Tony Waddington (songwriter) then offered it to the demo musicians, provided that they would become an actual group. The musicians agreed, were named The Rubettes, and "Sugar Baby Love" became a UK number one hit in 1974, also reaching number 37 in the US chart. They wrote and produced all of the Rubettes' subsequent UK hits – nine Top 50 hits in all between 1974 and 1977 – winning an Ivor Novello Award as Songwriters of the Year, and also reached the UK Top 10 with "Sugar Candy Kisses" by Mac and Katie Kissoon. They set up their own record label, State Records,
Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) staying there for four consecutive weeks. Due to the song's strong crossover appeal, it eventually peaked at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100, with Vicki Lawrence's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" blocking it from number one. However, it went number one on the U.S. Record World and Cashbox charts. It also crossed over to the adult contemporary chart, peaking at number 15. Worldwide, it was also successful, peaking at number 9 in France, number 11 in Canada and number 31 in the UK. Around this time, the group had released their first Buddah single, "Where Peaceful