Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh musician and songwriter who was the lead vocalist and composer of the rock band Badfinger from 1961 until his death in 1975. He also co-wrote the ballad "Without You", a worldwide number one hit for Harry Nilsson that has become a standard covered by hundreds of artists. Ham was granted two Ivor Novello Awards related to the song in 1973.

Ham died by suicide in 1975 at the age of 27 after Badfinger was financially ruined by their fraudulent manager Stan Polley.

Early life

Peter William Ham was born in Swansea, Wales. The youngest child of William and Catherine (maiden name Tanner) Ham, he had three siblings, John (1937-2015), Irene (1943-1991), and William (born 1935), who died during infancy.

The Iveys changed their name to Badfinger with the single release of "Come and Get It", a composition written by Paul McCartney that became a worldwide top-ten hit.

Ham had initially protested against using a non-original to promote the band, as he had gained confidence in the group's compositions, but he was quickly convinced of the springboard effect of having a likely hit single. His own creative perseverance paid off eventually, as his "No Matter What" became another top-ten worldwide hit in late 1970. He followed up with two more worldwide hits in "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue". They both lived in Surrey. Ham's only child, a daughter called Petera, was born after his death. In 2000, Anne and Tom Evans' widow, with Gibbins and Collins, went to court to pursue unpaid royalties.

Death

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, just three days shy of his 28th birthday. 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:

Ham had shown growing signs of mental illness over the preceding months, with Gibbins remembering Ham burning his hands and arms with cigarettes. Ham 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.

Legacy

Ham is often credited as being one of the earliest purveyors of the power pop genre. His most widespread effect in popular music was with the ballad "Without You", which he wrote with Badfinger bandmate Tom Evans. Collections of Ham's home demo recordings have been released posthumously: 1997's 7 Park Avenue, 1999's Golders Green, In 2022 Ham's "Demos Variety Pack" was released.

Blue Plaque

thumb|[[Blue plaque commemorating Pete Ham in his hometown of Swansea, Wales]]On 27 April 2013 (what would have been Ham's 66th birthday), an official blue plaque was unveiled by Swansea City Council to honour him in his hometown. The unveiling was attended by two former members of the original Badfinger band, The Iveys: Ron Griffiths and David Jenkins, plus former Badfinger member Bob Jackson. The plaque honoured Ham and all the Iveys and Badfinger members of his lifetime. The ceremony was followed by a concert featuring former Badfinger members Bob Jackson and Al Wodtke.

The plaque was attached to the exterior of High Street Train Station because of its proximity to the adjacent Ivey Place where the band would meet to practice.) by George Harrison (album)

Charted singles

  • "No Matter What" (Billboard charting number 8, by Badfinger)
  • "Without You" (Billboard charting number 1 by Harry Nilsson, number 3 by Mariah Carey, number 28 by Clay Aiken).
  • "Day After Day" (Billboard charting number 4, Cash Box charting number 1, both by Badfinger)
  • "Baby Blue" (Billboard charting number 14 by Badfinger)

See also

  • 27 Club, of which Ham is a member

References

Sources

  • Pledgemusic page for Keyhole Street
  • Blue Plaque