Badfinger was a British power pop band formed in the 1960s but their contribution to music was marred by the tales of managerial corruption and the resultant suicides of two band members.
The band's association - and to a certain extent comparisons - with The Beatles was useful for them and by 1971 they had recorded four successful albums: (Maybe Tomorrow (as The Iveys) (69), Magic Christian Music (1970), No Dice (1970) and Straight Up (1971)) and fame was beckoning around the world. The next album Ass (1971) became snarled up in a move from Apple to Warner Brothers and the album failed to perform well; nor did it's follow up Badfinger (1974).
Wish You Were Here was a return to form in the eyes of the critics but divisions within the band were beginning to form; a result of management issues. Worse still, the wrangles about missing money between the record label and their manager, Stan Polley meant that the next album Head First was not released at all. In 1975 Peter Ham, founder member and creative force of the group hanged himself, stating in his suicide note that Polley was a "soulless bastard". The group disbanded.
By 1979 the remaining members had reformed and released Airwaves but the relationships within the band were brittle, Badfinger fractured and it resulted in two "Badfingers" touring. The main split between members Joey Molland and Evans ended when Evans hanged himself in 1983 - over an argument about royalties for the band's main songwriting credit "Without You", (which Evans had co-written with Ham).
Head First was finally released in 2000.
