2.01
Q. Where did the name "The Babys" come from?

A. From the October 1979 issue of Hit Parader magazine, in an article entitled: "Head First with a Smile, John Waite talks about the New Babys," John had this to say:
"...[T]he 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.

I liked the name very much. It's backfired occasionally and I think it's definitely harmed us, but there you go. It sort of makes it more interesting. I mean, people don't know what to expect."

2.02
Q. Who were the other members of The Babys?

A. The original line-up consisted of John Waite (vocals/bass), Wally Stocker (guitar), Tony Brock (drums) and Mike Corby (keyboards/guitar).

JOHN WAITE was the original lead singer and bass player for The Babys. He has previously been in the bands "England," "Graf Spee," and "Chalk Farm." He had also spent some time in Cleveland, Ohio, in a band called "The Boys."

Before joining The Babys, WALLY STOCKER had been with a band called Strider. TONY BROCK was a renowned drummer on the London scene, having worked with Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and was playing in a band called Spontaneous Combustion.

Not much is known about MIKE CORBY. In 1979/80, Mike Corby was asked to leave the band. The Babys recorded "Head First" as a trio and then added two Americans to the band, JONATHAN CAIN and RICKY PHILLIPS. Cain was a singer/songwriter/keyboard player who already had a taste of minor solo success with his song, "Til it's Time to Say Goodbye," which reached #44 on the Billboard charts in 1976. (He performed it on American Bandstand at the time.) He also had one solo album, "Windy City Breakdown" to his credit before joining the band. Phillips was a veteran of many band including: "The Warlocks," "Leo Swift," and "Nasty Habit".

2.03
Q. What ever happened to the other members of The Babys?

A. JONATHAN CAIN-- Jonathan had been working as a singer songwriter before joining The Babys. Jonathan left The Babys to join Journey and recorded "Escape," "Frontiers," "Raised on Radio" and "Trail by Fire" with the band.  During Journey's breakup in the mid-80s, JC went on to work with a number of artists as both a musician, co-writer and producer. The list of collaborative acts includes Michael Bolton, Jimmy Barnes, Mr. Big, Kenny Rogers, Loverboy, Heart and Lacy J. Dalton. He also co-wrote and produced an album for his wife at the time, Tane Cain. In 1988, JC once again joined forces with John Waite in Bad English. Recent years have seen Jonathan release a few solo albums and reunite with Journey.  For more information, visit Jonathan's official site.

MICHAEL CORBY--Michael lives in the UK and recently showed up online!  If you'd like more info on what Michael is up to, e-mail Richard Blatt.  Richard is a fan who keeps in contact with Michael.

Online fan Richard Blatt had the pleasure of talking with Ricky at Ricky's studio in July of 1999. Richard reports that  Ricky has been very busy producing.  Ricky produced the 1999 "Fergie Frederiksen" CD and he has produced a CD for Leon Hendrix (Jimi's brother). At that point, Ricky was currently producing a Firefly CD and a live CD for Glenn Hughes. The Tommy Aldridge group project Ricky is working on is called Airgun.  

Spring 2001 saw Ricky release a new CD called "Elements of Friction."  Two of the songs on the CD were co-written by John Waite. 

For more on Ricky, check out his official website at http://www.rickyphillips.com/  

2.04
Q. What was the reason for the break-up of The Babys?

A. There seem to be several. Tensions in the band were high and there was constant disagreement between the band and Chrysalis, their record company. When The Babys toured with Journey, Neal Schon and Steve Perry were already on the look out for a new keyboard player because Gregg Rolie had made it known he was ready to leave the band. Gregg actually suggested Jonathan Cain as his replacement. Simultaneously, John Waite had a bad accident on stage one night and seriously injured his knee. Although he carried on a performed a few more nights on the tour, he had to take time off to recover. It was during this recovery he decided to leave The Babys himself and recommended that Jonathan Cain take the new position because, in John's words "there wasn't going to be any Babys anymore." Cain went to Journey and John went home to England.

2.05
Q. I seem to remember a Dr. Pepper jingle on the radio in the late 70s/early 80s that sounded an awful lot like The Babys. Was that them?

A. Yes. To download a sound clip of this jingle, follow this link.

2.06
Q. How many Babys trading cards make up a set?

A. Twelve. The cards were issued in 1979 and came in packs containing cards of four bands:The Babys, KISS, The Village People, and Queen. The backs of most cards were puzzle pieces, with the backs of select cards containing a bio of the musician featured. Click here to see all 12 Babys trading cards.

2.07
Q. Who is the song "True Love True Confession" about?

A. In interviews from that era, John won't say because to do so would sink to the level of the woman in the song. But it is about a real person, and the popular fan opinion is that it is about Britt Eckland. Another possibility is that it is about Bebe Buell.

2.08 Q. Where can I buy any of the Babys' original five albums on CD? A. For about the last ten years, Babys albums on CD have been difficult, if not impossible, to find.  And if you were able to find one, chances are the price on it would be pretty high.

Well, I have GREAT news!  As of Spring 2001, all of the Babys albums have been re-released on CD!  The Babys self-titled debut and Broken Heart are both on one CD, and then sold separately are Head First, On the Edge, and Union Jacks.  They are currently available for order at CD Now, priced very reasonably. :-)

2.09
Q. I like to bid on Babys stuff on eBay.  Any advice? 

A. eBay is very fun place... to sell items, to bid on items, or just to watch.  Two cautions, tho...when looking to bid, please beware of any person selling "CD-Rs" of anything, for those are illegal copies. Also, closely investigate any autographed item on which you are thinking of bidding.   Don't fall for that "certificate of authenticity" line...make sure any autograph you see on eBay matches up to what you know is the real thing.  This site is a good place to start if you need to authenticate an autograph.  Net Waite contains many examples of authentic John Waite autographs, as well as autographs by all of The Babys members (including Michael), and all of the members of Bad English.

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