd keep the name just for two weeks. Then, the word got around in London that there was a band playing rock & roll called The Babys and it seemed so off the wall, so completely crazy, that it was worth taking a shot with. It really appealed to everyone's sense of humor."

Music videos were produced by Mike Mansfield for Supersonic, and Chrysalis Records signed the band in 1976.

Career

The Babys eponymous first album (highlighted by the single "If You've Got The Time"), was recorded in Toronto, Canada, with producers Brian Christian and Bob Ezrin and released in January 1977, although it appears that Millar and Corby were unhappy with the production.

Some critics felt the teen-friendly packaging on their second album, Broken Heart, may have affected the group's appeal to wider audiences, although it is claimed that it was part of an experiment by Corby with group members looking like characters from the film A Clockwork Orange. As far as record sales were concerned, The Babys seemed to live in the shadow of other Chrysalis artists Blondie, Pat Benatar, and Leo Sayer. The Babys second album, Broken Heart, (released in September 1977) produced a Top 20 U.S. hit, "Isn't It Time" (written by Jack Conrad and Ray Kennedy), that peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard chart. They continued to tour the U.S. successfully with The Babettes, which included singers from Andrae Crouch and the Disciples: Lisa Freeman Roberts, Myrna Matthews and Pat Henderson. The album spent two weeks at #1 in Australia and produced a #1 single with "Isn't It Time".

Disputes with Chrysalis management resulted in the firing of original manager Millar in 1978.

Corby soon exited the band as well. Equipment Manager Ray Sheriff states:

"Almost immediately after Michael's leaving, the remainder of the band went into auditions for a replacement. Jonathan Cain, in fact, became Mike’s successor, but I am sure he had not been selected until after Mike left. The other musician was Ricky Phillips, who played bass. I think from what John, Wally and Tony said that it was they, and not Chrysalis, who selected these two successors, and I think that at about this same time Lookout Management ceased to be the band’s managers."

Two American musicians became a part of the lineup the following year; keyboardist/guitarist Jonathan Cain replaced Corby, and bassist Ricky Phillips (of "Nasty Habit") joined in 1979, making it a five-piece band. Because Corby and Millar had the original documents for the band, Cain and Phillips were never contracted. The band's fourth album, Union Jacks, (released in January 1980) had a more punchy sound; the single, "Back on My Feet Again," spending a very short time in the Top 40. During an extensive tour in 1980, The Babys opened for Journey, a band that Jonathan Cain would soon join. The band's fifth album, On the Edge, was made during the 1980 tour, and released in October 1980. The single, "Turn and Walk Away", only reached the Top 100.

During a performance in Cincinnati on 9 December 1980 (the day after John Lennon had been murdered), John Waite was pulled from the stage by an overzealous fan during an encore and seriously injured his knee. Following a subsequent final performance by the group in Akron, Ohio, the remainder of the tour was cancelled, and the group disbanded following the tour. Although different members of the group have given various reasons for the band's demise, the general issue seems to have been disillusionment that the group never really achieved the success they felt they deserved given the quality of their albums and live shows.

Aftermath

Jonathan Cain joined Journey right when the band was on the precipice of success, while John Waite embarked on a successful solo career, peaking with a number one American hit in 1984 with "Missing You." Waite and Cain would reunite with Ricky Phillips at the end of the 1980s to form the hard rock/glam rock-infused supergroup Bad English, scoring several hits from their 1989 self-titled album. Tony Brock spent many years drumming for Rod Stewart, as well as drumming and co-producing for Jimmy Barnes and producing for Keith Urban. Wally Stocker also went on to play guitar for Rod Stewart and briefly joined Air Supply, as well as a reformed version of Humble Pie in the 1990s. Wally Stocker and Tony Brock did not work with John Waite after the breakup and there were no rumors of any kind concerning a reunion for the 1979 lineup.

Reforming The Babys

In 2013 The Babys reformed with originals Tony Brock and Wally Stocker, and two new members - American John Bisaha (The Nameless, Azure Blue, Hall of Souls, BISAHA) on vocals and bass, along with American guitarist Joey Sykes (Boystown, Coward, Meredith Brooks). The debut of the new look Babys happened in the summer of 2013 at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California. Live, the band features a keyboardist Francesco Saglietti (who was replaced for their 2015 tour by Eric Ragno until Saglietti returned in 2016) and 'The Babettes' - Holly Bisaha and Elisa Chadbourne. In June 2014, their latest album, I'll Have Some of That!, was released.

Band members

Former members