Badfinger
A Welsh band from Swansea, the first non-Beatle act signed to Apple Records, whose Pete Ham wrote "No Matter What" and, with Tom Evans, "Without You".
- Origin
- Swansea, Wales
- Years active
- 1961-1984
- Genres
- power pop, pop rock
- Labels
- Apple, Warner Bros., Elektra, Radio Records
- Also known as
- The Iveys
From the Iveys to Apple
The band formed in Swansea in 1961 from a group called the Panthers, and was known as the Iveys, after a Swansea street, Ivey Place, until December 1969. Mike Gibbins joined in March 1965 and Tom Evans replaced David Jenkins in August 1967. On July 23, 1968 they signed to Apple, the first non-Beatle recording artists signed to the label, and "Maybe Tomorrow" came out on November 15, 1968. Paul McCartney wrote and produced "Come and Get It" for them, recorded on August 2, 1969. Ron Griffiths left in October 1969 and Joey Molland was hired, moving Evans to bass. The name Badfinger, proposed by Apple's Neil Aspinall, was agreed in December 1969; it came from Bad Finger Boogie, an early working title of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends".
Four hits followed worldwide from 1970: "Come and Get It" (UK 4, US 7), "No Matter What" (UK 5, US 8), "Day After Day" (UK 10, US 4) and "Baby Blue" (US 14). Ham played on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, and on August 1, 1971 the band backed Harrison at the Concert for Bangladesh. Straight Up (1971) was produced by Todd Rundgren and Harrison. Ham and Evans won an Ivor Novello award in 1972 for "Without You", which Harry Nilsson took to number one in both the US and the UK.
After Apple
Apple folded in 1973 and the band moved to Warner Bros. for Badfinger and Wish You Were Here (both 1974). Molland left late in 1974. Pete Ham died on April 24, 1975, aged 27; Warner terminated the contract in May and the band dissolved. Molland and Evans reunited under the name in 1978 for Airwaves (1979) and Say No More (1981), and rival Molland and Evans bands existed in 1982 and 1983. Evans died on November 19, 1983, and in 1984 Molland, Gibbins and Jackson did a 31-date tour. Mike Gibbins died on October 4, 2005, aged 56. Ham received a blue plaque in Swansea in 2013, and Molland, who kept a touring Badfinger going, died on March 1, 2025, aged 77.
Ham's demos have appeared posthumously, among them 7 Park Avenue (1997), Golders Green (1999) and The Keyhole Street Demos 1966-67 (2013). Badfinger are widely credited as an influence on 1970s power pop and are estimated to have sold 14 million records.
Members
- Pete Ham vocals, guitar, keyboards (1961-1975)
- Tom Evans bass, guitar, vocals (1967-1975, 1978-1983)
- Joey Molland guitar, vocals (1969-1974, 1978-1984)
- Mike Gibbins drums (1965-1975, 1982-1984)
- Ron Griffiths bass (1961-1969)
- Bob Jackson keyboards, guitar (1974-1975, 1984)
Records
- No Dice 1970 · Apple
The first album under the Badfinger name and the first with Joey Molland; it reached number 28 in the US.
Songs
- No Matter What No Dice · 1970
Pete Ham's single, which reached number five in the UK and number eight in the US and has a false ending just before the last chorus fades.
Related artists
Harry Nilsson, Barclay James Harvest
Where to go next
Reference
- Badfinger on Wikipedia History and discography.
- Pete Ham on Wikipedia The songwriter.
- Joey Molland on Wikipedia The guitarist.
- Without You on Wikipedia The Nilsson hit.
Interviews
- Vintage Guitar: Joey Molland A 2020 interview.
Live performance archives
- setlist.fm: Badfinger statistics Most played songs.
Sources
- Badfinger, Wikipedia
- Pete Ham, Wikipedia
- Tom Evans (musician), Wikipedia
- Joey Molland, Wikipedia
- Without You (Badfinger song), Wikipedia