Pete Ham

Pete Ham
Background information
Birth name Peter William Ham
Born (1947-04-27)27 April 1947
Swansea, Wales
Died 24 April 1975(1975-04-24) (aged 27)
Surrey, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instruments
Years active 1961–1975
Labels
Associated acts
Website http://www.peteham.net/

Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the lead vocalist and composer of the 1970s rock band Badfinger, whose hit songs include "No Matter What", "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue". He also co-wrote the ballad "Without You", a worldwide number one hit for Harry Nilsson which has become a standard song covered by hundreds of artists. Ham was granted two Ivor Novello Awards related to the song in 1973.

Ham committed suicide in 1975, when he became depressed while embroiled in band-related issues, such as label and manager problems, as well as a lack of funds.

Early life

Ham was born in Swansea, Wales. He formed a local rock group called The Panthers circa 1961. This group would undergo several name and lineup changes before it became The Iveys in 1965. The band was relocated to London by The Mojos manager, Bill Collins, in 1966, and they continued to perform for three years throughout the United Kingdom. As it was, Ham eventually became the prominent songwriter for the band, as a Revox tape recorder was made available by Collins to encourage him. Ray Davies of The Kinks took an initial interest in the group, although tracks produced by Davies did not surface commercially until decades later. In 1968, The Iveys came to the attention of Mal Evans (The Beatles' personal assistant) and were eventually signed to the Beatles' Apple Records label after approval from all four Beatles, who were reportedly impressed by the band's songwriting abilities.[1]

Badfinger

The Iveys changed their name to Badfinger with the single release of "Come and Get It", a composition written by Paul McCartney, and it 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" composition became another top ten worldwide hit after its release in late 1970. He followed up writing two more worldwide hits with "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue".[1]

Ham's greatest songwriting success came with his co-written composition "Without You" – a worldwide number 1 when it was later covered by Harry Nilsson and released in 1972. The song has since become a ballad standard and is covered by hundreds of singers from many genres worldwide. An Ivor Novello award for Song of the Year was issued in 1973 along with Grammy nominations. George Harrison used Ham's talents for a number of album sessions including the All Things Must Pass album and for other Apple Records artist's recordings. This friendship culminated with Ham's acoustic guitar duet on "Here Comes the Sun" with Harrison at The Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, later portrayed in the theatrical film of the concert. In 1972, Badfinger was picked up by Warner Bros. Records, as the Apple Records label was crumbling and it seemed the band was primed for major recognition.[1]

Death

Warner Bros. Records sued Badfinger's business manager, Stan Polley, after an advance vanished, and after Polley disappeared, the band were left penniless. Believing his finances had been wiped out, Ham hanged himself in his garage three days before his 28th birthday. He left a note telling his pregnant wife and her son that he loved them. It read, "I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. This is better. Pete. PS Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. I will take him with me."[2]

Legacy

Blue plaque commemorating Pete Ham in his hometown of Swansea, Wales

Ham is often credited as being one of the earliest purveyors of the power pop genre.[3] His most widespread effect in popular music is the ballad "Without You", written with Badfinger bandmate Tom Evans. Collections of Ham's home demo recordings have been posthumously released: 1997's 7 Park Avenue, 1999's Golders Green[1] and 2013's The Keyhole Street Demos 1966–67.[4]

On 27 April 2013 an official blue plaque was unveiled by the Swansea City Council to honour Pete Ham in his home town of Swansea. The public event was also 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, designed by Dan Matovina, honoured Pete and all the Iveys and Badfinger members of Pete Ham's lifetime. A concert followed the unveiling of the plaque featuring former Badfinger members Bob Jackson and Al Wodtke.[5]

Discography

Ham also appeared as a guest artist on

Charted singles

See also

  • 27 club, of which Ham is a member
  • Category:Pete Ham

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Matovina, Dan. Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger, Google Books, 2000. Retrieved 10 October 2008
  2. ↑ Clark, Nick (April 26, 2013). "Badfinger: last act in a rock'n'roll tragedy". The Independent.
  3. ↑ "All Music, Power Pop".
  4. ↑ "Pete Ham of Badfinger". PledgeMusic. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Badfinger's Pete Ham: Beatle widow Olivia Harrison joins plaque tributes". BBC News. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "Badfinger Biography Pages – Without You:The Tragic Story". Mindspring.com. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
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