Baby Bird

Babybird is a musical project centred around songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Jones, who has been releasing music since 1995. While Jones' early solo work was released under the "Baby Bird" name, the altered "Babybird" was first used to distinguish the full band line-up that has changed often over the years. However, in recent years, Jones has recorded many of the Babybird albums himself, in addition to recording as a solo artist, and under various aliases including Death Of The Neighbourhood, Trucker, Black Reindeer, Deluder, Arthritis Kid and others.
Stephen Jones started writing and recording songs at home and his first collection of these demos, I Was Born a Man, was released in July 1995 using the name Baby Bird. He formed a band in order to tour and promote this work. In 1996, Babybird signed to Echo Records and their first single was released in July 1996. The group's second single, "You're Gorgeous", reached number 3 in the UK in October 1996, and was one of the biggest selling singles of the year, going on to chart around the world. However, it presented a more commercial face to the public in comparison to Jones's earlier work, as well as in comparison to the rest of the material on the Ugly Beautiful album. The album produced two more hit singles in "Candy Girl" and "Cornershop".
Babybird were dropped from their record label in 2000 after their third album, Bugged, had poor sales. The band then split. Jones continued on his own, writing fiction, releasing solo work and created the score for the film Blessed. In October 2005, the band reformed with three members and created another album released in September 2006. They went on tour in November 2009 and then split again in 2013. After a number of Babybird releases on Bandcamp from 2015, Jones took the band back out on tour in late 2017 with a new line up. A compilation album Happy Stupid Nothing was released in 2019, featuring a selection of Babybird tracks from 2015 onwards.
== Links to Peel ==
Stephen Jones was interviewed by The Mouth Magazine and was asked how his success in the mid-90's rose so quickly from being a support act for Jools Holland to appearing on Richard & Judy TV show. He mentioned Peel amongst other radio DJ's playing material from his Ugly Beautiful album:
"A fun night I remember! It was more propelled by Mark Radcliffe and Lard (Marc Riley), and Mark Lamarr. Doing radio sessions for them, etc. They played GOODNIGHT a lot. Even Peel did… UGLY BEAUTIFUL was rushed and contained band songs and some of my old tarted up demos, so it was a bit of a mess. YOU’RE GORGEOUS got the Richard and Judy spot, the Big Breakfast on Channel Four, the juggernaut BBC Radio One roadshows, etc, in full steam. All a big blur…" 
Peel supported Babybird with airplay in the mid-90's, though did not appear to have played the commercial breakthrough release "You're Gorgeous", and by the time the band released the Dying Happy album in 1997, he had moved on to other artists and this was at a time when the britpop scene was dying away, which Babybird became more associated with.
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
*1996 Festive Fifty: Goodnight FF #15
== Sessions ==
*None
== Live ==
Recorded live at the Phoenix Festival. First Broadcast: 21 July 1996
# Too Handsome To Be Homeless 
# Man's Tight Vest
# Bug In A Breeze
# Goodnight
== Other Shows Played ==
;1995
*08 September 1995: 'CFC (LP-I Was Born A Man)' (Baby Bird Recordings)
*15 December 1995: Cool & Crazy Things To Do (album - Fatherhood) Baby Bird Recordings
*23 December 1995: Neil Armstrong (album - Fatherhood) Baby Bird Recordings
*23 December 1995 (BFBS): 'Cool And Crazy Things To Do (CD-Fatherhood)' (Baby Bird Recordings)
;thumb|250x250px1996
*05 January 1996: 'Bad Blood (LP-Fatherhood)' (Baby Bird Recordings)
*13 January 1996 (BFBS): 'Bad Blood (CD-Fatherhood)' (Baby Bird Recordings)
*19 January 1996: Alan Ladd (v/a album - Volume 15 - Technology Alert!) Volume
*28 January 1996 (BFBS): 'Alan Ladd (Compilation CD-Volume 15 - Technology Alert!)' (Volume)
*02 February 1996: ‘Failed Old Singer (CD – Fatherhood )’ Baby Bird Recordings
*03 February 1996 (BFBS): 'Failed Old Singer (LP-Fatherhood)' (Baby Bird Recordings)
*01 April 1996: Razorblade Shower (CD - The Happiest Man Alive) Baby Bird Recordings
*13 July 1996 (as Babybird]]): Goodnight (7") Echo
*20 July 1996 (BFBS) (as Babybird): Goodnight (7") Echo
*14 October 1996 (as Babybird): Dead Bird Sings (album - Ugly Beautiful) Echo
*16 October 1996 (as Babybird): unknown (album - Ugly Beautiful) Echo
*09 November 1996 (as Babybird): Cornershop (album - Ugly Beautiful) Echo
*28 December 1996 (as Babybird): Goodnight (7") Echo FF #15
;1997
*30 April 1997 (as Babybird): Cornershop (single) Echo
== See Also ==
*Record Collection: B
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Bandcamp
Category:Artists