Express -February 1984

 “From Apple Records to Milwaukee:

The Double Tragedy of Badfinger"

Two final versions of Badfinger

By Mark Shurilla

The strange roller coaster of fate that lead English group Badfinger from the grace of being discovered and guided by the Beatles to mismanagement and the suicide of lead singer Peter Ham in 1975 and then a couple of comebacks in recent years, appears to have reached a final end with the band's second suicide, Tom Evans.

 Evans was found hung to death on his child's backyard swing set November 19, 1983 in Surrey, England. Peter Ham had hung him­self April 23, 1975 in his studio garage.

 This second suicide completed the careers of one of England's top songwriting duos. The composers of such hits as "Day After Day." "No Matter What," "Baby Blue," and singers on the hit "Come and Get It" Ringo Starr's "It Don't Come Easy," and many other Beatle's solo album projects.

 How could such a band end like this, and where does Milwaukee fit in? Read on: In April, 1966, a band called the Iveys was seen playing in the Welsh seaport of Swansea by a bandleader named Bill Collins, a friend of Paul McCartney's father. He brought the band to London, made a few personnel changes and brought the band to McCartney's attention during the time of the Sgt. Pepper sessions.

 With the help of Beatles road manager Mal Evans, they impressed the Fab Four and were signed to the Beatles new record label, Apple Records. A first single by the Iveys, "Maybe Tomorrow," was released in November 1968 and reached 60 on the US charts; but the album bombed, and there was a lot of dissatisfaction. Guitarist Joey Molland was brought in (augmenting Pete Ham on guitar, keyboards, and vocals, Tom Evans on bass and vocals and Mike Gibbins on drums), and Apple executive Neil Aspinall came up with a new name. "Badfinger" (McCartney had suggested "Home" and Lennon, "Prix").

 McCartney then had the group score the Ringo Starr/Peter Sellers movie "Magic Christian" and wrote a song for them, "Come and Get It." That movie theme song went top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic.

Beetle engineer Geoff Emmerick then produced their classic "No Dice" LP and another top 10 single, "Day After Day." The band had become big stars and the Beatles pet inside session men. They played on Harrison's "All Things Must Pass," Ringo's "It Don't Come Easy," and Lennon's "Imagine." They became part of the rhythm section for George Harrison's concert for Bangla Desh in 1971, with Pete Ham singing "Here Comes the Sun" with Harrison.

 With their third album, the Badfinger story slowly falls apart. Apple records, a mismanaged disaster itself, was coming apart at the seams, Badfinger signed a "slave contract" management deal and jumped ship to Warner Bros. at the end of 1973. Two albums, "Ass" on Apple, and "Badfinger," on Warner Bros. were released within a few weeks. Neither climbed high on the charts.

 Their second Warner's LP "Wish You Were Here" released later in 1974, was much stronger, and jumped on the charts. Then, disaster struck again. $300,000 in advance money held in an escrow account, had been embezzled by Badfinger's management of Stan Pauly and Bill Collins. Warner Bros. pulled the album out of circulation and sued.

Peter Ham, in the midst of a divorce and realizing Badfinger had been taken for a ride, hung himself on April 23, 1975. He left a bitter note directed towards his management and the record business in general.

 The remaining members of Badfinger broke and legally bound, were forced out of the music business and into straight jobs. Badfinger disappeared from sight.

 Evans and Molland reformed Badfinger in California in 1978 and with some American musicians, cut a weak LP for Electra, "Airwaves." that saw some mild chart action.

 Then, in 1979, Yes keyboard player Tony Kaye, who had been touring with David Bowie, joined Badfinger as they recorded their final, to date, LP. Titled "Say No More" it was released on Atlantic's Radio Records and garnered much critical praise. The single "Hold On," was a minor top .10 hit on the Billboard charts in 1981.

 It is about this time that Badfinger was about to become a local band here in the Milwaukee area. Longtime fan and promoter John Cass brought Tom Evans to Milwaukee in early 1982 and got him to sign a personal management contract and managed Badfinger who came to Milwaukee, for about two months. They appeared at Summerfest (opening for some local bands, Tolouse No Neck's TV show, Little Switzerland and a few other small bars in the area. From being the Beatles pet band to a Milwaukee local band!

 Jack Koshick, another Milwaukeean and business associate of former Beatles' and Stone's tour manager Roy Reneri, took over as acting manager of the disillusioned band in 1982.

 Tony Kaye had left to record on the new Yes album "90125" and Badfinger added two new members. Reed Kailing, a former Milwaukean who had a locally hot group in Milwaukee called the "Destinations" in the 1960's and later went on to be an original member of "Beatlemania," recorded with John Lennon on his "Rock and Roll" album session and was a founding member of the charting band "Player."

 Kailing brought former lead guitarist of Chicago and Steven Stills, Donnie Dacus, to fill out the band with original members Tony Evens, Mike Gibbins, and Bob Jackson.

 Badfinger went through 3 final US tours, with more defections (Tony Kaye rejoined for the last tour) and then threw in the towel, penniless, as they returned to England.

 As the Beatles and Yoko discussed the final dissolution of Apple records in England last fall. Tom Evans appealed to Paul McCartney to find a way to release the more than $800,000 due Badfinger in royalties from the Apple account (they hadn't received any royalties yet from Apple). McCartney could only shrug because the band owed 25% to their hated former manager, Bill Collins, who the band blamed for Pete Ham's death and vowed to wait until his death (he's 77) to freeze him out of the money.

 No one can be sure why Tommy Evans decided to hang himself like his former band mate, although he was in debt and was suffering from throat cancer (a condition he kept hidden and would eventually end his singing career).

 On November 19 he went out to his son’s backyard swingset, put his neck between the tightened ropes, and was dead by the time his feet hit the ground.

 The BBC is working on a Badfinger retrospective to be aired in April. Former keyboardist Tony Kaye appears with the hottest band in the USA, Yes, at a sold out Milwaukee Arena show March 10.

 Strange world - this rock world.