October 4 – Good Skills But Bad Luck For Badfinger

On By DaveIn Artist Profiles, Music Deaths

Remembering a little-known member of an ill-fated band. Mike Gibbins of Badfinger passed away at age 56 from an aneurism this day in 2005. Gibbins had been the drummer for the band at one time groomed by the Beatles to be their heir apparents.

Mike had joined the Welsh band The Iveys at age 15, where he met Pete Ham. The band morphed into Badfinger, which was the first one The Fab Four signed to their personal Apple Records label. They put out some great melodic singles with four top 20s in the UK, U.S. and Canada including “No Matter What”, “Day After Day” “Come and Get It” and “Baby Blue.” Although largely limited to the backseat of the band – behind the drum kit – Mike wrote a few of their songs including “My Heart Goes Out” and “Cowboy”, and he sang “Loving You.“

 

Despite good reviews, having friends in music’s high places and selling several million albums over three or four years, things didn’t work out well for the band. As Gibbins perfunctory memorial website put it “they often lived in poverty, living one day to the next, believing that there were royalties and finances waiting for them at the end of their grueling touring and recording work. There were none… Badfinger were exploited every step of the way.” If it seems he, or at least his family, are still sore about it some 50 years later, you’re right. In 1975, singer Pete Ham commit suicide; he was described as Mike’s “best friend.” That also essentially killed the band, despite one 1978 follow-up album with only two of the four and a few reunion shows with some but not all of the three in the ’80s. Our regular contributor Max, has written about Badfinger often on his site, including a good overview of their history and how they sadly got ripped off.

Gibbins went on to be a respected session musician, working with George Harrison on his epic All things Must Pass, as well as on fellow-Welshman Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache“. He and Joey Molland (the only other remaining member at that point) had talked of reuniting a version of Badfinger just before he passed away. Molland remembered him as “a great rock drummer, father and husband.”

17 thoughts on “October 4 – Good Skills But Bad Luck For Badfinger”

  1. Badfinger (Max)

    Thanks for the link Dave…I updated the videos.
    Mike was a good drummer and not a bad songwriter either. All of them wrote which is pretty cool. I never expected that he drummed on It’s A Heartache until a few years ago.
    Yea…Stan Polley their manager makes Allen Klein look good…but he was stupid. He killed the golden goose before they maxed out their earning potential. It was just sad all the way around. After I read a few books…I stopped listening to them for a little while…just knowing about all the sadness…but now I enjoy them a lot.

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    1. they were a talented band, and you’re the authority on them (look at your screen name!). I was always surprised , I think even years ago when I found out they were on Apple and recruited by the Beatles, that they didn’t do a lot better. Songs like ‘No Matter What’, ‘Day After Day’ were as good as any singles on the charts back then.

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      1. Badfinger (Max)

        Yes they were…and Baby Blue…which got a shot in the arm by Breaking Bad,
        Also the songs that could have been hits but because of Polley…never saw the light of day.

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  4. Great write up on as you pointed out the lesser known member of the band. What curse was on that band that led to Mike dying at a relatively young age. I have to revisit this story on Max’s site for sure. I didn’t know he played on. Bonnie Tyler’s record. The Welch sure have a rich tradition of talented people.

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