Tom Evans (musician)
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| Tom Evans | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Thomas Evans |
| Born | 5 June 1947 Liverpool, England |
| Died | 19 November 1983 (aged 36) 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 |
| Website | www.tomevans.info |
Thomas Evans (5 June 1947 — 19 November 1983), commonly known as Tommy or Tom, was a musician who was most notable for his work with the power pop band, Badfinger.
Evans was born in Liverpool, England, of Welsh parentage, and began as a member of a Liverpool mod/soul group called Them Calderstones, which originated in 1963 by Phil Inskip, and included Alan Moss, Norman Bellis, and Doug Hatfield. 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 were 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 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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, although the band enjoyed some success in the early 1970s (see Badfinger for details). In 1970, 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, Paul Anka and later Mariah Carey in 1993.
Badfinger dissolved following Ham's death in 1975, after which 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 industry.
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, and the two put together rival "Badfinger" touring bands and played throughout several U.S. states.
In 1982, Jackson rejoined Evans in the latter's version of Badfinger. Original Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins was also enlisted in Evans' band for a time. But after signing an ill-advised management contract with a Milwaukee businessman, Evans and Jackson claimed the group was stranded in the U.S. without tour dates or food money. When the duo returned to England before the contract expired, they were sued (Evans for $5 million U.S. 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 hanged himself from a tree in his backyard. He left behind no note. Family and friends have speculated he was overwhelmed by the lawsuit against him, by his conflict with Molland over "Without You" royalties, and a suspected (although unsubstantiated) tumor in his throat. Evans was survived by a wife and son.
Sporadic recordings made in the early 1980s by Evans and musician friend Rod Roach were posthumously released by Roach on CD in 1993.
[edit] Discography
(with Badfinger, except where noted)
- Maybe Tomorrow (1969 as "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: The Final Tracks (1993 as "Tom Evans with Rod Roach")
- 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)
