Tom Evans (musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tom Evans | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Thomas Evans | |
| Born | 5 June 1947 Liverpool, England |
|
| Died | 19 November 1983 London, England |
|
| Genre(s) | Rock music | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter | |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, Guitar | |
| Years active | 1966-1983 | |
| Label(s) | Apple, Warner Bros. Records, Elektra Records | |
| Associated acts |
Badfinger, The Iveys, The Dodgers | |
Thomas Evans (born 5 June 1947 in Liverpool, England, died 19 November 1983), was a musician who was most notable for his work with the power pop band Badfinger.
Evans began as a member of a Liverpool mod/soul group called Them Calderstones. Singing lead and playing rhythm guitar for the group, Evans was spotted by a Welsh band called The Iveys in 1967. He was asked by The Iveys to join their band and relocate to London, which Evans did within a few days of consideration.
Being heavily influenced by The Everly Brothers, Evans was a major songwriting contributor for The Iveys, and added much to the group's harmonies on stage. The Iveys werre signed to The Beatles' Apple Records roster in 1968, and an Evans' composition "Maybe Tomorrow" was the first single released by the band. The record reached #67 on the US Billboard charts.
In 1969, Beatle Paul McCartney gave the group a boost by offering them his song Come And Get It, and producing it as the opening track for the film The Magic Christian. Evans was chosen by McCartney to sing lead on this track, and it reached the Billboard Top 10.
Evans' songwriting contributions waned somewhat as the The Iveys transformed into Badfinger the following year, with one exception. Evans co-wrote the song Without You with bandmate Peter Ham, and the composition became a huge hit for the Apple Publishing division when it was covered by Harry Nilsson in 1971, and later Mariah Carey in 1993.
After Badfinger's dissolution following Ham's death in 1975, Evans joined a group called The Dodgers with Badfinger bandmate Bob Jackson. Evans was eventually asked to leave the band, and he briefly retired from the music business.
Evans resurfaced in 1977 to join Joey Molland for two Badfinger "comeback" albums. The second album, Say No More spawned the Evans single "Hold On," which reached #56 on Billboard in 1981. Evans and Molland went their separate ways after this second album was released. Both put together rival "Badfinger" touring bands and played throughout several US states. In 1983, Evans and Jackson were sued by a former manager when the two left the US during their contract due to a lack of touring dates being signed. Evans was sued for $5 million US dollars.
In 1983, Evans argued with Molland on the telephone regarding the publishing division of the lucrative "Without You" song. Following this phone call, Evans hung himself from a tree in his backyard. He left behind no note for the cause for his suicide, although family and friends suggested he was overwhelmed by the lawsuit against him, by his conflict with Molland over "Without You," and his suspected (although unsubstantiated) medical problems.
[edit] Discography (with Badfinger, except where noted)
- Maybe Tomorrow (1969 with "The Iveys")
- Magic Christian Music (1970)
- No Dice (1970)
- Straight Up (1971)
- Ass (1973)
- Badfinger (1974)
- Wish You Were Here (1974)
- Airwaves (1979))
- Say No More (1981)
- Over You (as Tom Evans)
- Head First (2000)
Evans also appeared as a guest artist on
- The Concert For Bangla Desh (album)
- All Things Must Pass by George Harrison (album)
- "It Don't Come Easy" by Ringo Starr (single)
- Imagine by John Lennon (album)
[edit] Compositions of note
- "Maybe Tomorrow" (Billboard charting #67, by The Iveys)
- "Without You" (Billboard charting #1 by Harry Nilsson, #3 by Mariah Carey, #28 by Clay Aiken).
- "Hold On" (Billboard charting #56 by Badfinger)
