“Sugar Babe” belongs to a family of “rounder” songs, cultivated especially by young men, carefree and assertive in spirit, often risqué and in the Appalachian South associated in the early part of the last century with the five-string banjo. Afro-american influences show up frequently in the “rounder” songs and it is possible that “Sugar Babe” itslef has afro-american connections.

Liner  notes from  “The Hammons Family » lp (Rounder/Library of Congress)
Sugar Baby or Red Rocking Chair is a widespread folk song, found in the repertoire of a lot banjo players in the South, and still very popular today with old-time and folk musicians. Its simple modal melody can be played on several open-tunings on the 5-string banjo and harmonized in different ways either using major or minor chords (or a combination of both) on a guitar. Its lyrics are easy to remember and can include as many floating verses as a performer can recall. One of its famous verse “Who’ll rock the cradle when I’m gone” is found in an old Scottish ballad ” The Lass of Roch Royal”.
1- Sugar Babe - THE HAMMONS FAMILY
2- Sugar Baby - DOCK BOGGS
3- Sugar Babe - JIM KWESKIN
4- Sugar Babe - PINK ANDERSON
5- I ain't got no sugar baby now - ROSCOE HOLCOMB
6- Sugar Babe - UNCLE EARL
7- Sugar Baby - SAM AMIDON
8- Red Rocking Chair - THE NEW LOST CITY RAMBLERS
9- Red Rocking Chair - DOC & MERLE WATSON
10- Red Rocking Chair - GEORGE SHUFFLERY & LAURA BOOSINGER
11- Red Rocking Chair - WAYNE ERBSEN
12- Sugar Baby - BILL FRISELL