He sat in the studio and drank a lot of brandy. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. And then I quit I just couldnt take what was going on anymore. The Iveys soon became one of Swanseas top local bands. Although it would take another five years for Capitol Records to actually release it on CD, Badfingers albums have been reissued multiple times in the years since, and the bands songs remain beloved staples of oldies and classic-rock radio. For the first half of the '70s, Badfinger were flying high, racking up hit singles and albums while touring the world (Ham and Evans also saw their composition Without You, a Badfinger track from the bands second album, No Dice, become a global No.1 when Harry Nilsson and producer Richard Perry gloriously re-imagined it on the singers 1971 album, Nilsson Schmilsson). Stan Polley has been a part of the Celebrity list. But why did they take it out on the band? Upon signing on with Badfinger in November 1970, Polley reorganized the bands finances, forming a company called Badfinger Enterprises Inc. while creating a series of shell companies and private corporations, into which much of the bands fortune would soon vanish. By 1982, Tommy and Joey were touring separately, each fronting a band billing itself as Badfinger. GREAT NEWS! There, they shared the overcrowded space with the Mojos, another group that Collins managed which included his son Lewis Collins, later a noted TV actor. I didnt really know any kind of buzz on them. The Liverpool-born guitarist joined the Welsh/English group, then called the Iveys (which also featured singer-guitarist Pete Ham, singer-bassist Tom Evans and drummer Mike Gibbins), at a most fortuitous time. Stan Polley is a soulless . A financial statement prepared by Polleys accountants from December of 1970 to October 31, 1971 showed Polleys income from the band. It wasnt till Come and Get It happened that people took a real interest.. Year should not be greater than current year. Polley's notorious ripping off of Badfinger effectively ended his career as a major music manager, but not as a con. In fact, some referred to the band as, The new Fab Four and they were handpicked by the members of the Beatles themselves. "He was having a baby and trying to get money from Polley for night gowns for the hospital, but was told categorically there was none left. His potentially provocative comments proved to be a blessing when Paul McCartney read the piece, and responded by offering the band Come And Get It, an infectious new tune hed written for the soundtrack of the upcoming Ringo Starr/Peter Sellers film The Magic Christian. Family members linked to this person will appear here. We have set your language to He took the tracks that George had done and mixed them. I will take him with me." Lives & fortunes lost In his book, Mantovina discloses how Polley put Badfinger's money into a. Stan Polley Edit Profile artist manager Stanley Herbert Polley was an entertainment manager and later known as an alleged con-man from the 1960s and 1970s. This is better." And an accusatory blast toward Badfinger's business manager, Stan Polley, with Ham writing: "P.S. Just a few years earlier, as members of the British quartet Badfinger, Ham and Evans shared what looked like an unimaginably promising future. HARLEM OF THE WEST: SAN FRANCISCOS FILLMORE DISTRICT, BEAT SURRENDER: RECLAIMING THE LEGACY OF LUCIEN CARR. A WWII vet, from the 1960s on (until his death) he lived as a wannabe Jewish mafia type, including scamming anyone anywhere. They were musical geniuses. Petes blackening frame of mind was also reflected in the dark, pensive lyrics that he had begun to write, which starkly contrasted the sentiments of the songs that had made him famous. No Dice also featured the heartbreaking Ham/Evans ballad Without You, which would become a Number One smash for Harry Nilssonwho initially thought that it was a Beatles songin 1972, and a worldwide hit for Mariah Carey in 1994. 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. . Like Evans, Molland had seen the Beatles perform in their early days, and had come of age on Liverpools booming beat-group scene. Just a few months after Evans suicide, Molland, Gibbins and Bob Jackson regrouped as Badfinger, playing thirty-one dates as part of a 20th Anniversary of British Rock N Roll package tour, and continued gigging sporadically through 1989. But he said: "Ron Griffiths [who he replaced] had joked in a magazine it hadn't done much good [being signed to The Beatles' label]. It was horrible. Having the Beatles as their mentors led to predictable comparisons from the press. Pete had a lot of faith in him, and I dont know why because the guy was a crook. In 1970, the infamous Stan Polley agreed to be their manager. Nearly 5000 downloads of the song were sold immediately after the shows broadcast, pushing the 40-year-old tune into iTunes Top 20. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. I wish the band couldve held itself together. Guitarist Molland, now 68, joined the group in 1969 after they had relocated from Swansea to London, lured by the prospect of working with The Beatles. Pete. The Iveys had put out some records before Come and Get It that didnt really take off, Molland says. The American label people didnt like them. Evans couldnt get over the loss of Pete Ham took his own life by hanging on November 19, 1983. Nationality: American: Occupation: Entertainment Manager: Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 - July 20, 2009) was an entertainment manager active in the 1960s and 1970s. What was Phil Spector like in the studio? With the quartet short on material, many of the eponymous albums songs were written under pressure in the studio. Gary Thain By the next January, the band was done.". ZincOrbie 16:43, 30 January 2006 (UTC) [ reply] Stan Polley. "He was very anxious about it. Be respectful even if you disagree. Allen Klein swiftly renegotiated their EMI contract, obtaining them the highest royalties ever paid to an artist at the time. . The band was barely getting any money out of Polley and Ham was at odds with his bandmates. Pete actually left the band at one time. "The band was also getting an edge, drinking more, taking drugs.". Ham had shown growing signs of mental illness over the past months, with Gibbins remembering Ham burning cigarettes on his hands and arms. I think Pete really liked it. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. American businessman Stan Polley, who had taken over their affairs from original manager, Bill Collins, defrauded the band out of millions, leaving them all but broke. Heres how it works. The label was known for being the most artist-friendly label at the time. It was late 1969, and the band was not only one of the first signings to the Beatles Apple Records, but they were about to experience their first blast of fame with the release of Magic Christian Music, the pseudo-soundtrack to the film Magic Christian that starred Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. John was quite different. Elektra/Asylum called it Badfinger. Try again later. It took the label a little while to get the song on the radio, but once they did, the record did really well.. Hams Apple of My Eye, which reflected his mixed feelings about leaving the labelthe album was a musical and commercial disappointment. 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. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Everything contract-wise, you name it; he wasnt being a straight shooter.. He pled no contest in 1991 to swindling more than $250,000 from aeronautics engineer Peter Brock after the two had set up a corporation to make airplane engines. Despite a few memorable songse.g. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. [Laughs] But what was funny was, youd do a couple of takes of the tune, and then Phil would play you back a two-track mix with echoes on it and everything. Playing guitar was just fantastic.. In April 1970, manager Bill Collins was in the US scouting prospects for a tour and he met Stan Polley. Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 - July 20, 2009) was an American entertainment manager and fraudster active in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite Apple Records rapidly unraveling business situation, No Dice was a hit, reaching the U.S. Top 30, and winning positive reviews and substantial radio airplay. He sounded great. As a result, the Iveys debut album, also titled Maybe Tomorrow, was released only in Germany, Italy and Japan, where the debut single had performed well, and where Griffiths Dear Angie was released as a follow-up. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? 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. THE SHOCKING LIVE TELEVISION SUICIDE OF A NEWS ANCHOR! When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Ham, Evans, Molland and Gibbins all played on George Harrisons 1970 solo debut All Things Must Pass, while Ham and Evans provided backing vocals on Ringo Starrs 1971 hit It Dont Come Easy, and Evans and Molland performed on John Lennons album Imagine the same year. The Rascals were amazing.. I will take him with me." - Pete Ham By the spring of 1975, Pete Ham learned he was penniless. Collins moved with the Iveys to London, England, where theyd set up base at his communal house in Golders Green. Slamming down the phone, Tom told Marianne, Ill be dead before I get the money. The next morning, Evans six-year-old son Stephen woke his mother, telling her that a man was standing in their garden. During the early months of 1975, Ham repeatedly tried in vain to reach Polley via telephone, hoping to get a handle on the bands out-of-control legal situation and the money that he was owed. I heard my music on the radio, and I toured all over. However questionable its legitimacy, the Cass lawsuit was a major source of consternation for Evans, who was already broken emotionally from his years of soul-crushing legal and financial struggles. 2023 BBC. We had to think about the future., After some suggestions, Apple chief executive Neil Aspinall thought of Badfinger, after Bad Finger Boogie, which was the working title for The Beatles hit, With A Little Help from My Friends.. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. 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) Sometime after that, Ham hanged himself in his garage studio, leaving a note apologizing to his pregnant girlfriend Anne Herriot. We were driving secondhand cars. Our manager, Bill Collins, wanted us to do a big version of the song. The story of the British power pop phenomenon is one of hits, Beatles, music industry sharks and tragedy. By the time he joined Badfinger, Molland had accumulated a good deal of professional experience, having played with such acts as the Merseys, the Masterminds and Gary Walker & the Rain. It kind of made sense with the other titles No Dice, Straight Up. If in doubt, leave it out. We played with great bands. By the end of the year, the band signed a business management contract and Polley started Badfinger Enterprises. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. On April 25, 1975 . So he came over and played bass, and we made some demos. Lennon tapped Molland and Evans to play two cuts on his Imagine album, and Harrison produced half of the bands 1971 disc, Straight Up (that same year he also enlisted the group to take part in his historic Concert for Bangladesh at New York Citys Madison Square Garden). Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Id seen them on TV doing a song called Maybe Tomorrow, and it wasnt my cup of tea. 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. 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. Petes heirs had to be involved, too. Molland and Evans fronted two separate versions of the band as part of a contentious legal dispute. We all choose the songs. In an interview in Disc & Music Echo magazine, bassist Ron Griffiths complained about Apple neglecting the Iveys. Evans had originally embraced rock n roll after seeing the pre-stardom Beatles perform at the now-legendary Cavern club in Liverpool. Sadly, the song's lyrics ("Guess you think it's funny. No jingle-jangle stuff. He was very communicative. He was replaced by Joey Molland. Financially and emotionally destroyed a great band leading to the hanging deaths of both Pete Ham & Tom Evans in '75 & '83 respectively. We did 50 or 60 dates on our first tour, and then a year later we did another tour. What were the differences in working with the two? Meanwhile, Stan Polley forced a battle between Apple and Warner Bros. over Badfingers song publishing, causing the substantial royalty payments for the bands hits (and for Nilssons cover of Without You) to be tied in a legal knot that would take years to untangle. His general discomfort expressing his deepest emotions influenced him to turn to songwriting as an outlet. On April 24, 1975, Ham's girlfriend, who was pregnant with their daughter at the time, discovered his body hanging in their garage. [1] He began artist management after he met Lou Christie in the mid-1960s. Search above to list available cemeteries. We had a bit of a lowbrow sense of humor. But yeah, the Nilsson track became huge. When he and I sang together, it sounded like Badfinger.. Molland said he still finds it difficult to understand why Ham took his life. But his involvement would ultimately seal the bands doom. He ran off with Badfinger's income, the record company money, leading to 2 band member suicides. Nobody was the leader. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. In less than five years, Badfinger, which had been responsible for some of the eras most upbeat, hopeful music, was plunged into a financially and emotionally devastating nightmare that would end up claiming Hams life, as well as that of Evans, who would duplicate his friends tragic exit eight years later. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. The strategy backfired, and Warner declined to releaseor pay forHead First. A Badfinger act has also recently been re-launched in the UK by Bob Jackson and has completed a theatre tour. Please try again later. Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick started that album as producer. 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. The Iveys released their first single for Apple in 1968 titled Maybe Tomorrow. What are your feelings on the bands original recording of Without You versus the version Harry Nilsson had a giant smash with? In 1991, having relocated to the West Coast, he pleaded no contest to charges of money laundering and misappropriation of funds, after aeronautics engineer Peter Brock accused Polley of swindling him out of $250,000 after the two set up a corporation to manufacture airplane engines. This account has been disabled. We could always write songs; we could always play. "But Pete got mad. On the night of November 18, 1983, Evans had a heated phone argument with Molland about the Apple stalemate. So did the others. I was pretty good. He was always very sweet but very direct. So, only six weeks after finishing Ass, the band returned to the studio with Chris Thomas to record their Warner debut, which would be released in 1974 as Badfinger (the band had originally wanted to title it For Love or Money). The group made their way to America, and were in need of proper management stateside. Almost two years later, in September 1985, the funds being held by Apple were finally released and royalties began to flow. Unable to locate the funds, Warner sued Polley. On April 10, 1970, the rock world was shocked to learn that the Beatles had broken up. "I always felt that when a band is a band, it's four guys in a thing together. Id heard of them, but they didnt mean that much. The single 'Something'/'Come Together' was released on 31 October 1969. It had nothing to do with Pete dying, as some have suggested. The show helped boost the sales of the song which became the 9th most selling song on Amazon and streams on Spotify increased a whopping 9,000% after the finale aired. But bad business dealings - the group had entrusted their financial affairs to an American businessman, Stan Polley, who ultimately swindled them out of millions and left the members all but broke - splintered Badfinger, and in 1975, Pete Ham hanged himself in the garage of his Surrey home. "I was angry years later, angry that we didn't value at the time who we were, what we were.". Polley was born on April 7, 1922 in New York City. Speaking to BBC's Week In Week Out programme in 1987, the band's solicitor Tim Douglas-Jones said no money from the US was ever recovered. Resend Activation Email. By 1974, we were getting somewhat suspicious about it. Dr. Stan Polley teaches 2nd, 4th, and 7th grade science at Loveland Classical School in Loveland, Colorado. What Polley did to those guys is unforgivable. In November 1968, Apple released the Iveys first single, the bittersweet Evans-penned ballad Maybe Tomorrow, lushly produced by Tony Visconti. Throughout his career, Polley defrauded a number of clients and associates. It was thought that businessman Alan Klein, who had been brought into Apple Records to help clean up the company, put the kibosh on them releasing the album in America. Although Bill Collins was more of a dreamer than a dealmaker, his interest in the Iveys was genuine. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). [Laughs] He was a complete genius as a singer, writer and just well, he was John Lennon! You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. In later years, many fans would name it as Badfingers best album. They thought the Iveys had something. Throughout his career, Polley defrauded a number of clients and associates, most notably Badfinger. Stan Poses set up a meeting with Ham and Evans to discuss his departure from Badfinger Enterprises, and he gave the two musicians much-needed guidance, telling them, You dont need Polley. Allegedly, Ham left a suicide note that named Stan Polley, his booking agent, as the cause of the suicide. [3], The following year, 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 younger ones are curious about the band while musicians talk about the guitar parts that inspired them.". After leaving school at 14, Pete took on a series of labor-intensive day jobs, many of them in Swanseas busy dock area. Read about our approach to external linking. Even then, he showed an uncommon dedication, teaching himself the rudiments of guitar. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. 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. For the past two years, he has been using geocaching to inspire and engage his . Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. In January 1967, Davies took the Iveys into the studio to record demos of three of their original tunes. 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. Polleys business partner, Stan Poses had concerns with the new contract, recalling, Id started to figure out that what Polley had set up didnt make sense. Pete passionately embraced music early in life, learning to play harmonica at the age of four and receiving his first guitar as a Christmas gift when he was 12. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. We were uncomfortable with the whole thing, but we went along with it.. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. The records were on the radio all over the world, and we were doing 120 shows a year . Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. Badfinger fulfilled its commitment to Apple with the 1973 release Ass. 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. When you go to the meetings, just tell Polley you dont want to sign his contracts and you dont want him to manage you. He'd sit in his room, talk to us and he'd taken to burning his hands with cigarettes. Unable to get a hold of the bands manager, Warner filed a lawsuit against Badfinger Enterprises and Stan Polley over the missing funds. Sex tapes, shady business dealings, and homicides we'd all rather forget. I try to focus on the good things that we did and all the great songs we recorded. When I first joined the band, it didnt seem as if anybody was paying attention to them. But I enjoyed it. Drag images here or select from your computer for CPL Stanley Herbert Stan Polley memorial. George was very direct. "Pete trusted him [Polley], but was living in an attic, driving a second-hand Triumph Stag after winning an Ivor Novello award," he said. It also inspired some fans, in the wake of the Beatles spring 1970 breakup, to speculate that Badfinger was actually the disbanded Fab Four secretly recording under a pseudonym. It was very complicated. Stan Polley (1922- 2009) is a retired American music entrepreneur who, for a time, managed the business ventures of several musicians. He said he couldnt relate to anybody. He was from Liverpool and we were from Wales. It was surreal. I did everything I could to keep the band together, but it was impossible., Molland emphasized the creative freedom the band had, despite their hardships, We were good friends, we enjoyed working together and we had a good way of working together. With the release of Ass delayed by Polleys wrangling with Apple, Ass and Badfinger ended up being released almost simultaneously, virtually guaranteeing that neither album would find a large audience. Aeronautics engineer Peter Brock accused Polley of swindling him out of $250,000 (equivalent to $497,000 in 2021) after the two set up a corporation to manufacture airplane engines. "Pete had an affair with a roadie's wife, which caused a lot of not good feeling. The Warner Bros. contract called for the groups advances to be paid into an escrow account, but after the companys publishing division was unsuccessful in locating hundreds of thousands of dollars in advances that the company had deposited into the account, it filed a lawsuit against Polley. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. We were all quite pleased for them., We didnt have any money. I asked him what we were going to do about Stan, and he didnt want to do anything. Maybe he heard what Harry eventually did, but we just werent that kind of band. People seemed to really like us over there, and we went over like mad. 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Polley may have wrecked Badfingers career, but he couldnt stop their music from living on. I had a 63 Strat, and thats what he used. By the following year, the Iveys had prepared demos for Apple Records. Polley had Badfinger under his control and they would end up signing a new management agreement with him. WERE WE ALL BRAINWASHED BY THE CIA WITH SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK & ROLL? The failure of Maybe Tomorrow in the U.S. and U.K. hit the Iveys hard, and Apples organizational problems created an additional level that frustrated the bands efforts to come up with a new single.
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