Their new Warner Bros. contract called for Badfinger to deliver a new album every six months. Stan Polley died of natural causes in California on July 20, 2009. It is a story with its roots in Swansea and Liverpool involving The Beatles, a love song and a tragedy. For the past two years, he has been using geocaching to inspire and engage his . And it is understandable from a legal angle why Warners wanted the advance money back once they got wind of Polley's shady dealings. He was replaced by Joey Molland. By this point in time, Ron Griffiths left the group due to friction between himself and Tom Evans and the fact that his family life took precedence. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. We didnt do big versions of things; we wanted to be a rock band. Polley had Badfinger under his control and they would end up signing a new management agreement with him. After the success of Come and Get It, various members of the Beatles organization including John Lennon and George Harrison became more hands-on with Badfinger. The bands first album under the Badfinger moniker was Magic Christian Music, which was released in early 1970. The band were excited about the opportunity, but it didnt come without its problems. 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. Try again later. By the end of the year, the band signed a business management contract and Polley started Badfinger Enterprises. 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. Molland and Evans fronted two separate versions of the band as part of a contentious legal dispute. 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. 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. . Elektra/Asylum called it Badfinger. Try again later. The band fell apart. Bill Collins, related to classic-Kinks manager Grenville Collins of Robert owes half to Grenville? [1] After serving as a corporal in the U.S. Army during World War II, he practiced law and worked in retail shops before beginning his managerial career in New York's garment industry. It kind of made sense with the other titles No Dice, Straight Up. GREAT NEWS! But such success tends to make naive, inexperienced musicians into inviting targets for unscrupulous industry sharks. Despite the bands bitter career travails, there has never been any lapse in demand for Badfingers music. 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. I will take him with me." After the group disbanded, Molland and Evans set up and joined other bands but in the end, it didn't work out. Badfinger further established their own credentials with the release of their second album No Dice, in November 1970. The band continued to hone their live act, performing a melody of R & B, Motown, and Beatles hits. Now, 40 years later, the only surviving original member Joey Molland says he still feels angry, calling his band mate's death "a disaster". George was very direct. Tommys abiding love for the Everly Brothers manifested itself in his facility for vocal harmony. In 1966, a lifeline to the outside world appeared in the person of an Englishman named Bill Collins. Collins moved with the Iveys to London, England, where theyd set up base at his communal house in Golders Green. We just had bad business, and it finished us., Thank you for reading 5 articles this month*, US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year, UK pricing 2.99 per month or 29.00 per year, Europe pricing 3.49 per month or 34.00 per year, *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription. Without more biographical information and details about his other artist-clients, this page probably could be blanked. The hippies were all over the place it was cool. 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. 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 was about 10 oclock at night and John looked like he just got out of bed. After leaving school at 14, Pete took on a series of labor-intensive day jobs, many of them in Swanseas busy dock area. The Beatles werent really hanging around or anything. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. You can always change this later in your Account settings. There were some tensions, but not necessarily from Pete. I never went down to Apple to talk about titles. 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 their absence, Badfingers music continues to touch the hearts of new generations of listeners. We were uncomfortable with the whole thing, but we went along with it.. In April 1970, manager Bill Collins was in the US scouting prospects for a tour and he met Stan Polley. Nationality: American: Occupation: Entertainment Manager: Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 - July 20, 2009) was an entertainment manager active in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1970, Polley registered Badfinger Enterprises, Inc. as a corporate entity for management of the British rock group Badfinger, which had no American representation at the time. Biography [ edit] 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 needed a bass player, so I called Tommy and asked him what he was up to. But Pete was firmly committed to rock n roll. We were driving secondhand cars. Frustrated with the bands management problems, Joey Molland quit the group. Success followed, but it was in 1974 after a switch to a US-based manager and the Warner Brothers label that things began going wrong, Molland said. They were musical geniuses. The British band Badfinger was on its way to becoming the next Beatles but they got ripped off by a crooked American manager who got rich while the musicians went broke. 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. Be respectful even if you disagree. He was 36. So they said to the people at Apple in the U.K., Can you maybe redo the stuff? They didnt like all the songs, and they hated the sound. . There is a problem with your email/password. "He was very anxious about it. The deal was awful: any money they got from touring, recording, publishing, and songwriter . George Harrison produced half of Straight Up. In the mid-to-late 1960s, Badfinger (at the time known as the Iveys) became the first-ever band to be signed by Apple Studios after The Beatles (via Louder). The band would release their seventh studio album, Wish You Were Here in late 1974 which received much critical acclaim, but was abruptly pulled from store shelves by Warner after the label discovered that their $250,000 advance payment to the bands management went missing. By the following year, the Iveys had prepared demos for Apple Records. "325,000 cash we'd received and in three months it was gone. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. But most of the funds from their Warner Bros. contracts would never reach the band, thanks to Polleys convoluted machinations. His clients included rock band Badfinger, musician Al Kooper, and singer Lou Christie. I didnt really know any kind of buzz on them. By 1982, Tommy and Joey were touring separately, each fronting a band billing itself as Badfinger. 2023 BBC. BA1 1UA. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 July 20, 2009) was an entertainment manager from the 1960s and 1970s. 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. Throughout his career, Polley defrauded a number of clients and associates, most notably Badfinger. This is a carousel with slides. On April 25, 1975 . "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. With the chaotic Apple organization now on the verge of collapse and one album still remaining on Badfingers Apple contract, Polley negotiated lucrative new recording and publishing arrangements with Warner Bros. Records. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. "I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. The legal morass crippled Badfinger financially; band leader Pete Ham committed suicide in 1975 leaving behind a note pointing the finger at Polley for his financial ruin. We were all quite pleased for them., We didnt have any money. What kind of guitarist were you back in the '60s before you finally hooked up with Badfinger? Stan Polley. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? I will take him with me". Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 July 20, 2009) was an American entertainment manager and fraudster active in the 1960s and 1970s. We all had the same idea in mind. In an interview in Disc & Music Echo magazine, bassist Ron Griffiths complained about Apple neglecting the Iveys. Make sure that the file is a photo. 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. It was met with both praise and cynical Beatles comparison, but was eventually embraced as the accompaniment to the Magic Christian film. "But he was spinning us a line. Nearly 5000 downloads of the song were sold immediately after the shows broadcast, pushing the 40-year-old tune into iTunes Top 20. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Wed love to stay in touch, sign up for The Pick team to contact you with great news, content and offers. "I always felt that when a band is a band, it's four guys in a thing together. Hams Apple of My Eye, which reflected his mixed feelings about leaving the labelthe album was a musical and commercial disappointment. Ham took his life by hanging himself on April 24, 1975, three days prior to his 28th birthday. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. "It came from [a name for] John [Lennon] who could play piano but was not the greatest player," said Molland. John Lennon didnt really notice us. Aeronautics engineer Peter Brock accused Polley of swindling him for US $250,000 after the two set up a corporation to manufacture airplane engines. He described them as having fun living in London, playing practical jokes, going to the pub and watching Monty Python. Please reset your password. George Harrison was always very sweet but very direct. 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. As a subscriber enjoy big savings off the shop price! He made that very clear. All of us had to agree to it. To be honest, I almost didnt go to the audition. On paper, these deals were worth millions of dollars, seemingly confirming Polleys promises that hed made the band members millionaires. Ironically, eight years later, Tom Evans would choose . We knew it was a good song, and we enjoyed playing it. When he and I sang together, it sounded like Badfinger.. We were astounded when we heard Harrys version. Pete Ham was living with his girlfriend and son, and they were expecting a child together, but such was the disarray of the band's finances (a situation which many blame on their manager, Stan Polley) that Ham was unable to pay the mortgage instalments on his new house in Weybridge, Surrey. People say things like the saddest story in rock, and I guess they always will, says Molland, who at 72 continues to tour with a band he calls Joey Mollands Badfinger. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Scott fantastic read really enjoyed your writing. A financial statement prepared by Polleys accountants from December of 1970 to October 31, 1971 showed Polleys income from the band. Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherBlubrryby EmailTuneInRSS Share this: Facebook Twitter Like this: LikeLoading. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. By this point, the Iveys hometown had a sizable scene of Beatles-inspired beat groups. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? I did a lot more work with George than with John. 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. His clients included rock band Badfinger, musician Al Kooper, singer Lou Christie, singer-producer Hank Medress, arranger Charles Calello, composer Sandy Linzer, WABC disc jockey Bob Lewis, among others. Please try again later. Badfinger gave me the opportunity to do everything a musician could want. I didnt even have my own amp at the time. I think Pete really liked it. 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. Stan Polley went on to swindle other people before dying in 2009 at the age of 87. 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]. Pete actually left the band at one time. American bands played really well and could sing their asses off. Stan Polley has been a part of the Celebrity list. 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. Collins defended himself years later by saying 'I'm not legally minded I will take him with me." And then he hanged himself. We had two people in the band take their own lives thats a tragedy on a human level. When Warner Music found 385,000 missing from another account, they sued Badfinger and Polley. If in doubt, leave it out. Maybe he heard what Harry eventually did, but we just werent that kind of band. Ham had shown growing signs of mental illness over the past months, with Gibbins remembering Ham burning cigarettes on his hands and arms. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. He was from Liverpool and we were from Wales. His natural facility with electronicswhich won him a post as an apprentice electrical engineer at his brother Johns TV/radio repair shopenabled him to build homemade amps and a P.A. And the first band-member to commit suicide, Pete Ham, (age 27, of course), left a note saying, "Stan Polley is a soulless bastard." On the morning of 19 November 1983, after a poor Badfinger come-back attempt, and continued financial problems from Polley, band-member Tom Evans also hung himself. Unable to locate the funds, Warner sued Polley. Had a sizable scene of Beatles-inspired beat stan polley their own credentials with the slide dots in Swanseas busy dock.! On April 24, 1975, three days prior to his 28th birthday set. A series of labor-intensive day jobs, many of them in Swanseas busy dock area,... Hated the sound throughout his career, Polley defrauded a number of clients and associates, notably. A new management agreement with him on a series of labor-intensive day,... 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