The original Sugar Babes (not to be confused with popular UK trio Sugababes) were a Motown teen girl group that consisted of Patrice Lydia, Kimiko Whittaker and Stacie Irvin. After releasing three mildly successful singles - the dancey "We Rock The Beat" and "I'll Educate You (On My Love)", and the ballad "A Perfect Kind Of Love" - and an amazing self-titled album, Patrice left the trio. The remaining two members were signed as a duo to MCA (why Stacie decided to change the spelling of her first name is a mystery...). They released the album Paradise, which was very much in the spirit of the Sugar Babes in sound, though with less funk and more swing, and much more mature in content and with a tip of the hat to Janet Jackson. They went from fun loving teens to sexy young women. With a crew of pop/R&B hitmakers at their fingertips, they concocted a flirty and fun album. The single "Wait For Me" just barely reached the R&B top 40, while "R.U. Available" failed to chart. Though the girls deserved to do better, the second time was not a charm and again they were dropped from a label. Kimiko recorded a solo album in 1992, but it was shelved. She continued to work in the music biz, though, most notably as co-writer of Salt 'N' Pepa smash "Whatta Man" and co-producer of their song "Start Me Up". Stacie's whereabouts, like so many of her fellow castaways on the Isle, remain unknown...**UPDATE - Thanks to the fab detective work of Dream 101, we have a bit of info on their whereabouts. Here is his info:
Found someone on Youtube who Kimiko is the aunt of, she sent me a message after I asked her about Kimiko :D
"Yo I checked out your blog and I told Kimiko to check it out. Thats nice to see people still appreciate her music. As far as Stacye goes...just like the spelling of her name she's a mystery. Last I remember she was getting married. How that turned out...I have the slightest, but we keep her in our prayers. (smile) Kimiko is doing just fine. She has a family now. The Lord had another direction for her. She owns her own business and she has two beautiful children. I'll have to find out more about the solo album......... "
And both and Stacie have Facebook pages, so should you like to get the story directly from the ladies, hit them up there!
Kimiko's Facebook page Stacie's Facebook Page
Video for We Rock The Beat
Download Sugar Babes
| 1 | I'll Educate You (On My Love) | |||
| 2 | We Rock The Beat | |||
| 3 | Teenage Holiday | |||
| 4 | Silly Faze | |||
| 5 | The Perfect Kind Of Love | |||
| 6 | Here I Go (Falling In Love Again) | |||
| 7 | You Bring Out The Best In Me | |||
| 8 | He's The One | |||
| 9 | The First Play |
Video for Wait For Me
Live performance on Soul Train of R.U. Available
Download Paradise
| 1 | Wait For Me | |
| 2 | R.U. Available | |
| 3 | Come And Get It | |
| 4 | Single Girl | |
| 5 | Lover's Paradise | |
| 6 | Every Word | |
| 7 | I've Been Waiting | |
| 8 | My Thrill | |
| 9 | It Just Ain't Right | |
| 10 | Wait For Me (Extended Club Vocal) |
