Badfinger
Badfinger, english pop group, formed in Wales 1965, under the name The Iveys.
The group played a few times at the Liverpool club, the Carvern, and were in
1966 backing group for Dave Garrick. In December 1968 the groups members were:
Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Tommy Evans and Mike Gibbo(i)ns. In july the same year
the group got a record contract with Apple Rec.In December 1969 they changed
their name to Badfinger. The group had the same year along with Paul McCartney
and others written the music to the film "The Magic Christian" where the hit Come
And Get It comes from. The group played in the following years at several
occasions with members of the Beatles, and were featured at George Harrisons
Bangla Desh Concert in august 1971. George Harrison also produced 4 tracks on the
Straight Up LP. The rest of the LP was produced by Todd Rundgren. Badfinger had
two more single hits in England, but were always in the shadow of The Beatles.
In 1974 the group left Apple, for Warner Broth. Rec.Here the group issued
Badfinger
1974 and Wish You Were Here 1974, without any real succes. They were also in
financial trouble, with their managers and record company. By the end of 1974
Pete Ham left the group, and commited suicide on the 23th of April 1975, by
hanging him self in his garage. He was only 27 years old! Molland formed in L A
Natural Gas, while Evans stayed in England joining the group The Dodgers, but
both only for a short while. In 1978 they reunioned Badfinger in the US, and had
in
short periods Peter Clark(ex Stealers Wheel) to play the drums (Airwaves) and
Tony Kaye(ex Yes) on piano(Say No More). In the begining of the 80's the group
got into more financial troble, and on the 13th of November 1983 Tom Evans hung
himself in his backyard in Surrey. Some of the problems the group had was about
royalties
to the song Without You which Ham/Evans wrote, and were a big hit for Harry
Nilsson in 1972. Later Shine On and Day After Day released. Day After Day is a
Live album, with never before released live performances from Cleveland 1974.
Molland and Gibbo(i)ns won in the mid 80's a lawsuit about missing royalties
from their recordings at Apple.Together they reunioned Badfinger, also in the mid
80's, and have been playing on different occasions up until now. Molland has
also done some recordings himself, and has in his own name opened the record
company Indepentant Records 1989. Here he has issued (among others as Badfinger)
Timeless. The group is Molland, Gibbins, Randy Anderson and A.J. Nicholas.
By Jan Sneum From EMP Rock Leksikon 1997.
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