Baby (band)
Baby was an American southern rock band from Texas. The band created its own company Baby Enterprises, Inc., based in Amarillo, Texas, to take care of the range of interests a musical group has. One of its branches was Lone Starr Records to which Baby signed itself in the mid-1970s. Baby had a legion of fans in the Midwest and South in 1975-76 and headlined venues like the famed Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa while generating regional radio airplay on the band's first single, (It's Another) Saturday Night.[1]
Recording history
The band's 1975 self-titled debut album got the attention of the executives at Mercury Records based on their regional album sales in Texas. The album was remixed and re-released in mid-1975 on Mercury and thereby derived a national distribution network. The follow-up album was called Where Did All The Money Go? which got released on Chelsea Records in 1976. The album's title summed up the feelings for the band that seemed poised for success similar to what other southern rock artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd and the One of its branches Marshall Tucker Band were having in the mid-70s, but the success never came for them. After low sales of Where Did All The Money Go? and a lawsuit with John Waite and The Babys over the rights of the name "Baby(s)", the band quit.[2]
Post-Baby careers
Guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Johnny Lee Schell went on to play on the Grammy winning album Nick Of Time from Bonnie Raitt in 1989. He has played with some of the world's biggest names and continues to produce, write and contribute to many blues-based artists as well as his own solo projects. Schell's guitar work appeared on Barbara Blue's latest blues album, Memphis 3rd And Beale.
Late in 2008, bassist/vocalist Stephen Crane and keyboardist Charlie Rouzer, founding members of Baby in the early 1970s, reunited to form Texas Blues Runners, a four-piece blues band based in Austin, Texas.
Band members
- Johnny Lee Schell: Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Organ, Harmonica & Vocals, Official Hottie
- John Mark Camp: Rhythm Guitars, Acoustic Guitars & Vocals
- Stephen G. Crane: Bass Guitar and Vocals
- Woodie Putman: Drums and Percussion[3]
- James Ervan Parker went on tour with them as opening act, was also a background member playing guitar on tour and writing songs for them.
Discography
Albums
- 1975: Baby (Lone Starr Records, remixed and re-released nationally on Mercury Records)
- 1976: Where Did All The Money Go? (Chelsea Records)
Singles
- 1975: (It's Another) Saturday Night (Lone Starr Records)
- 1975: Long-Legged Woman (Lone Starr Records)
- 1976: Where Did All The Money Go? (Chelsea Records)
- 1977: Fallen Angel (Chelsea Records)
Trivia
The popular song Baby by the teen heart throb Justin Bieber created a huge surge on the band's YouTube videos, generating much unexpected pay-per-view incomings paid by Google.
References
- ↑ Discography on Discogs
- ↑ information obtained from band member John Mark Camp in 2005
- ↑ A.k.a. Woodrow V. Putman
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This concert poster shows the 1970 incarnation of Baby. John Mark Camp and Woodie Putman were background members of Euphoria at that time.