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On this day, 5 June 1947, was born Liverpool musician and songwriter Tom Evans, from Welsh band Badfinger, who scored the 1970 UK No.4 and US No.7 single 'Come And Get It'.
In November 1969, the Iveys changed their name to Badfinger, and Paul McCartney gave the group a boost by offering them his song 'Come and Get It', which he produced for the band.
With Pete Ham he wrote 'Without You' first released on their 1970 album No Dice. The song has been recorded by over 180 artists and versions released as singles by Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey became international best-sellers.
Evans committed suicide on 19th November 1983.
After the departure of original bassist Ron Griffiths, Pete, Tom & Mike wanted, and tried, to recruit renowned Liverpool bassist Norm Bellis who'd previously partnered Tom in Liverpool band Them Calderstones. Norm was already signed to Apple but despite the support of his friend Mal Evans, he couldn't secure release from his contractual arrangements. Badfinger fruitlessly auditioned a replacement and with the arrival of Liverpudlian guitarist Joey Molland, Evans, who had previously played guitar, switched to bass and thus stabilised the classic line-up of Ham, Evans, Gibbins and Molland.
Badfinger enjoyed more major successes in the early 1970s with singles such as "No Matter What," "Day After Day," and "Baby Blue". Each featured some of Evans vocals; background harmony and dual lead. Evans' high-career moment was with his composition "Without You," a song co-written with bandmate Pete Ham. The song became a No. 1 hit worldwide for Harry Nilsson and has since become a standard in the music industry.
Badfinger dissolved following Ham's suicide in 1975, after which Evans joined a group called the Dodgers with Badfinger bandmate Bob Jackson. The Dodgers released three singles produced by Muff Winwood and toured Britain before recording an album, Love on the Rebound, with producer Pat Moran. Evans was eventually asked to leave the band midway through the recording sessions and he briefly retired from the music industry.
Evans resurfaced in 1977 to join Joey Molland for two Badfinger "comeback" albums. The first single of two from the first album Airwaves, was an Evans composition - "Lost Inside Your Love", but it failed to chart after its release in March 1979. The second album, Say No More spawned the Evans and Tansin single "Hold On", which reached No. 56 on the Billboard chart in 1981. Evans and Molland went their separate ways after this second album was released, and the two put together rival Badfinger touring bands in the US.
In 1982, Jackson rejoined Evans in the latter's version of Badfinger. Original Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins was also enlisted for Evans' band for one tour. But after Evans and Jackson signed separate management contracts with a Milwaukee businessman, the trio of Evans, Gibbins and Jackson said they found themselves stranded in the US without tour dates, food, or money, and under much duress from physical threats. After returning to Britain, Evans was sued for $5 million in damages for abandoning his touring contract.
Evans hanged himself in his garden on 19 November 1983, at the age of 36. He got into a dispute with former bandmate Joey Molland over royalties for the song "Without You" the previous evening.
In 1993, a compilation of recordings made in the early 1980s by Evans and musician friend Rod Roach was posthumously released in the UK on Gipsy Records under the title Over You (The Final Tracks)
