The band continued to hone their live act, performing a melody of R & B, Motown, and Beatles hits. By that point, Ham, Evans and Gibbins had already each resigned at various times over the previous two years, but had all been persuaded to return. Frustrated with the bands management problems, Joey Molland quit the group. By then, theyd grown popular enough to play regular gigs in local youth clubs, ballrooms and pubs, gaining valuable stage experience if not much money. The rest, he claimed, was being saved and invested. He said his ears were burnt as he'd been listening to it for hours and wanted our opinion," he said. Pete Ham was living with his girlfriend and son, and they were expecting a child together, but such was the disarray of the band's finances (a situation which many blame on their manager, Stan Polley) that Ham was unable to pay the mortgage instalments on his new house in Weybridge, Surrey. But Pete was firmly committed to rock n roll. The label was known for being the most artist-friendly label at the time. It had nothing to do with Pete dying, as some have suggested. Badfinger fulfilled its commitment to Apple with the 1973 release Ass. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. He could sell sand to an Arab. Despite a few memorable songse.g. The TV Room David Soref - SorefTV Deep insights into the culture and events surrounding televisions first half-century, and beyond. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. . I will take him with me.. Pete Ham was born in Townhill, Swansea and made his first guitar in school woodwork class. Read about our approach to external linking. Yet despite their success, the group soon discovered they had little to show for it. He was always very sweet but very direct. In August 1970 American business manager Stan Polley sweet-talked Bill Collins into doing business with him. But you didnt want to call the band Badfinger. GREAT NEWS! Phil Spector was in the control room, and now that I remember it, so was George Harrison.. In 2013, Baby Blue, a record Molland calls "one of the great rock songs" featured in television show Breaking Bad. I thought that was a good album. Badfinger scored another hit with their follow-up album, No Dice, which produced two singles including No Matter What and Without You. Do you remember what kind of guitar and amp setup you used on that? Pete was also a trusting, innocent soul, and that personality trait would eventually cost him dearly. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. His clients included rock band Badfinger, musician Al Kooper, and singer Lou Christie. For a time, everything was great.. I never went down to Apple to talk about titles. McCartney was so pleased with the results that he turned the job of recording two more new songs for The Magic Christiana task for which he had originally signed onover to the Iveys. The band was barely getting any money out of Polley and Ham was at odds with his bandmates. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Did you have any inkling that Pete Ham would commit suicide? Desperate and in the throes of depression, Ham hanged himself in his garage in 1975. William Stanley Polley of Listowel, passed away peacefully at Freeport Hospital, Kitchener, on Wednesday December 23, 2020, in his 88th year. As detailed in "Suicide in the Entertainment Industry," by David K. Frasier, the band found financial representation in New York businessman Stan Polley, who netted them a six-figure contract with Warner Records in 1974, but would only give them a grand a month in allowance. He was a businessman. Evans became another piece of the bands signature lineup. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Soon after, the band did another demo session for CBS Records, although the label declined to sign them. As the first non-solo act on Apple Records, Badfinger had remarkable chemistry, huge hits on the charts, and theyd be critically acclaimed as natural successors to The Beatles. I dont remember if it was John or Phil Spector who suggested me and Tom for the album; I just recall Johns driver calling me and saying, Johns doing some work in the studio. It was fantastic! Most of the songs are Ham's - who he calls a "Welsh genius" who would have written many more brilliant tunes. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? His clients were mostly American artists, including Al Kooper and Lou Christie, but Polley is mostly known for his alleged mismanagement of the British band Badfinger. According to a subsequent New York Times investigation, Polley was named during Senate investigation hearings in 1971 as an intermediary between unnamed organized-crime figures and a corrupt New York Supreme Court judge. Make sure that the file is a photo. Father of Lorraine & Blair Burns of Listowel, Glenn & Diane Polley of Pickering, Bryan & Fiona Polley of Brampton, and Dean & Diane Polley of Ajax. By the following year, the Iveys had prepared demos for Apple Records. We didnt record the basics at Abbey Road, but I went there to put on some slide guitar. Allegedly, Ham left a suicide note that named Stan Polley, his booking agent, as the cause of the suicide. The American label people didnt like them. God, as they say, is merciful. A contract was drawn up that essentially called for the band to deliver six albums over a three-year period. Multiple financial dealings by Polley were found to be irregular and to the detriment of his clients, scamming them and causing the acts to fall apart. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. But most of the citys musical talent would go unheard outside of Swansea, due to a lack of attention from the British music industry, which was centered in faraway London. McCartney served as producer of those tracks, the Ham/Evans collaborations Carry On Till Tomorrow and Rock of All Ages, with Beatles producer George Martin providing string arrangements. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. But Polley denied the existence of such a note. The vacancy was filled by another Liverpool native, Joey Molland, whose guitar, vocal and songwriting skills were well matched to those of Ham and Evans. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Co-writer Tommy Evans took a different approach and had a "burning ambition" to write a hit record, but he struggled finding a verse for Without You. The legal morass crippled Badfinger financially;[4] band leader Pete Ham died by suicide on April 24, 1975, leaving behind a note directly blaming Polley for his financial ruin. It was very complicated. I never thought I was great or anything there were so many brilliant guitarists in England in the '60s. The SG was given to us by George Harrison. All of us had to agree to it. He was very rude, actually, and we didnt like him. In 1970, Polley registered Badfinger Enterprises, Inc. as a corporate entity for management of the British rock group Badfinger, which had no American representation at the time. Collins helped them to get a gig as backup band for pop singer David Garrick; that association lasted for a few months, until Garrick fired the Iveys when their opening sets began attracting a bit too much attention from audiences. Father of Lorraine & Blair Burns of Listowel, Glenn & Diane Polley of Pickering, Bryan & Fiona Polley of Brampton, and Dean & Diane Polley of Ajax. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. But I cant think about what might have been. You go crazy if you live your life like that., What I knew of the Iveys was that they were a bit too pop for me at the time. ZincOrbie 16:43, 30 January 2006 (UTC) [ reply] A Badfinger act has also recently been re-launched in the UK by Bob Jackson and has completed a theatre tour. At one point we met a manager by the name Stan Polley. From that moment on, I wanted to be a guitar player. He told me that night he was going to kill himself. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Stan Polley outlived both the band that he helped to destroy and the two men hed driven to suicide. They were attracted to his shrewd business style, his ability to secure six-figure deals for his clients, and his previous experience with world-class music acts. Evans stated, We were told so many times that the Iveys was a stupid name. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Bath For math, science, nutrition, history . John Lennon didnt really notice us. The band fell apart. Polley's notorious ripping off of Badfinger effectively ended his career as a major music manager, but not as a con. Did I have any idea that he would kill himself? [9], sfnp error: no target: CITEREFBrennan2012 (, "Badfinger's last original member still playing their music", "Breaking Badfinger: Who's Getting the Baby Blue Money? In 1974, Warner's publishing division filed a lawsuit against Polley when it was unsuccessful in locating the funds. Pete had seen Evans perform with his band Them Calderstones, a Mod outfit that specialized in Motown and soul covers. Todd Rundgren was initially hired to produce, but quickly dropped out of the project, which the band completed with producer Chris Thomas. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Career I thought you might like to see a memorial for CPL Stanley Herbert Stan Polley I found on Findagrave.com. He was one of the best slide players ever. Read about our approach to external linking. WERE WE ALL BRAINWASHED BY THE CIA WITH SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK & ROLL? The intense, emotionally volatile musicianthe one Badfinger member who had initially expressed reservations about signing with Stan Polleyhad never really come to terms with Hams suicide, and remained racked by guilt and depression. We had to all sit down at a table and agree how it was going to be divided, and then we had to get lawyers involved. Those close to him claimed he was loyal and stubborn, still not wanting to drop their management. After leaving school at 14, Pete took on a series of labor-intensive day jobs, many of them in Swanseas busy dock area. Badfinger perform on Top Of The Pops, 1973. Pete Hams mood shifted from nave and hopeful to frantic, as Polley was now impossible to get hold of. He worked as an apprentice television engineer before finding fame The band house in Golders Green, London, where Badfinger lived He described them as having fun living in London, playing practical. He said 'no, we're a rock band'. . It was good for rock n roll guitar.. Oh, not at all. This is a carousel with slides. They soon began to draw the attention of a lot of record labels. After the desperate musicians finally managed to flee their squalid surroundings and return to England, Cass slapped Evans with a five-million-dollar breach-of-contract lawsuit. Pete had a lot of faith in him, and I dont know why because the guy was a crook. While they returned to form recording Wish You Were Here, Molland said a bombshell was about to tear them apart. Polley was placed on probation for five years and ordered by the court to return all missing funds to Brock, although the complainant said the restitution never materialized. I said, 'Well, whats the point in this?'. Pete, who had already taken some tentative early stabs at songwriting, took Collins urgings to heart and embraced the challenge. We were uncomfortable with the whole thing, but we went along with it.. It was surreal. His clients included rock band Badfinger, musician Al Kooper, and singer Lou Christie. George played slide guitar on Day After Day. It was very hard to get over that. In 1972, Polley negotiated a record contract with Warner Bros. Records for Badfinger, which called for advances to be paid into an escrow account. The Firebird was a guitar I was playing for years before I joined Badfinger. Head First contained a pair of scathing Tom Evans compositions, Hey Mr. Manager and Rock n Roll Contract, that offered his bitter assessment of Stan Polleys handling of the bands affairs. From left: Pete Ham, Tommy Evans, Mike Gibbons, Joey Molland. Alan T, Oct 26, 2009 #110 wildstar Senior Member Location: ontario, canada Alan T said: Badfinger were on a downward spiral in record sales after the last Apple LP. Joey Molland keeps Badfinger alive as the sole surviving member of their classic lineup and continues to perform. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? I wanted to play guitar music with a harder bite to it.. Born April 7, 1922. But it didnt take long for the eager young quartets bright prospects to turn unimaginably dark, sending the band into a bleak, bottomless abyss from which Ham and Evans would never escape. That talk subsided when Badfinger launched their first American tour that September and began appearing on various television programs. Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 July 20, 2009) was an American entertainment manager and fraudster active in the 1960s and 1970s. He was very communicative. We were driving secondhand cars. I didnt really know any kind of buzz on them. For medical advice, always consult your medical doctor. Please enter your email and password to sign in. "The band was also getting an edge, drinking more, taking drugs.". "In 1974, I left for America with 700. By this point, the Iveys hometown had a sizable scene of Beatles-inspired beat groups. "This ticked Paul McCartney off, who then gave us Come and Get It. That same year, George Harrison, impressed with what he saw, asked the band to play on a solo album, 1970s All Things Must Pass, which became a massive hit worldwide. Pete. Its been reported that it was because of an argument about royalties between you, Tom, Mike Gibbins and Bill Collins, your former manager, that Tom also hanged himself. He's also written several music-related books and liner notes for numerous CD reissues and box sets and has contributed essays and other pieces to other books, including all six editions of The Trouser Press Record Guide. They evolved from an earlier band formed in 1961 called The Iveys. At first, Polley seemed like the sort of shrewd, well-connected wheeler-dealer that Badfinger needed to secure its future. This browser does not support getting your location. If we had different management, we could have gone on. The band had been pressured into recording Head First after Polley, realizing that litigation from Warner Bros. was looming, theorized that having a new album in the can would give him leverage in negotiating with the label, and would allow him to extract another advance. Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 - July 20, 2009) was an American entertainment manager and fraudster active in the 1960s and 1970s. On April 24, 1975, Ham's girlfriend, who was pregnant with their daughter at the time, discovered his body hanging in their garage. It was about 10 oclock at night and John looked like he just got out of bed. It kind of made sense with the other titles No Dice, Straight Up. Badfinger continued its hot streak with 1971s Straight Up, whose production is credited to George Harrison, Todd Rundgren and Geoff Emerick. Tom Evans was the last member to sign the contract, due to him being wary of Polley. The Iveys soon became one of Swanseas top local bands. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Answer (1 of 12): If you want to hear three famous songs that have the Beatles sound down cold, give a listen to these excellent Badfinger tunes from the late 60s/early 70s: "Day After Day," "No Matter What" and "Come and Get It." "Day After Day," a Top 5 smash from 1971, was written by Pete Ham. Sure, I wish things didnt turn out as they did. And then I quit I just couldnt take what was going on anymore. I did a lot more work with George than with John. Stanley Polley passed away at age 87 years old on July 20, 2009, and was buried at Riverside National Cemetery Section 58A Site 3337 22495 Van Buren Boulevard, in Riverside. Family members linked to this person will appear here. "Pete trusted him [Polley], but was living in an attic, driving a second-hand Triumph Stag after winning an Ivor Novello award," he said. This is better. Adding in his post script, Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. But I got a good sound out of the AC30. This was the beginnings of mechandising. This is better. Hams note also placed the blame for his death at the feet of the man who had devastated his career, stating, Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. Stan Polley went on to swindle other people before dying in 2009 at the age of 87. People think that because the band was signed to Apple that they were just given a straight ride to success, but that wasnt the case. Stan Polley (swindled the rock group Badfinger, the lead singer became broke and committed suicide) Henry Kissinger (Nixon's handler) Robert Oppenheimer (directed the development of the first nuclear bombs) Nostradamus (fraud) Samuel Byck (murderer, planned to assassinate Nixon by flying a plane into the White House) The extra effort proved worthwhile, and Straight Up, released in December 1971, continued Badfingers success, although some critics expressed reservations about the albums softer, less rocking sound. A frustrated Joey Molland, whose inquiries to Polley regarding payment had gone unanswered, quit Badfinger in November 1974. The additions of bassist Ron Griffiths in 1964 and drummer Mike Gibbins in 1965 helped the Iveys to achieve new levels of musical proficiency and professional presentation. "We went through hundreds and Badfinger Boogie was suggested. [5] Bandmate Tom Evans died by suicide on November 19, 1983. Edward was born on January 15 1872, in Pittsfield, Pike, Illinois, USA. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. No jingle-jangle stuff. His clients were mostly American artists, including Al Kooper and Lou Christie, but Polley is mostly known for his alleged mismanagement of the British band Badfinger. A more conscience-free liar, thief and bullshitter . The story of the British power pop phenomenon is one of hits, Beatles, music industry sharks and tragedy. . He was working in a hardware store or something. Success followed, but it was in 1974 after a switch to a US-based manager and the Warner Brothers label that things began going wrong, Molland said. A financial statement prepared by Polleys accountants from December of 1970 to October 31, 1971 showed Polleys income from the band. Negative racial/anti-Semitic, or religious stereotypes are prohibited. A $225,000 advance would be given to BEI for each album delivered . Ironically, eight years later, Tom Evans would choose . And the first band-member to commit suicide, Pete Ham, (age 27, of course), left a note saying, "Stan Polley is a soulless bastard." On the morning of 19 November 1983, after a poor Badfinger come-back attempt, and continued financial problems from Polley, band-member Tom Evans also hung himself. Badfinger gave me the opportunity to do everything a musician could want. We were all quite pleased for them., We didnt have any money. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. The song reached the Top 10 in several European countries but, despite some BBC airplay and a promotional push in America, it stalled at Number 67 in the U.S. and failed to chart altogether in Britain. Like this story? What I knew of the Iveys was that they were a bit too pop for me at the time. "In the end, there was no demo and we had trouble sticking Without You together.". No, we didnt. Yes, their manager, Stan Polley, screwed both the band and the record label by absconding with the advance money through a series of schemes and shell companies. Collins moved with the Iveys to London, England, where theyd set up base at his communal house in Golders Green. It wasnt until Come and Get It came out that the perception changed for Badfinger. By Gregg L. Friedman MD, I really miss the great musical groups of the 1960's. There was one guy, [Apple Records press officer] Derek Taylor, who seemed to take an interest, and [Beatles roadie] Mal Evans, who had gotten the band signed, he was involved. Always consult your medical doctor Polley regarding payment had gone unanswered, quit Badfinger in November 1974 perception for... Was a guitar I was great or anything there were so many brilliant guitarists in England in the of... 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