The Best and the Worst-Triumph and Tragedy

Joey Molland, Tom Evans, Pete Ham,
and Mike Gibbins

They were a band that enjoyed the best and endured the worst. They had four hit songs in a row after signing a recording contract with The Beatles’ Apple Records; two members wrote a song that became a number one hit for another artist. They wrote the songs, and they were protégés of the biggest band in the world. The group known as Badfinger had everything going for them – they were on top and perfectly positioned to stay there for a long time. Then it all came crashing down.

A Fallen Angel

Courtesy Debbie Flowers photos

He was a Byrd, a Flying Burrito Brother, and a Fallen Angel; a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and a theology student at Harvard University. He had a smooth, pleasant, melodic voice, an ability to write songs, and the charisma to influence others. Rolling Stone Magazine named him #87 on their list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Guitar Snob

I admit I had always been a bit of a guitar snob. That is, I was caught up in the brand name thing, thinking that if it wasn’t a Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, etc., then it couldn’t be any good. It took me years to figure out that being a snob is not a good thing. Once I figured that out, it opened new possibilities, especially when it came time to search for an inexpensive acoustic guitar.