Badfinger

Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in Swansea in 1961. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). 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. They are recognised for their influence on the 1970s power pop genre and are estimated to have sold 14 million records.

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 UK and US number-one hit for Harry Nilsson in 1972 and a UK number-one for Mariah Carey in 1994. In 1972, "Without You" saw co-writers Ham and Evans receive the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the Songwriters Guild of Great Britain.

After Apple Records folded in 1973, Badfinger struggled with a host of legal, managerial, and financial problems mostly due to their fraudulent manager Stan Polley, 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, Gibbins died from a brain aneurysm in 2005, and Molland died from complications of diabetes in 2025. At the time of his death, Molland was the last surviving member of the group’s classic lineup.

"Baby Blue" was featured in the finale of the American television series Breaking Bad, reviving its popularity amongst a new generation of listeners.

1961–1969: The Iveys

Early days

The Iveys formed in 1961 in Swansea, Wales from the Panthers, whose line-up consisted of Pete Ham (lead guitar), Ronald "Ron" Griffiths (bass guitar), David "Dai" Jenkins (rhythm guitar), and Roy Anderson (drums). After playing under various names, including the Black Velvets and the Wild Ones, by 1964 they had settled on the Iveys, after a street in Swansea called Ivey Place.

In March 1965, drummer Mike Gibbins joined the Iveys. The group secured concerts around the Swansea area, opening for prominent British bands such as the Spencer Davis Group, the Who, the Moody Blues, and the Yardbirds.

By June 1966, [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:William_Daniel_%22Bill%22_Collins&oldid=1313567502]William Daniel "Bill" Collins (the father of actor Lewis Collins) had started to manage the group. In December 1966, the group moved into Collins's home at 7 Park Avenue, Golders Green, London, sharing space with an act called the Mojos. The house was terminally overcrowded, so the only place to find any privacy was in a room equipped with a two-track recording machine.

The group performed a wide range of cover tunes on the London circuit, from Motown, blues, and soul to Top 40, psychedelia, and Beatles hits, which garnered interest from record labels. Ray Davies of the Kinks auditioned to produce them, recording three of their songs at a four-track demo studio in London's Old Kent Road on 15 January 1967: "Taxi" and "Sausage And Eggs", songs by Ham; and Griffiths's "I Believe in You Girl". On 8 December 1966, Collins and the group signed a five-year contract giving Collins a 20% share of net receipts, the same as the individual group members, but only after managerial expenses had been deducted. Collins said at the time, "Look, I can't promise you lads anything, except blood, sweat and tears." The group performed occasional concerts backing David Garrick while performing as the Iveys across the United Kingdom throughout the rest of the decade.

In August 1967, Dai Jenkins was asked to leave the group, and was replaced by Liverpudlian guitarist Tom Evans, formerly of Them Calderstones (b. Thomas Evans Jr., 5 June 1947, Liverpool, d. 19 November 1983). Jenkins's departure was remembered by Griffiths as being "politely asked if he would step down", as Jenkins seemed more interested in girls than the music.

Signing to Apple

thumb|The Iveys . From left: Ham, Evans, Griffiths, Gibbins

After receiving an invitation from Collins, Beatles roadie/assistant Mal Evans and Apple Records A&R head Peter Asher saw the Iveys perform at the Marquee Club, London, on 25 January 1968. Evans subsequently pushed their demo tapes to every Beatle until he gained approval from all four to sign the group. The demos were accomplished using a mono "sound-on-sound" tape recorder: two individual tracks bouncing each overdub on top of the last. When Evans signed the Iveys to Apple on 23 July 1968, they became the first non-Beatle recording artists on the label. Each of the Iveys were also signed to Apple Corps publishing contracts. The early Iveys sessions for Apple were produced by either Tony Visconti or Evans.

The group's first single, "Maybe Tomorrow", produced by Visconti, was released worldwide on 15 November 1968. It reached the Top Ten in several European countries and Japan, but only #67 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and failed to chart in the UK. and the Fruit-Eating Bears. His addition required Evans to shift from rhythm guitar to bass. The album peaked at #55 on the Billboard album chart in the US. In addition, Derek Taylor commissioned Les Smithers to photograph the band in March 1970. His photograph has been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery.

New recording sessions for Badfinger also commenced in March 1970, with Mal Evans producing. Two songs were completed, including "No Matter What", which was rejected by Apple as a potential single. During the recordings, the band were sent to Hawaii on 4 June, to appear at a Capitol/Apple Records convention, and then flew to Italy to play concerts in Rome. No Dice was released in the US in late 1970, peaking at #28 on the Billboard album chart.

Signing with Stan Polley

In April 1970, while in the US scouting prospects for a tour, Collins was introduced to New York businessman Stan Polley, Polley established Badfinger Enterprises, Inc., with Stan Poses as vice-president. It bound the band members to various contracts dictating that income from touring, recording, publishing, and even songwriter performance royalties would be directed into holding companies controlled by Polley. It led to a salary arrangement for the band, which various members later complained was inadequate compared to their gross earnings. Gibbins said: "My first impression was, Stan [Polley] is a powerful guy," while Molland thought that Polley seemed more of a father-figure. At the same time, Polley was also managing Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Lou Christie.

Although Polley's professional reputation was admired, his dubious financial practices eventually contributed to the band's downfall. A financial statement prepared by Polley's accountants, Sigmund Balaban & Co., for the period from 8 December 1970 to 31 October 1971, showed Polley's income from the band: "Salaries and advances to client, $8,339 (Joey Molland), $6,861 (Mike Gibbins), $6,211 (Tom Evans), $5,959 (Pete Ham). Net corporation profit, $24,569. Management commission, $75,744 (Stan Polley)". Although it is not known if the band members saw the statement, Collins certainly had, as his handwriting was on the document.

Badfinger toured the US for three months in late 1970 and were generally well-received, although the band was already weary of persistent comparisons to the Beatles. "The thing that impressed me so much was how similar their voices were to The Beatles," Tony Visconti (producer, "Maybe Tomorrow") said; "I sometimes had to look over the control board down into the studio to make sure John and Paul weren't singing lead vocals ..." Rolling Stone critic Mike Saunders opined in a rave review of No Dice in 1970: "It's as if John, Paul, George, and Ringo had been reincarnated as Joey, Pete, Tom, and Mike of Badfinger." Media comparisons between them and the Beatles would continue throughout Badfinger's career.

Apple session work

Various members of Badfinger also participated in sessions for fellow Apple Records labelmates, most notably playing acoustic guitar and percussion on much of Harrison's All Things Must Pass triple album (1970), including the hit singles "Isn't It a Pity", "My Sweet Lord". and "What Is Life". Ham and Evans also provided backing vocals on Ringo Starr's Harrison-produced single, "It Don't Come Easy". Evans and Molland then performed on Lennon's album Imagine (1971), although Molland has said that their tracks were not used. Most famously, on 26 July 1971, all four members of Badfinger arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, to rehearse for Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh, which took place on 1 August 1971. Ham duetted on acoustic guitar with Harrison on "Here Comes the Sun" during the concert. They finished recording their third album, again with Emerick as a producer, but the tapes were once again rejected by Apple, because Apple felt that Badfinger needed a producer who could bring a more polished sound to the recordings. Thus, George Harrison himself took over as producer in spring of 1971, including Leon Russell and Klaus Voormann in the sessions as well. Commenting on the recording of the dual slide guitars on "Day After Day", Molland remembered: "Pete and I had done the backing track, and George came in the studio and asked if we'd mind if he played ... It took hours, and hours, and hours, to get those two guitars in sync". However, Harrison stopped the sessions after recording just four songs because of his commitments to The Concert for Bangladesh, in which Harrison included Badfinger as well. After the concert, Harrison was tied up with producing the tapes from that concert, and so was unable to resume with Badfinger. Instead, the Badfinger album was completed by Todd Rundgren, who mixed the tapes from the Harrison sessions, re-recorded the songs from the Emerick sessions, and also produced some newer, previously unrecorded songs.

The album, ultimately titled Straight Up, was released in the US in December 1971, The album reached number 31 on the US charts. However, the disintegration of Apple Records in Britain led to "Baby Blue" never being released as a UK single, although a release number and date had already been assigned to it.

The band embarked on a US tour in 1972, but after problems with Evans, Gibbins left and was replaced for the tour by drummer Rob Stawinsky, who was described as Badfinger's "solid, new drummer". Stawinsky was not used after the tour, though, and Gibbins rejoined the band in September.

1972–1984: Decline and struggles

End of Apple

At the start of 1972, Badfinger were contracted for one last album with Apple Records. Despite Badfinger's success, Apple was facing troubled times and its operations were being cut back by Klein. According to Molland, Polley told the band that Klein wanted to cut Badfinger's royalty rate and make them pay for their own studio time. The deal gave the band 12% of retail in the US—the price Warner Brothers received from record outlets—and 8.5% for the rest of the world, with a $225,000 advance for every album delivered.

Only six weeks after the Ass sessions had been completed, Badfinger re-entered the studio to begin recording material for its first Warner Bros. release, Badfinger (the intended title, For Love or Money, was omitted from the album pressings). The album was produced by Thomas, even though the songs were being written in the studio as they recorded. Ass and Badfinger were released almost simultaneously, and the accompanying singles from Badfinger, "Love Is Easy" (UK) and "I Miss You" (US), were unsuccessful. Badfinger did manage to retain some US fan support as a result of their touring schedule. A March 1974 concert at the Cleveland Agora was recorded on 16-track tape for a possible live album release, even though the performance was deemed unsatisfactory at the time.

Following the American tours, Badfinger recorded Wish You Were Here at the Caribou Ranch recording studio in Colorado, and at George Martin's AIR Studios in London. The album was well received by Rolling Stone and other periodicals upon its release in October 1974. During Ham's three-week hiatus from the band, Polley tried to interest record companies in Ham as a solo act, but under pressure from Warner Brothers, Ham rejoined the band in time for the tour, as the company made it clear that it would have little to no interest in promoting Badfinger if Ham was not a part of it. Jackson remained as full-time keyboardist, making the band a quintet. After the UK tour, Molland quit of his own accord to pursue a solo career in December 1974.

200px|thumb|right|Guitarist/keyboardist [[Bob Jackson (musician)|Bob Jackson in 1990]]

With the Warner situation becoming increasingly unstable, Polley's next ploy was to press the band to pass up a US tour to go back into Apple Recording Studios to record its third album under the Warner Brothers contract. Because Thomas, the producer of Badfinger's last three albums, thought that the band was rushing into the studio too quickly, Polley hired Kiss producers Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise to produce the album. Over only 11 days at the Apple studios, and rough mixes were distributed to the musicians and Warner Brothers Records in America. However, because Warner's publishing arm had already filed a lawsuit against Polley and Badfinger in the L.A. Superior Court on 10 December 1974, the album tapes could not be formally accepted by Warner Bros. – and Warner executives also thought the rough tapes sounded "thrown together in a hurry" in "an obvious attempt [to] extract further advances from us". The legal action also led to the company stopping the promotion of Wish You Were Here after seven weeks, and ending its distribution worldwide, thus completely halting Badfinger's career.

Ham's suicide and break-up

With their current album suddenly withdrawn and their follow-up rejected, Badfinger spent the early months of 1975 trying to figure out how to proceed under the unclear legal situation. Their March 1975 salary cheques did not clear, and the April cheques never arrived. Panic set in, especially for Ham, who had recently bought a £30,000 house in Woking, Surrey, and whose girlfriend was expecting a child. According to Jackson, the band tried to continue without Polley's involvement by contacting booking agents and prospective managers throughout London, but they were routinely declined because of their restrictive contracts with Polley and impending legal actions. Ham reportedly tried on many occasions to contact Polley by telephone during the early months of 1975, but was never able to reach him.

On the night of 23 April 1975, Ham received a phone call from the United States, telling him that all his money had disappeared. Later that night he met Tom Evans and they went to The White Hart Pub in Surrey together, where Ham drank ten whiskies. Evans drove him home at three o'clock on the morning of 24 April 1975. Ham hanged himself in his garage studio in Woking later that morning. His suicide note—addressed to his girlfriend, Anne Herriot, and her son, Blair—blamed Polley for much of his despair and inability to cope with his disappointments in life. The note read: "Anne, I love you. Blair, I love you. I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. This is better. Pete. P.S. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. I will take him with me". Ham died at the age of 27. He had shown growing signs of mental illness over the past months, with Gibbins remembering Ham burning cigarettes on his hands and arms. He was cremated at the Morriston Crematorium, Swansea; his ashes were spread in the memorial gardens. Ham's daughter, Petera, was born one month after his death. In May, Warner Bros terminated its contract with Badfinger, and Badfinger dissolved. Around that time, Apple also deleted all of Badfinger's albums from its catalogue.

Post-Badfinger

Gibbins joined the Flying Aces, Evans and Jackson became part of a group called the Dodgers. They released three British singles on Island Records in 1976. "Don't Let Me Be Wrong" was the act's only US release, but failed to chart. Subsequently, the management of the Dodgers fired Evans in 1977 for insubordination and deleted all his performances from the group's subsequent album recordings (later released as Love on the Rebound). The group finally broke up in 1978, after which Jackson joined the Searchers and the David Byron Band. Molland started a band in 1975 with Colosseum's Mark Clarke and Humble Pie's Jerry Shirley using the moniker Natural Gas. They performed a few concerts as the opening act for Peter Frampton in 1976. Natural Gas released a self-titled album and three singles, but none managed to chart.

By 1977, both Molland and Evans were out of the music business. Molland later described his dire economic circumstances: "Thank God I had guitars and I was able to sell some of that stuff. We were flat broke, and that's happened to me three times, where my wife and I have had to sell off everything and go and stay with her parents or do whatever. I installed carpeting for a while in Los Angeles and stuff like that. You do what you've got to do to survive." In London, Evans briefly had jobs insulating pipes, and driving a taxi. The second single, "Hold On", reached number 56 on the Billboard charts. and the "Without You" songwriting royalties Evans was now receiving, which Molland, former manager Collins and Gibbins all wanted a share of. Following this argument, 36-year-old Evans hanged himself in the garden at his home in New Haw, Surrey, on the morning of 19 November 1983. He was cremated at the Woking Crematorium, Surrey, on 25 November 1983.

Since 1984

In 1984, Molland, Gibbins and Jackson reunited as Badfinger, along with Al Wodtke and Randy Anderson, playing 31 dates as part of a "20th Anniversary of the British Rock 'N' Roll Tour", which included Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Troggs, Billy J. Kramer and Herman's Hermits. In 1986, Molland and Gibbins resumed sporadic touring as Badfinger, with Randy Anderson on guitar and either Mark Healey or A. J. Nicholas on bass. Gibbins left for good in February 1990 following appearances at three auto shows in Columbus, Ohio, West Allis, Wisconsin, and Flint, Michigan.

All four Badfinger albums on Apple, which were deleted from release in 1975, have been reissued twice; first in the early 1990s as part of a revival of the Apple catalogue and again in 2010, when the albums were available individually or as part of the 17-disc Apple Box Set. The sole Iveys' album Maybe Tomorrow was also reissued in the early 1990s but was not part of the 2010 campaign.

Badfinger's first collection titled Shine On, spanning their two Warner Brothers albums, was released in the UK in 1989. In 1990, Rhino Records released another Warner Brothers-era compilation, The Best of Badfinger, Vol. 2, including material from both Airwaves and the previously unreleased Head First. A greatest hits collection taken from Badfinger's four albums on Apple, Come and Get It: The Best of Badfinger, appeared in 1995 on the EMI/Apple/Capitol label, which was the band's first release since 1973's Ass to be assigned a standard Apple catalogue number: SAPCOR 28. A more comprehensive collection, with tracks from both record labels, was the 2000s The Very Best of Badfinger. In 2013, a new compilation titled Timeless was issued by EMI/Universal both to capitalise on the use of "Baby Blue" in the finale of Breaking Bad and to include the 2010 remastered versions of Badfinger's songs on a greatest-hits album.

In 1990, Rykodisc released Day After Day: Live, billed as a Badfinger live recording from 1974. and a rearranged track order by the album's producer, Molland, and had a mixed critical reaction. The album's release then sparked a lawsuit filed by Molland. The band's accounting firm, collecting for a 1985 court order settlement, had re-adjusted against Molland's Apple royalty income by deducting away the percentage amounts of that court order, then reimbursing those amounts to the other Badfinger parties. The Rykodisc contract did not include artist royalty payments, because Molland had advised Rykodisc he would take care of that distribution himself under another company name. Molland subsequently sued the other members and their estates to recoup his expenses plus a producer's royalty. He was awarded a partial settlement, as the judge stated the evidence against Molland was insufficient to justify a severe penalty, also noting that since both parties had conceded the original tapes were of poor quality, Molland's salvaging of them to a commercial level merited consideration.

After the success of Mariah Carey's recording of "Without You" in 1994, Molland and Gibbins collected an award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1995, incurring the anger of the Ham and Evans families. These recordings were variously packaged in the market, often showing the original 1970s line-up of the band with little or no disclaiming information, despite Molland being the only original member of Badfinger who performed. A detailed biography of Badfinger by Dan Matovina was published in 1998, titled Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger. The 2000 update of the book was accompanied by a CD of rare material and interviews.

In 2000, a rough mix version of Head First (taken from an open-reel tape prepared by Apple engineer Phil McDonald in December 1974) was released on CD.

In 2003, and again in 2006, two separate CDs of related Apple Publishing music, 94 Baker Street, and An Apple a Day, were released. The CDs contain nine songs by the Iveys. In 2008, another CD of Apple-related songs, Treacle Toffee World: Further Adventures into the Pop Psych Sounds from the Apple Era 1967–1969, included two more Iveys demos.

By 2013, the issue of royalty payments had been resolved in court. The main songwriter receives 32 percent of publishing royalties and 25 percent of ASCAP royalties. The other band members and Collins share the rest. Revenue from album sales is shared equally with 20% going to each member as well as Collins. In 1994, the year in which Mariah Carey covered the song "Without You", the royalties for Ham's estate spiked up to US$500,000.

Post-Badfinger solo activities

Following the demise of Badfinger, each of the three living former members (Joey Molland, Bob Jackson, and Mike Gibbins) continued to record and play new music. Molland has released five solo albums, After the Pearl (1983), The Pilgrim (1992), This Way Up (2001), Return to Memphis (2013), and Be True to Yourself (2020). In 1998 he released a collection of demos called Demos Old and New on his own label, Independent Artists. In 1995, Jackson re-joined the Fortunes, where he sang lead, and they consistently performed Badfinger songs in their set. In 1996, Gibbins contributed two songs to the compilation album, Young Savage Florida (1996). He later released four solo albums through Exile Music: A Place in Time in 1998, More Annoying Songs (featuring ex-Iveys member Griffiths singing on 2 tracks) in 2002, Archeology (Griffiths on 1 track) in 2005, and In the Meantime, also in 2005. The latter included different re-recordings of both the Badfinger hit "Come and Get It" and Gibbins's "In the Meantime", originally from the Wish You Were Here album in 1974. In 1995, a posthumous Evans album was released, Over You: The Final Tracks, which was produced by Evans's friend and songwriting partner Rod Roach.

Former manager Bill Collins died in August 2002, aged 89, and on 4 October 2005, Mike Gibbins died in his sleep at his home in Oviedo, Florida from a brain aneurysm. He was 56, had been married twice and had three sons.thumb|Badfinger's Bob Jackson in 2016 with former Iveys bassist Ron Griffiths

In June 2006, a Badfinger convention took place in Swansea, featuring a performance by Bob Jackson. The event brought together Bob Jackson, Ron Griffiths, and some members of the Ham, Evans and Gibbins families. On 1 January 2008, BBC Wales broadcast a one-hour documentary about Badfinger.

On 27 April 2013 an official blue plaque was unveiled by the Swansea City Council to honour Pete Ham in his home town of Swansea. The public event was also attended by two former members of the original Badfinger band, the Iveys, Ron Griffiths and Dai Jenkins, plus former Badfinger member, Bob Jackson. The plaque honored Pete and all the Iveys and Badfinger members of Pete Ham's lifetime. A concert followed the unveiling of the plaque featuring former Badfinger members Bob Jackson and Al Wodtke.

Joey Molland's wife, Kathie Molland, died on 24 March 2009, and Stan Polley died on 20 July 2009 in California.

Molland, the last surviving member of the band's classic lineup, continued to tour under the name Joey Molland's Badfinger in the United States. In 2015, former member Bob Jackson formed his own version of Badfinger with current members Andy Nixon, Michael Healey, and Ted Duggan to honour the memory of Pete Ham, Tom Evans, and Mike Gibbins and undertook a 23 date UK theatre tour, playing to over 20,000 people. In 2016 the band continued to play UK shows.

Molland continued to lead his Badfinger touring group until 2024; he died the following year, on 1 March 2025, aged 77.

Members

Classic line-up

Pete Ham – vocals, guitar, keyboards (1961–1975; his death)
Mike Gibbins – drums, percussion, vocals, keyboards (1965–1975, 1982–1984; died 2005)
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar (1967–1975, 1978–1983; his death)
Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards (1969–1974, 1978–1984; died 2025)

Other members

David Jenkins – guitar, vocals (1961–1967)
Ron Griffiths – bass, vocals (1961–1969)
Bob Jackson – keyboards, guitar, vocals (1974–1975, 1984)
Joe Tansin – guitar, vocals (1978)
Kenny Harck – drums (1978)
Bob Schell – guitar (1979)
Tony Kaye – keyboards, organ, piano (1979–1981)
Peter Clarke – drums (1979)
Ian Wallace – drums (1979–1980; died 2007)
Rod Roach – guitar (1980)
Richard Bryans – drums (1980–1981)
Glen Sherba – guitar (1980–1981)
Randy Anderson – guitar, vocals (1984)
Al Wodtke – bass, vocals (1984)

Line-ups

{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="float: lleft; width: 420px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;"

| style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1961–1965 The Iveys

Pete Ham – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards
David Jenkins – vocals, rhythm guitar
Ron Griffiths – vocals, bass
Roy Anderson – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1965–1967 The Iveys

Pete Ham – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards
David Jenkins – vocals, rhythm guitar
Ron Griffiths – vocals, bass
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums, percussion

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1967–1969 The Iveys

Pete Ham – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards
Tom Evans – vocals, rhythm guitar
Ron Griffiths – vocals, bass
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums, percussion

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1969–1974 Badfinger

Pete Ham – vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards
Joey Molland – vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, keyboards
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, acoustic guitar
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards

;Additional personnel

Rob Stawinsky – drums (US tour, 1972)

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | October – November 1974

Pete Ham – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards
Joey Molland – vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, keyboards
Bob Jackson – vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, acoustic guitar
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | November 1974 – April 1975

Pete Ham – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards
Bob Jackson – vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, acoustic guitar
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | May 1975 – 1978

: Disbanded

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1978

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Joe Tansin – vocals, guitar
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Kenny Harck – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1978

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Joe Tansin – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1979

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Bob Schell – guitar
Tony Kaye – keyboards
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Peter Clarke – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1979

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tony Kaye – keyboards
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Peter Clarke – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1979–1980

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tony Kaye – keyboards
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Ian Wallace – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1980

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Rod Roach – guitar
Tony Kaye – keyboards
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Richard Bryans – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1980–1981

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, piano
Glen Sherba – guitar
Tony Kaye – keyboards
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Richard Bryans – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1982–1983

Two variations of Badfinger in existence.

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1984

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar
Randy Anderson – vocals, guitar
Bob Jackson – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Al Wodtke – vocals, bass
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards

;Molland's Badfinger

{| class="toccolours" border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="float: lleft; width: 420px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;"

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1981

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Joe Tansin – vocals, guitar
Larry Lee – vocals, bass
Bobby Wickland – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1982

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Ted Turner – vocals, guitar
Craig Howlett – bass
Bobby Wickland – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1983

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Adrian Russell AKA Russell DeFlavia – keyboards
Rick Reid – bass
Steve Craiter – drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1984–2024

Joey Molland – vocals, guitar
Mark Healey – bass, vocals (1986–2024)
Steve Wozny – keyboards, vocals (2001–2024)
Mike Ricciardi – drums (2010–2024)
varying line-ups since 1984

;Evans & Gibbins's Badfinger

{| class="toccolours" border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="float: lleft; width: 420px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;"

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1982

Bob Jackson – vocals, keyboards, guitar
Jimmy McCullogh – guitar
Steve Johns – keyboards
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1982

Bob Jackson – vocals, keyboards, guitar
Fred Girard – guitar, vocals
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1982

Bob Jackson – vocals, keyboards, guitar
Adam Allen – guitar, backing vocals
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1982

Bob Jackson – vocals, keyboards, guitar
Reed Kailing – vocals, guitar
Donnie Dacus – vocals, guitar
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar
Mike Gibbins – vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1983

Bob Jackson – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Glen Sherba – guitar
Tony Kaye – electric piano, organ
Tom Evans – vocals, bass
Lenny Campanero – drums

;Bob Jackson's Badfinger

{| class="toccolours" border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="float: lleft; width: 420px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;"

! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 2015–present

Bob Jackson – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Andy Nixon – vocals, guitar
Anthony Harty – vocals, bass
Ted Duggan – drums

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

As the Iveys:

{| class="wikitable"

! style="text-align:left;"|Year

! style="text-align:left;"|Album

| style="text-align:left;"|1969

| style="text-align:left;"|Maybe Tomorrow

As Badfinger:

{| class="wikitable"

! scope="col"| Year

! scope="col"| Album

! scope="col"| AUS

! scope="col"| US

|rowspan="2"|1970

| style="text-align:left;"|Magic Christian Music

| style="text-align:center;"| 31

| style="text-align:center;"| 55

| style="text-align:left;"|No Dice

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 28

| style="text-align:left;"|1971

| style="text-align:left;"|Straight Up

| style="text-align:center;"| 22

| style="text-align:center;"| 31

| style="text-align:left;"|1973

| style="text-align:left;"|Ass

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 122

|rowspan="2"|1974

| style="text-align:left;"|Badfinger

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 161

| style="text-align:left;"|Wish You Were Here

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 148

| style="text-align:left;"|1979

| style="text-align:left;"|Airwaves

| style="text-align:center;"| 97

| style="text-align:center;"| 125

| style="text-align:left;"|1981

| style="text-align:left;"|Say No More

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 155

| style="text-align:left;"|2000

| style="text-align:left;"|Head First

| style="text-align:center;"| —

Compilations/live albums

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!Title

|1989

|Shine On (UK only)

|1990

|The Best of Badfinger, Vol. 2

|1990

|Day After Day: Live

|1995

|Come and Get It: The Best of Badfinger

|1997

|BBC in Concert 1972–1973

|2000

|The Very Best of Badfinger

|2002

|Live 83 – DBA-BFR

|2010

|Magic Christian Music; No Dice; Straight Up; Ass (remastered albums on CD, with bonus tracks)

|2010

|Apple Records Extra: Badfinger

|2013

|Timeless...The Musical Legacy

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

! Year

! Song

!UK

!AUS

!US Hot 100

!US CB Top 100

! Album

| rowspan="3"|1969

| "Maybe Tomorrow"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 67

| style="text-align:center;"| 51

|rowspan=2 | Maybe Tomorrow

| "Dear Angie"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| "Come and Get It"

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:center;"| 14

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:center;"| 7

| style="text-align:center;"| 6

| Magic Christian Music

| style="text-align:left;"|1970

| "No Matter What"

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

| style="text-align:center;"| 7

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

| style="text-align:center;"| 6

| No Dice

| 1971

| "Day After Day"

| style="text-align:center;"| 10

| style="text-align:center;"| 6

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| rowspan="2"|Straight Up

| 1972

| "Baby Blue"

| style="text-align:center;"| 73

| style="text-align:center;"| 16

| style="text-align:center;"| 7

| style="text-align:center;"| 14

| style="text-align:center;"| 9

| 1973

| "Apple of My Eye"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 96

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 102

| style="text-align:center;"| 88

|Ass

| rowspan="2"|1974

| "Love Is Easy"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="2"|Badfinger

| "I Miss You"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="2"|1979

| "Lost Inside Your Love"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="2"|Airwaves

| "Love Is Gonna Come at Last"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 69

| style="text-align:center;"| 79

| rowspan="3"|1981

| "Hold On"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 56

| style="text-align:center;"| 67

| rowspan="3"|Say No More

| "I Got You"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| "Because I Love You"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

1961–1969: The Iveys

Early days

Signing to Apple

Signing with Stan Polley

Apple session work

1972–1984: Decline and struggles

End of Apple

Ham's suicide and break-up

Post-Badfinger

Since 1984

Post-Badfinger solo activities

Members

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations/live albums

Singles

References

Sources

External links