Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 - July 20, 2009) was an American entertainment manager and fraudster active in the 1960s and 1970s. Various suggestions were thrown around at Apple HQ before Badfinger found favour. Polley was a slick, charming operator who'd served in the U.S. Army and worked in New York's garment industry, before entering the music business in the mid-'60s. Ham had shown growing signs of mental illness over the past months, with Gibbins remembering Ham burning cigarettes on his hands and arms. Co-produced by Mal Evans and Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, No Dice yielded the massively catchy No Matter What, written and sung by Ham, which became a Top 10 hit in America and Britain, along with harder-edged tunes such as Hams I Cant Take It and the Evans/Molland co-write Better Days.. But in April 1975, penniless and feeling trapped by the insidious mechanisms of the music industry, one of Wales most talented songwriters and the man whose punchy, melodic songs arguably invented a new sub-genre which became known as power pop could tragically only see one way out. Cast:Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson. The Tragic Story of Badfinger - Rock and Roll True Stories Click here to view service. The Iveys move to London allowed the band to be closer to the British music business, and to begin to make a name for themselves performing in the citys hipper clubs. But it was never given the chance to revive the bands increasingly moribund career. Such a good question that I inserted a line at the end that Polley never expressed any remorse. Featured as a part of Most popular Celebrity. I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody, Ham wrote. The fact that he started performing the song live in 2011 suggests its one that he remains proud of. It previously read, "[Ham] blamed Polley for his death." Pete Ham grew up on Swanseas Townhill estate and was enthralled by rock n roll from a young age, spending hours practicing guitar in his room. Pete was also a trusting, innocent soul, and that personality trait would eventually cost him dearly. Already in his 50s, Collins had played piano in dance bands in the 1940s, and more recently had briefly road-managed the Kinks. Tom Evans worked for awhile as a pipefitter and cab driver in England, while Joey Molland spent a period living in L.A., laying carpet and doing various odd jobs, eventually selling off many of his guitars to make ends meet. Tragic is an appropriate word. The True Story Behind Badfinger's "Baby Blue" - SOREF.TV On July 23, 1968, the Iveys became Apples first non-Beatles singing, with each member also signing contracts with Apples publishing company. Swanseas importance as a port city and industrial center had made it an attractive bombing target during World War II, and many of the buildings in Swanseas city center had been destroyed during the Nazis three-night Blitz in February 1941. As collateral damage of the dispute, the label withdrew Wish You Were Here from the market just seven weeks after it was released. Mollands departure, and the fact that Wish You Were Here had been pulled from record-store shelves, didnt stop the band (which now included new keyboardist/guitarist Bob Jackson) from rushing into the studio in early 1975 to record yet another haphazardly-assembled album, Head First. Collins defended himself years later by saying Im not legally minded Im not a businessman..I had to do it on feeling, trust you might say that was a poor show for the group I was looking after but they had a chance to talk to lawyers themselves. His suicide note had the statement, "I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. Were not complaining.. Boasting such memorable tunes as Hams Just A Chance and Dennis, the Chris Thomas-produced Wish You Were Here should have been a triumphant comeback for Badfinger. Thanks. Peter William Ham was born on April 27, 1947, the youngest of three siblings, in Swansea, Wales. One indication of the bands increasing seriousness was the decision to fire guitarist Dai Jenkins, who showed more interest in Londons nightlife than he did in the Iveys musical progress. "I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. Although it would take another five years for Capitol Records to actually release it on CD, Badfingers albums have been reissued multiple times in the years since, and the bands songs remain beloved staples of oldies and classic-rock radio. 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. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. Gibbons described Polley as the kind of man who could sell sand to an Arab but Tom Evans was concerned. The Swansea music scene in the early-1960s that Ham threw himself into as a teenager was described as second only to Liverpool in having the best live rock n roll scene outside of London by Manic Street Preachers James Dean Bradfield in a BBC radio documentary about Badfinger. Joey Molland Authorized Biography published | Page 2 | Steve Hoffman Stan Polley's age 87 years (age at death) (as in 2019), height Unknown & weight Not Available. As for Polley, in 1991 he pleaded no contest to charges of misappropriating funds and money laundering. Despite its rushed birth cycle, the resulting Wish You Were Here was a meticulously constructed mini-masterpiece. Later that night Pete and Tom Evans went to The White Hart Pub in Surrey to get drunk. The intense, emotionally volatile musicianthe one Badfinger member who had initially expressed reservations about signing with Stan Polleyhad never really come to terms with Hams suicide, and remained racked by guilt and depression. . He was 36. That LP featured Day after day and Baby blue and deserved to be a hit. A celebration of Stans life will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church, Listowel, on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. with visitation one hour prior. Predeceased by parents Willie & Mary (Lowry) Polley, sister Anne & brother in-law Robert Little, and brother-in-law George Quinn. Following the end of the tour, Molland quit. Joey Molland on Badfinger & The Beatles - San Diego Union-Tribune I will take him with me." - Pete Ham By the spring of 1975, Pete Ham learned he was penniless. Financially and emotionally destroyed a great band leading to the hanging deaths of both Pete Ham & Tom Evans in '75 & '83 respectively. 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. Incredibly, he got off with probation and was ordered to repay the money, but never did. Without more biographical information and details about his other artist-clients, this page probably could be blanked.

Click here to view service.

Interment in Fairview Cemetery, Listowel.

Memorial donations to Knox Presbyterian Church, Listowel Ontario, or a charity of your choice, would be appreciated, and may be made through the Eaton Funeral Home, Listowel.

Online condolences may be left at www.eatonfuneralhome.ca




. The explosion killed all 259 people on board and another 11 on the ground. That talk subsided when Badfinger launched their first American tour that September and began appearing on various television programs. Ham thought the new verse he had been working on would be a good fit, but Evans was dismissive of the finished song; I thought it was corny. Srajan01 (talk) 06:10, 22 July 2008 (UTC)Reply[reply], There doesn't seem to be much ambiguity, it's obvious from Ham's note that Ham did blame Polley for his impending suicide. Meanwhile, Mike Gibbins quietly released some low-key solo projects, and died of natural causes in 2005. Rancho Mirage, Riverside County, California 92270. With the release of Ass delayed by Polleys wrangling with Apple, Ass and Badfinger ended up being released almost simultaneously, virtually guaranteeing that neither album would find a large audience. His potentially provocative comments proved to be a blessing when Paul McCartney read the piece, and responded by offering the band Come And Get It, an infectious new tune hed written for the soundtrack of the upcoming Ringo Starr/Peter Sellers film The Magic Christian. Brother of Margaret Quinn. In 1937, Stanley was only 15 years old when on May 28th, the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge opened to cars. Another inhabitant of Bill Collins house was Dave Duffield, the Kinks road manager. Ive heard this story many times and being a musician as well, I know about struggles and if its too good to be true, it probably isnt. I will take him with me." excerpts from Pete Ham's suicide note Ham, Evans, Molland and Gibbins all played on George Harrisons 1970 solo debut All Things Must Pass, while Ham and Evans provided backing vocals on Ringo Starrs 1971 hit It Dont Come Easy, and Evans and Molland performed on John Lennons album Imagine the same year. --kingboyk 16:16, 3 April 2006 (UTC)Reply[reply], As this article was nominated for deletion, I am prepared to rework it so it will better meet WP standards. He is not known to have expressed any remorse for destroying the lives literarily of the talented musicians. On the night of April 23, 1975 in the London suburb of Surrey, Ham and Tom Evans had drinks at a local pub, commiserating over their mutual misfortune. Recommend Stanley's obituary to your friends. A German policeman was also killed. The Dirty Secret: Thoughts on Being a Mischling Yeah, and he lived to an over ripe age and never showed any remorse. Cast:Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, George Bancroft. The bands self-titled Warners debut basically disappeared after Apple released Ass a few weeks earlier. PS. There, they shared the overcrowded space with the Mojos, another group that Collins managed which included his son Lewis Collins, later a noted TV actor. Soon after, the band did another demo session for CBS Records, although the label declined to sign them. 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. They were musical geniuses. Mollands first collection of new songs in nearly a decade, the ten-song set shows his writing and performing skills to be as sharp as ever, with such tunes as This Time, Better Tomorrow and Rainy Day Man echoing his best work with Badfinger, with a reflective lyrical edge that compliments their melodic craft. However, I also do not wish to spend any lengthy time doing this if it is ultimately deemed unworthy due to the subject. He quickly emerged as a prolific tunesmith, coming up with new songs on an almost daily basis and cutting rough demos of his compositions on the two-track tape machine in the houses makeshift studio. By the time he joined Badfinger, Molland had accumulated a good deal of professional experience, having played with such acts as the Merseys, the Masterminds and Gary Walker & the Rain. Evans was the victim of more mismanagement and was sued for $5-million. Stan Polley probably ruined the lives of many, but the financial and legal mess that he created, was a key factor in the deaths of Badfinger members Pete Ham and Tom Evans. With his once-promising career stalling, Nilsson had his ears wide open for a song that might help revive his fortunes. At around the same time, the band members modest salary checks stopped arriving. Cast:Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond OBrien. He was a person who thought very much about moral issues and how unjustly some people were treated.. so his words always came from the heart. During the early months of 1975, Ham repeatedly tried in vain to reach Polley via telephone, hoping to get a handle on the bands out-of-control legal situation and the money that he was owed. Thanks. By that point, Ham, Evans and Gibbins had already each resigned at various times over the previous two years, but had all been persuaded to return. In the late 50s and early 60s, Swansea spawned an array of young jazz and blues outfits, including one that featured Petes brother John on trumpet. Great-grandfather of Sullivan and Harrison Westra; Sawyer, Brynn and Thatcher Burns; Hailey and Mason Van Andel; and Zachary and Madison Polley. In 2015, former member Bob Jackson formed his own version of Badfinger with current members Andy Nixon, Michael Healey, and Ted . died in California on July 20, 2009 outliving Pete Ham and Tom Evans by 34 years and 26 years. 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. Cast:Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon. For years, the Ham name lived on in Swansea through The John Ham Music Shop on Mansel Street. Being taken under the Beatles wing had the added benefit of allowing Badfinger to collaborate with their bigger-than-life labelmates. His potentially provocative comments proved to be a blessing when Paul McCartney read the piece, and responded by offering the band Come And Get It, an infectious new tune hed written for the soundtrack of the upcoming Ringo Starr/Peter Sellers film The Magic Christian. Its a hard business, Matovina said, full of shysters, huge egos and people more than willing to use others for their personal gain.. According to Wkipedia's entry on Stan Polley (it doesn't mention the fact that he was a jew), he defrauded some white man of a quarter of a million dollars in 1991, and was prosecuted for it. stan polley death A few months earlier, on what would have been his 66th birthday, Pete Ham was honored in his hometown of Swansea with a plaque near the Ivey Place entrance of the citys train station. Prospective new managers and booking agents were leery of working with the band, due to the restrictive contracts that they had entered into with Polley, and the Warner lawsuit and the Apple publishing dispute that continued to hang over the bands heads. Still, the Americans instincts on what makes a hit were correct, his 1972 version of the song going to number 1 for several weeks in both the UK and USA. A group of greedy clowns tear up the countryside in search of buried treasure. In 2013, Baby Blue was prominently featured in the closing scene of the final episode of TVs Breaking Bad. What a tragedy. That outfit, which also included ex-Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, released a pair of underwhelming albums that attracted little attention. The band fell apart. Where was Stanley born and where did he live? VIKTOR TSOI: THE LEGEND OF RUSSIAS GREATEST ROCK STAR LIVES ON, HARLEM OF THE WEST: SAN FRANCISCOS FILLMORE DISTRICT, BEAT SURRENDER: RECLAIMING THE LEGACY OF LUCIEN CARR. You may check previous years net worth, salary & much more from below. I will wait and see how the nomination process unfolds before I attempt a rewrite.-- ZincOrbie (talk) 23:53, 14 January 2008 (UTC)Reply[reply], I changed the line that discussed Pete Ham's suicide. ZincOrbie (talk) 00:22, 24 April 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply], Is there any source for the connection between Polley and The Wigs? Select the pencil to add details. A coldhearted Soviet agent is warmed up by a trip to Paris and a night of love. Martinevans123 (talk) 09:51, 25 November 2018 (UTC)Reply[reply]. Cass convinced the trio to relocate temporarily to Milwaukee, where they lived in poverty for two months while waiting fruitlessly for the proposed tour to materialize. In 1966, a lifeline to the outside world appeared in the person of an Englishman named Bill Collins. Polley family member is 72. Who is Stanley Polley to you? Warner sued Polley, but he could not be found, and the band members were left penniless in one of the music industrys most notoriousrip-offs. Evans had originally embraced rock n roll after seeing the pre-stardom Beatles perform at the now-legendary Cavern club in Liverpool. Pete, who had already taken some tentative early stabs at songwriting, took Collins urgings to heart and embraced the challenge. 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. He was the last to sign the contract placed in front of the band. A celebration of Stans life will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church, Listowel, on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. with visitation one hour prior. Plan10 (talk) 13:37, 25 April 2009 (UTC)Reply[reply], At some point, someone added the "citation needed" tag for Polley's death date. Tom knew how to work the business, what people would sing along to. when he died at the age of 87. The situation weighed most heavily on Pete Ham. None of the band could get hold of him. All I want from you is just a chance to try goes the chorus. P.S. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Polley was placed on probation for five years and ordered to return the money to Brock, although he never actually did. Rancho Mirage, Riverside County, California 92270. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on D-Day - Allied casualties on the first day were at least 10,000. Page contents not supported in other languages. Desperate and in the throes of depression, Ham hanged himself in his garage in 1975. Enter your email address to receive instant notifications of new articles. No Dice also featured the heartbreaking Ham/Evans ballad Without You, which would become a Number One smash for Harry Nilssonwho initially thought that it was a Beatles songin 1972, and a worldwide hit for Mariah Carey in 1994. Immediately, Pete said no, were going out, Ive promised Bev. It went top 5 in the UK and US. He's also written several music-related books and liner notes for numerous CD reissues and box sets and has contributed essays and other pieces to other books, including all six editions of The Trouser Press Record Guide. BADFINGER: THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF 'THE NEXT BEATLES' - PleaseKillMe As a result, the song charted in the UK for the first time, reaching number 73. An eccentric mans constant companion is a six-foot tall rabbit that only he can see. At first, Polley seemed like the sort of shrewd, well-connected wheeler-dealer that Badfinger needed to secure its future. Pete had seen Evans perform with his band Them Calderstones, a Mod outfit that specialized in Motown and soul covers. Interment in Fairview Cemetery, Listowel. The crunchy guitar and sweet melodies of No matter what perhaps best crystallised Hams talent as a songwriter. Although it was a Paul McCartney song that launched the newly monikered group and all four members wrote it was soon becoming clear that Pete Ham was the bands one truly great songwriter. This is better." But it didnt take long for the eager young quartets bright prospects to turn unimaginably dark, sending the band into a bleak, bottomless abyss from which Ham and Evans would never escape. Badfinger continued its hot streak with 1971s Straight Up, whose production is credited to George Harrison, Todd Rundgren and Geoff Emerick. Asss Tom Evans-devised coverdepicting a jackass gazing longingly at a giant carrot off in the distanceoffered a grim omen of Badfingers future. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. Collins became the bands manager, moving Ham and his bandmates Mike Gibbons (drums), Ron Griffiths (bass) and Dai Jenkins (guitar) into an overcrowded house in London in 1966. It also inspired some fans, in the wake of the Beatles spring 1970 breakup, to speculate that Badfinger was actually the disbanded Fab Four secretly recording under a pseudonym. The failure of Maybe Tomorrow in the U.S. and U.K. hit the Iveys hard, and Apples organizational problems created an additional level that frustrated the bands efforts to come up with a new single. No comments Anonymous Cast:Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, He was so gifted,said American record producer Dan Matovina. Badfinger - Wikipedia The strain had increasingly shown in his behavior, with friends seeing him put out cigarettes on his arms and hands. I will . But such success tends to make naive, inexperienced musicians into inviting targets for unscrupulous industry sharks. When we share what we know, together we discover more. Joey Molland looks back on Badfinger's tumultuous - guitarworld They were attracted to his shrewd business style, his ability to secure six-figure deals for his clients, and his previous experience with world-class music acts. I want someone to look at that number . Father of Lorraine & Blair Burns of Listowel, Glenn & Diane Polley of Pickering, Bryan & Fiona Polley of Brampton, and Dean & Diane Polley of Ajax.