Pete Ham

Peter William Ham(27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a lead vocalist of and composer for the 1970s rock bandBadfinger, 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 forHarry Nilssonthat has become a standard covered by hundreds of artists. Ham was granted twoIvor Novello Awardsrelated to the song in 1973.
Ham died by suicide in 1975at the age of 27, after Badfinger was financially ruined by their fraudulent managerStan Polley.Tom Evans, co-lead singer and songwriter for Badfinger, also died by suicide, in 1983.
Peter William Ham was born inSwansea, Wales. The youngest child of William and Catherine (maiden name Tanner) Ham, he had three siblings, John (1937-2015), Irene (1943-1991), and William (born 1935), who died during infancy.William was born in 1908 and worked as a ship painter at theSwansea docks; he died in 1985.Catherine was born in 1912 and worked as a plate opener in the tinplate works; she died in 1976, a year after Peter.
Ham grew up in Gwent Gardens, at the foot of theTownhill estate. He attended Gors Junior School, and showed early signs of musical talent. He frequently played harmonica on the school playground.His older brother John was a jazz trumpeter, and encouraged young Ham to enter the Swansea music scene.One of Pete's first jobs was as an apprentice television and radio engineer.
He formed a local rock group called The Panthers circa 1961. This group would undergo several name and line-up changes before it became The Iveys in 1965. In 1968,The Iveyscame to the attention ofMal Evans(The Beatles' personal assistant) and were eventually signed tothe Beatles'Apple Recordslabel after approval from all four Beatles, who were reportedly impressed by the band's songwriting abilities.
The Iveys changed their name toBadfingerwith the single release of "Come and Get It", a composition written byPaul McCartneythat 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" became another top-ten worldwide hit in late 1970. He followed up with two more worldwide hits in "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue".
Ham's greatest songwriting success came with his co-written composition  with bandmateTom Evanscalled  "Without You" – a worldwide number-one when it was later covered byHarry Nilssonand released in 1971. The song has since become a standard and has been covered by hundreds of singers, most notablyMariah Careywho made it a worldwide hit again in 1994. AnIvor Novelloaward for Song of the Year was issued in 1973 along withGrammynominations.
George Harrisonused Ham's talents for a number of album sessions, including on theAll Things Must Passalbum and for otherApple Recordsartist's recordings. This friendship culminated with Ham's acoustic guitar duet on "Here Comes the Sun" with Harrison atThe Concert for Bangladeshin 1971, documented in thetheatrical film of the concert. In 1972, Badfinger was picked up byWarner Bros. Records, as theApple Recordslabel was crumbling and it seemed the band was primed for major recognition.
Warner Bros. Recordssued Badfinger's business manager,Stan Polley, after an advance vanished. With their current album suddenly withdrawn and their follow-up rejected, Badfinger spent the early months of 1975 trying to figure out how to proceed under the unclear legal situation. Their March 1975 salary cheques did not clear, and the April cheques never arrived.Panic set in, especially for Ham, who had recently bought a £30,000 house inWoking,Surrey,and whose girlfriend was expecting a child.According to 1974–1975 bandmateBob Jackson, the band tried to continue without Polley's involvement by contacting booking agents and prospective managers throughout London, but they were routinely declined because of their restrictive contracts with Polley and impending legal actions. Ham reportedly tried on many occasions to contact Polley by telephone during the early months of 1975, but he was never able to reach him.
Ham was in a relationship with Anne Ferguson, who was eight months pregnant at the time of his suicide.They both lived in Surrey. Ham's only child, a daughter called Petera, was born after his death.She lives inGlasgow,Scotland, as of 2013.In 2000, Anne and Tom Evans' widow, with Gibbins and Collins, went to court to pursue unpaid royalties.
On the night of 23 April 1975, Ham received a phone call from the United States, telling him that all his money had disappeared. Later that night, he met Tom Evans and they went to The White Hart Pub in Surrey together,where Ham drank tenwhiskies.Evans drove him home at three o'clock on the morning of 24 April 1975.
Ham hanged himself in his garage studio inWokinglater that morning, justthree days shy of his 28th birthday.His suicide note — addressed to his girlfriend, Anne Herriot; and her son, Blair — blamed Polley for much of his despair and inability to cope with his disappointments in life.The note read:
Ham had shown growing signs ofmental illnessover the preceding months, with Gibbins remembering Ham burning his hands and arms withcigarettes.Ham was cremated at theMorristonCrematorium, Swansea; his ashes were spread in the memorial gardens.Ham's daughter, Petera, was born one month after his death.In May, Warner Bros terminated its contract with Badfinger, and Badfinger dissolved.Around that time, Apple also deleted all of Badfinger's albums from its catalogue.
Ham is often credited as being one of the earliest purveyors of thepower popgenre.His most widespread effect in popular music was with the ballad "Without You", which he wrote with Badfinger bandmateTom Evans. Collections of Ham's home demo recordings have been released posthumously: 1997's7 Park Avenue, 1999'sGolders Green,and 2013'sThe Keyhole Street Demos 1966–67.In 2022 Ham's "Demos Variety Pack" was released.
On 27 April 2013 (what would have been Ham's 66th birthday), an officialblue plaquewas unveiled by Swansea City Council to honour him in his hometown.The unveiling was 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 honoured Ham and all the Iveys and Badfinger members of his lifetime. The ceremony was followed by a concert featuring former Badfinger members Bob Jackson and Al Wodtke.
The plaque was attached to the exterior of High Street Train Station because of its proximity to the adjacent Ivey Place where the band would meet to practice.
This plaque, written in English with selected word(s) translated intoWelshreads:
The Iveys
Badfinger
Solo
Guest artist