Global InformationBadfinger information
Badfinger | |
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 Badfinger in the 1970s, from left to right: Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Mike Gibbins and Joey Molland | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Iveys (1961–1969) |
| Origin | Swansea, Wales |
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| Website | badfingersite |
Badfinger were a British rock band formed in 1961 in Swansea, Wales. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recognised for their influence on the 1970s power pop genre. It is estimated that the band sold 14 million records.[1][2]
Initially known as the Iveys, the band renamed themselves Badfinger, after the working title for The Beatles' 1967 song "With a Little Help from My Friends" ("Bad Finger Boogie"). From 1968 to 1973, Badfinger recorded five albums for Apple Records and toured extensively, before they became embroiled in the chaos of Apple's dissolution.
Badfinger had four consecutive worldwide hits from 1970 to 1972: "Come and Get It" (written and produced by Paul McCartney, 1970), "No Matter What" (produced by Mal Evans, 1970), "Day After Day" (produced by George Harrison, 1971), and "Baby Blue" (produced by Todd Rundgren, 1972). Their song "Without You" (1970) has been recorded many times, and became a US and UK number-one hit for Harry Nilsson in 1972 and a UK number-one for Mariah Carey in 1994.
After Apple Records folded in 1973, Badfinger struggled with a host of legal, managerial, and financial problems, leading to Ham's suicide in 1975. The surviving members struggled to rebuild their personal and professional lives against a backdrop of lawsuits, which tied up the songwriters' royalty payments for years. Their subsequent albums floundered, as Molland and Evans alternated between co-operation and conflict in their attempts to revive and capitalise on the Badfinger legacy. Evans died by suicide in 1983 and Gibbins died from a brain aneurysm in 2005, leaving Molland as the group's only surviving member.
- ^ Vaziri, Aidin (12 April 2018). "Badfinger's Joey Molland on overcoming tragedy, hanging with the Beatles". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ Varga, George (21 March 2015). "Joey Molland on Badfinger & The Beatles". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 14 October 2020.