Pete Ham

Although every member of Badfinger composed material for the group, Pete Ham was probably the most important songwriter in the band. He wrote all of their hits, and also co-wrote "Without You," which was covered by Nilsson for a number one single. He did not release any solo records during his lifetime, which ended with his suicide in 1975 (brought on by the band's horrific legal and financial problems). However, he merits an entry as a solo artist because of the posthumous 1997 compilation of Ham solo studio demos, 7 Park Avenue. Recorded on two-track in the late '60s and early '70s and mostly unrecorded by Badfinger, they bear, as did much of Badfinger's material, a strong resemblance to the work of Paul McCartney in their ingenious melodicism. They do a good deal to flesh out appreciation of his talents, showing on the whole a more tender side than was usually expected from Badfinger. A second volume of home-studio demos was released in 1999 under the title Golders Green. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi