For a time, everything was great.. Mackintosh Academy - Boulder. On April 10, 1970, the rock world was shocked to learn that the Beatles had broken up. My amp was an AC30 that belonged to 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. Heres how it works. We just heard the record when it came out., It was great, man! Almost two years later, in September 1985, the funds being held by Apple were finally released and royalties began to flow. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Evans possessed a mercurial personality that contrasted with Petes even-keeled approach. 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. Apple was facing financial troubles, and as a result, the 1969 release of their album Maybe Tomorrow, which was planned to be put out worldwide, didnt include the United States. I take it you didnt mind letting a Beatle have a go at the guitar track. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. I remember him doing that with Beware of Darkness; he had an acoustic, and he played it for us a few times so that we could get a feel for the tune. Evans wife Marianne later quoted him as saying I want to be where Pete is. He quickly emerged as a prolific tunesmith, coming up with new songs on an almost daily basis and cutting rough demos of his compositions on the two-track tape machine in the houses makeshift studio. Try again later. Gibbins remembered, As soon as Tom moved in, he was complaining. I guess he wanted you to know where he was going with it.. There is a problem with your email/password. Learn more about merges. We had guitars in our songs! 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. 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. In 1974, Warner's publishing division filed a lawsuit against Polley when it was unsuccessful in locating the funds. Stan was born on April 7, 1922 in . 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. The city was still in the process of rebuilding while Pete was growing up in Swanseas Townhill district, at the time one of the working-class towns roughest areas. 0 cemeteries found in Riverside, Riverside County, California, USA. I will take him with me." - Pete Ham By the spring of 1975, Pete Ham learned he was penniless. You know, its a shame. "In 1974, I left for America with 700. Paul McCartney later read the article, and to make amends, he allowed the band to record one of his demos called Come and Get It. McCartney praised The Iveys for their interpretation of the song, and it would be included as part of the soundtrack for the film, The Magic Christian. But my friends in Liverpool insisted that I go and check it out. The album wasnt released in America until years later. Ten years after Gibbins passing, short-term keyboardist/guitarist Bob Jackson launched his own U.K.-based Badfinger act to play the British oldies circuit. ", Concerned, Molland asked Apple to put a 170,000 royalty cheque on hold, saying: "After that, (manager) Stan Polley stopped sending me my wages and cut me off.". 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). 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. While they returned to form recording Wish You Were Here, Molland said a bombshell was about to tear them apart. If there is a contest for the worst band manager ever, Stan Polley probably tops Norman Sheffield. I will take him with. By the time Badfinger hired Polleywithout having a lawyer look at the contract that he offeredsome of his other clients had already come to suspect that Polley was mishandling their finances. In November 1968, Apple released the Iveys first single, the bittersweet Evans-penned ballad Maybe Tomorrow, lushly produced by Tony Visconti. It all became too much for Pete Ham who hanged himself in his garage on April 23, 1975 at the age of 27. We were quite happy when it was over. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. 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. I never thought I was great or anything there were so many brilliant guitarists in England in the '60s. I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. In November 1970, the band and Bill Collins, understandably concerned over the disorganization that prevailed at Apple, had handed Badfingers business affairs over to New York-based business manager Stan Polley. "The band was also getting an edge, drinking more, taking drugs.". PS: Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. Badfinger tried again four years later, signing a new deal with Elektra Records and releasing two more albums, 1979s Airwaves and 1981s Say No More, but they wouldnt be enough to sustain their momentum, commercially. Gary Thain It was a friendly vibe. In January 1967, Davies took the Iveys into the studio to record demos of three of their original tunes. It was good for rock n roll guitar.. Manager Stan Polley had negotiated a contract with Warner Bros. for Badfinger, setting up for advances to be paid into an escrow account. This year saw Joey Molland, the sole surviving member of Badfingers classic lineup, return with a new solo album, Be True to Yourself. In fact, some referred to the band as, The new Fab Four and they were handpicked by the members of the Beatles themselves. "He introduced himself and asked us to listen to a mix he'd written. The net profit from the corporation totaled about $25,000 while Polleys management fee was $76,000. Polley was a slick, charming operator whod served in the U.S. Army and worked in New Yorks garment industry, before entering the music business in the mid-60s. We went into the studio with Mal Evans and put together the arrangement. cemeteries found in Riverside, Riverside County, California, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Most of the songs are Ham's - who he calls a "Welsh genius" who would have written many more brilliant tunes. I will take him with me." Lives & fortunes lost In his book, Mantovina discloses how Polley put Badfinger's money into a. According to Wkipedia's entry on Stan Polley (it doesn't mention the fact that he was a jew), he defrauded some white man of a quarter of a million dollars in 1991, and was prosecuted for it. Pete had a lot of faith in him, and I dont know why because the guy was a crook. 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. In 1970, Polley formed a company called Badfinger Enterprises, Inc. as a management arm for the British rock group Badfinger, which had no American representation at the time. It kind of made sense with the other titles No Dice, Straight Up. Boasting such memorable tunes as Hams Just A Chance and Dennis, the Chris Thomas-produced Wish You Were Here should have been a triumphant comeback for Badfinger. Did you know the band when they were the Iveys? It wasnt until Come and Get It came out that the perception changed for Badfinger. P.S. 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. It's been brought to our attention by more than one of you that a Lester Kent Brown passed recently in Twin Falls, Idaho. I never went down to Apple to talk about titles. Husband of Joan (Scott) Polley for 64 years. 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. PolleyBadfinger EnterprisesInc.Stan PosesPolley The book, Without You: The Tragic History of Badfinger, describes how the Iveys were in instant awe of Evans musicianship, but his personality took a bit of getting used to. Sometime after that, Ham hanged himself in his garage studio, leaving a note apologizing to his pregnant girlfriend Anne Herriot. Oy vey.) Stan Polley has been a part of the Celebrity list. [6], In 1991, Polley pleaded no contest to charges of misappropriating funds and money laundering in Riverside County, California. While McCartney was insistent that Come and Get It be the lead single to carry the album, he also thought that the Iveys needed a name change. American bands played really well and could sing their asses off. It was Tom, who had hanged himself from a tree in their backyard. I wanted to play Chuck Berry music; I wanted to play beat music. "Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. . Everyone has their own opinion. "I was angry years later, angry that we didn't value at the time who we were, what we were.". But why did they take it out on the band? His clients included rock band Badfinger, musician Al Kooper, and singer Lou Christie. I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody, Ham wrote. I will take him with me." Mr Matovina will say: "It's a very hard business, full of shysters, huge egos and people more than willing to use others for . Your first album with them, No Dice, featured No Matter What, which many consider to be the definitive Badfinger song. . Husband of Joan (Scott) Polley for 64 years. [7], Polley died in Rancho Mirage, California, on July 20, 2009. The band soon expanded to a five-man lineup, featuring keyboardist Bob Jackson, but that was short-lived. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. "But I was told there was no money," he said. The giant conglomerate Warner Bros. Records was interested. Joey Molland keeps Badfinger alive as the sole surviving member of their classic lineup and continues to perform. Stanley Herbert Polley of Rancho Mirage, Riverside County, California was born on April 7, 1922. Even when pushing 70, he conned $1 . Having the Beatles as their mentors led to predictable comparisons from the press. Discussion of suicide or self-harm is not tolerated and will result in an immediate ban. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Yeah, I moved to Los Angeles and started knocking around, doing what I could. Their new Warner Bros. contract called for Badfinger to deliver a new album every six months. Although many details remain unclear, it was widely alleged that he had been a bagman for the Mafia. 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. Although the fallout from the Warner Bros. lawsuit led to his exit from the music industry, Polley apparently never lost his gift for larceny. For the past two years, he has been using geocaching to inspire and engage his . I got really good at rhythm guitar quite quickly, and then I started learning how to play lead. A total of 500,000 royalty money from Apple was divided between the band. Impressed, Evans passed copies of the Iveys demo tape to John, Paul, George and Ringo, ultimately gaining all four Beatles approval to sign the band to Apple. We could always write songs; we could always play. . He came back after a few weeks and wanted back in. Bill Collins, a session musician, was impressed with the Iveys performance, and took them under his wing. In addition to stopping Badfingers career dead in its tracks, the legal conflicts cut off the musicians income and plunged them into financial destitution, with virtually nothing to show for their years of creativity and hard work. In the late 50s and early 60s, Swansea spawned an array of young jazz and blues outfits, including one that featured Petes brother John on trumpet. Getting involved with the crook was the worst thing we ever did. 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