Blake Babies were an American

college rock College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream ...

band formed in 1986 in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. The three primary members were John Strohm, Freda Love, and

Juliana Hatfield Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls, and The Lemonheads. She also fronted her own band, The Juliana Hatfield Three, ...

. They recorded three albums before splitting up in 1991. They reformed to record a new album in 1999, and again in 2016.

History

The band formed in 1986, while Hatfield was studying at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , pp. 782-3 The name "Blake Babies" was provided by the poet

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

; following a reading at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, the group (which had just begun to play together) raised their hands and asked him to name their band. Their first release was the ''Nicely, Nicely'' album, released on their own Chewbud label in 1987.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p. 50 In 1989 they released the

mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

''Slow Learner'' on Billy Bragg's Utility label,

Evan Dando Evan Griffith Dando (born March 4, 1967) is an American musician and frontman of the Lemonheads. He has also embarked on a solo career and collaborated on songs with various artists. In December 2015 Dando was inducted into the Boston Music Award ...

the Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member. After their initial punk-influenced releases and tour ...

(who Strohm had previously played with) joining as a temporary bassist.Robbins, Ira
Blake Babies
, ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

''. Retrieved February 9, 2018 The band then signed to the then-independent North Carolina-based record label

Mammoth Records Mammoth Records was an independent record label founded in 1989 by Jay Faires in the Carrboro area of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The majority of the acts on Mammoth were executive-produced by Faires and the label's general manager, Steve Balcom ...

, who issued ''Earwig'' in 1989 and ''Sunburn'' in 1990, the latter described by

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

as "the last great college rock album". Their final UK tour included several sold-out shows, and the band looked on the verge of a breakthrough, but they went on hiatus in 1991, with the ''Rosy Jack World'' EP released in June and Hatfield rumored to be on the brink of signing with a major label as a solo artist. The band's split was finally confirmed in early 1992. The Blake Babies toured the United States and Europe, eventually achieving a moderate amount of notice, particularly among listeners of college age who were appreciative of the group's "intelligent" brand of rock music. The band's music received little airplay on commercial radio, instead being played primarily on

college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

stations. Andrew Mayer, Seth White, Anthony DeLuca (who played drums in place of Freda for the group's last European tour in early 1992), and Mike Leahy each also performed as members of the band at times. Strohm and Love continued to perform together in the Indiana-based group

Antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...

. The group reunited in late 1999 to record a new album, performing a few shows in 1999 and 2000 and embarking on one last US tour in 2001. The result of these recording sessions, ''God Bless the Blake Babies'', was released in 2001 by Rounder Records.Erlewine, Stephen Thomas
Blake Babies Biography
,

. Retrieved February 9, 2018 Hatfield and Love joined up again in 2003 in the band

Some Girls ''Some Girls'' is the 14th UK and 16th US album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held between October 1977 and February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in ...

along with fellow musician Heidi Gluck. In March 2016, the band announced that an album of demos recorded in March 1988 would be released (''Earwig Demos''), and they reunited again for three live shows that year.

Musical style

The group were compared to

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

and

Throwing Muses Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was originall ...

. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

' described them as "punkish folk-rock".Jenkins, Mark (1991)
Two Groups Play With Folk-Rock
, ''

'', March 22, 1991.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

DVD

* ''Blake Babies'' (2016)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake Babies Alternative rock groups from Massachusetts Musical groups from Boston Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Musical groups reestablished in 1999 Musical groups disestablished in 2001 Musical groups reestablished in 2016 1986 establishments in Massachusetts Zoë Records artists