The Rubettes

The Rubettes are an English pop/glam rock band put together in 1974 after the release of "Sugar Baby Love", performed and recorded by studio session musicians in 1973 by the songwriting team of Wayne Bickerton, the then head of A&R at Polydor Records, and his co-songwriter, Tony Waddington after their doo-wop and 1950s American pop-influenced songs had been rejected by a number of existing acts. Waddington paired the group with manager John Morris, the husband of singer Clodagh Rodgers, and under his guidance, the band emerged at the end of the glam rock movement, wearing trademark white suits and cloth caps on stage. Their first release, "Sugar Baby Love", was an instant hit remaining at number one in the United Kingdom for four weeks in May 1974, while reaching number 37 on the US chart that August, and remains their best-known record. Subsequent releases were less successful, but the band toured well into the 2000s with two line-ups in existence.

History

Classic era (1974–1980)

The Rubettes' first and biggest hit was "Sugar Baby Love" (1974), which was a number one in the United Kingdom, selling around 500,000 copies in the UK and three million copies globally. With three other songs, "Sugar Baby Love" was recorded for Polydor in October 1973 at Lansdowne Studios in Holland Park, London, by a group of session musicians featuring the distinctive falsetto and lead vocals of Paul Da Vinci (born Paul Leonard Prewer). However, Da Vinci did not join the others to become a member of the band put together by John Richardson, and instead pursued solo work, having signed a contract with Penny Farthing Records. "Sugar Baby Love" was their only UK No. 1 and sole US Top 40 entry.

For public appearances to promote the song, initially on Top of the Pops, Alan Williams took on the role of lead singer, being the only one of the original session singers able to duplicate Da Vinci's falsetto vocals.