The situation weighed most heavily on Pete Ham. Try again later. The love and optimism contained in the songs written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans have outlasted the hopelessness and despair that led the bandmates to prematurely end their lives. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. After the desperate musicians finally managed to flee their squalid surroundings and return to England, Cass slapped Evans with a five-million-dollar breach-of-contract lawsuit. By the following year, the Iveys had prepared demos for Apple Records. The rest, he claimed, was being saved and invested. Throughout his career, Polley defrauded a number of clients and associates, most notably Badfinger. WERE WE ALL BRAINWASHED BY THE CIA WITH SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK & ROLL? The group made their way to America, and were in need of proper management stateside. He formed new companies to house future artists he secured, including composers Irwin Levine and Larry Brown. We were all quite pleased for them., We didnt have any money. Polley reminds me of an underground publisher I once worked for. Anna was born on August 17 1868, in Griggsville, Pike, Illinois, USA. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. 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). He told me that night he was going to kill himself. He was 36. Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 - July 20, 2009) was an American entertainment manager and fraudster active in the 1960s and 1970s. Evans was the victim of more mismanagement and was sued for $5-million. This account has been disabled. There were some tensions, but not necessarily from Pete. This celebrity has also been counted as part of famous people who are born on April 7. While not a manager per-se, he did have industry connections, and got them a job as the backing band for David Garrick. Another inhabitant of Bill Collins house was Dave Duffield, the Kinks road manager. We didnt have any money. Check out Why MTV Banned Nine Inch Nails From the MTV Movie Awards in 2005, Your email address will not be published. Stan made a good first impression on the band and led them to believe that he would take them to new heights, only for it to be the complete opposite. Stanley Polley. Tommys abiding love for the Everly Brothers manifested itself in his facility for vocal harmony. Ive got nothing against love songs, but I want them to come from more of a Tamla/Motown kind of thing Martha and the Vandellas. 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. [9], sfnp error: no target: CITEREFBrennan2012 (, "Badfinger's last original member still playing their music", "Breaking Badfinger: Who's Getting the Baby Blue Money? I thought that was a good album. His clients were mostly American artists, including Al Kooper and Lou Christie, but Polley is mostly known for his alleged mismanagement of the British band Badfinger. Sure, I wish things didnt turn out as they did. 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. One of his most significant contributions was his insistence that the band start writing original material, rather than relying upon the R&B and rock n roll covers that still dominated their live sets. Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 - July 20, 2009) was an American entertainment manager and fraudster active in the 1960s and 1970s. According to The New York Times, Polley was named during Senate-investigation hearings in 1971 as an intermediary between unnamed crime figures and a New York Supreme Court judge. Why were his tracks rejected? Swanseas importance as a port city and industrial center had made it an attractive bombing target during World War II, and many of the buildings in Swanseas city center had been destroyed during the Nazis three-night Blitz in February 1941. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Salaries and advances to the band members ranged from $5,000 to $8,500 US. According to a subsequent New York Times investigation, Polley was named during Senate investigation hearings in 1971 as an intermediary between unnamed organized-crime figures and a corrupt New York Supreme Court judge. His clients were mostly American artists, including Al Kooper and Lou Christie, but Polley is mostly known for his alleged mismanagement of the British band Badfinger. Evans protests would go unheard by the public until 2000, when demand from fans resulted in an early rough mix of Head First being released. Stanley Herbert Polley(April 7, 1922 - July 20, 2009) was an entertainment manager from the 1960s and 1970s. But most of the funds from their Warner Bros. contracts would never reach the band, thanks to Polleys convoluted machinations. "I was angry years later, angry that we didn't value at the time who we were, what we were.". What kind of guitarist were you back in the '60s before you finally hooked up with Badfinger? I heard my music on the radio, and I toured all over. Or why not treat yourself? In April 1970, manager Bill Collins was in the US scouting prospects for a tour and he met Stan Polley. In an interview in Disc & Music Echo magazine, bassist Ron Griffiths complained about Apple neglecting the Iveys. A few months earlier, on what would have been his 66th birthday, Pete Ham was honored in his hometown of Swansea with a plaque near the Ivey Place entrance of the citys train station. Hams Apple of My Eye, which reflected his mixed feelings about leaving the labelthe album was a musical and commercial disappointment. Recently read Stan Polley, of Badfinger fame , died in Summer of '09. Hed made his initial mark managing Lou Lightning Strikes Christie, and later oversaw the careers of such prominent figures as Al Kooper, veteran producer Hank Medress, Four Seasons arranger Charlie Calello, hit tunesmith Sandy Linzer and WABC radio disc jockey Bob Lewis. "But I was told there was no money," he said. There are times when it all feels like a dream, says guitarist Joey Molland, recalling the glory days a half century ago when Badfinger ruled the airwaves with a series of exquisitely crafted pop-rock hits like Come and Get It, No Matter What, Day After Day and Baby Blue. Although Stan Polley may of done many unethcial things during his tenure as manger, Badfinger never had any release go anywhere near the top-forty globally after 1973. 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. "This ticked Paul McCartney off, who then gave us Come and Get It. Was there one Beatle who paid more attention to Badfinger Paul McCartney or George Harrison? His general discomfort expressing his deepest emotions influenced him to turn to songwriting as an outlet. Ham died at the age of 27. P.S. In 2013, Baby Blue was prominently featured in the closing scene of the final episode of TVs Breaking Bad. Like Evans, Molland had seen the Beatles perform in their early days, and had come of age on Liverpools booming beat-group scene. The strategy backfired, and Warner declined to releaseor pay forHead First. I wanted to play guitar music with a harder bite to it. But Polley denied the existence of such a note. I met some guys who wanted to put a band together, and I liked them, so we started something up. I will take him with me." Pete Ham almost escaped the 27 Club when he died on April 24, 1975; his 28th birthday was just three days away. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He was from Liverpool and we were from Wales. 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. With McCartney producing and coaching the band to duplicate his original demo, the Iveys cut Come and Get It in an hour, with Tom Evans providing an appropriately Beatlesque lead vocal. I will take him with me.. Despite its rushed birth cycle, the resulting Wish You Were Here was a meticulously constructed mini-masterpiece. Molland and Evans fronted two separate versions of the band as part of a contentious legal dispute. 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. But not long after, Polley had seemingly taken the advance payment and run . What are you waiting for. 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). My feeling was, Just tag along, man. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. 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. It was obvious something was wrong. Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherBlubrryby EmailTuneInRSS Share this: Facebook Twitter Like this: LikeLoading. "He was very anxious about it. PS: Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. Stanley Herbert Polley of Rancho Mirage, Riverside County, California was born on April 7, 1922. Ten million people watched Sunday's final episode of Breaking Bad, with a touching farewell scene set to Badfinger's 1971 ballad Baby Blue. Were there tensions within the band at this point? Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Even then, he showed an uncommon dedication, teaching himself the rudiments of guitar. Pete called Stan because he needed some money to buy something for his girlfriend, and he was told that he had no money left. 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]. S tan Polley (1922- ) is a retired American music entrepreneur who, for a time, managed the business ventures of several musicians. "The band was also getting an edge, drinking more, taking drugs.". Get the latest and greatest Guitar news with one of our guitar magazine subscriptions. 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. There was a problem getting your location. I didnt hear a lot about it, really. Signed by the Beatles The Iveys were the first band signed to The Beatles' Apple label in 1968. Your email address will not be published. But my friends in Liverpool insisted that I go and check it out. 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. Evans had originally embraced rock n roll after seeing the pre-stardom Beatles perform at the now-legendary Cavern club in Liverpool. Please try again later. Please reset your password. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Jenkins replacement was Tom Evans, born in Liverpool on June 5, 1947. Failed to remove flower. Thats when the plan went to George Harrison producing us., We played with great bands. Applebee, and the girls would be screaming, screaming, screaming, but then hed go, Hang on a minute, look to the other side andthere would be crowds around Dai. This browser does not support getting your location. But it was never given the chance to revive the bands increasingly moribund career. It was song six on album No Dice and Molland said they had no idea about its potential until 1971 when Harry Nilsson walked into a recording session. Mackintosh Academy - Boulder. This led to arguments, with Ham quitting before returning. I will take him with me." And then he hanged himself. Tommy had his reasons for it, but they werent our reasons. In 1988, readers of Goldmine voted Straight Up the album theyd most like to see released on Compact Disc. Collins was insistent that the band sign with Apple Records, which was owned by the Beatles themselves. At one point we met a manager by the name Stan Polley. "In the end, there was no demo and we had trouble sticking Without You together.". The band signed a contract with Warner Brothers in late 1973 and very quickly, problems arose. 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. On April 10, 1970, the rock world was shocked to learn that the Beatles had broken up. We went into the studio with Mal Evans and put together the arrangement. Straight Up spawned a pair of Ham-penned American hits in Day After Day and Baby Blue, although Apples business problems kept the latter from being released as a single in the U.K. Like No Matter What, both songs carried an unmistakable sense of bittersweet melancholy, giving them an emotional depth that transcended their ostensible status as fluffy pop-rock tunes. I will take him with me". [Keyboardist] Nicky Hopkins was there, [drummer] Jim Keltner was there. Tragically, Badfinger's Tom Evans, upset regarding what he considered the band's missing income, also hanged himself in 1983! Their early lineup consisted of frontman Pete Ham on lead guitar, Dai Jenkins on rhythm guitar, Ron Griffiths on bass and Roy Anderson on drums. When the remaining members had difficulty finding a suitable bassist to replace Griffiths, Evans offered to switch from guitar to bass to widen their options. The same year, the band released their third record Straight Up, producing two more hits, Day After Day and Baby Blue. If he had an idea to change an arrangement, he would sit down and talk to you about it. Pete and Tommy had been warned when the band left Apple and signed to Warners to get rid of him. An arrangement was made whereby the members would receive a salary, while income from touring and record sales and publishing would go into holding companies controlled by Polley. American bands played really well and could sing their asses off. He could sell sand to an Arab. It was in April 1975 that Ham hanged himself. Why MTV Banned Nine Inch Nails From the MTV Movie Awards in 2005, Mother Love Bone and The Tragic Death of Andrew Wood, Pearl Jams Disastrous Fight With Ticketmaster, The Cults Making of Love and She Sells Sanctuary. He encouraged the band to focus on songwriting and Pete Ham took that to heart, demoing tons of original songs using the houses makeshift studio. Stan was born on April 7, 1922 in . By Gregg L. Friedman MD, I really miss the great musical groups of the 1960's. That same year, George Harrison, impressed with what he saw, asked the band to play on a solo album, 1970s All Things Must Pass, which became a massive hit worldwide. I had an argument the night before he died; he was talking about getting that money from the cohorts. So did the others. Scott fantastic read really enjoyed your writing. Although the fallout from the Warner Bros. lawsuit led to his exit from the music industry, Polley apparently never lost his gift for larceny. Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 - July 20, 2009) was an American entertainment manager and fraudster active in the 1960s and 1970s. 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. 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