Tom Evans Discography

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Thomas Evans (5 June 1947 — 19 November 1983), was a musician who was most notable for his work with the band, Badfinger. Evans was born in Liverpool, England. He started his music career as a member of "The Inbeateens" in 1961. Evans was a regular down at the Cavern to watch The Beatles when they would play lunchtime shows. He soon progressed to a Liverpool mod/soul group called Them Calderstones. Evans sang lead vocals and played rhythm guitar for the group. In 1967, he was spotted by a Welsh band called The Iveys who were looking for a replacement. He was almost immediately asked by The Iveys to join their band and relocate to London, which Evans did shortly after. In 1969, The Iveys changed their name to Badfinger and Paul McCartney of The Beatles gave the group a boost by offering them his song "Come and Get It" which he produced. It became a featured track for the film The Magic Christian, which starred Ringo Starr and Peter Sellers. Evans was chosen by McCartney to sing lead on this track. It reached the the Top 10 worldwide. Badfinger enjoyed more major successes in the early 1970s with singles such as "No Matter What," "Day After Day," and "Baby Blue". Each featured some of Evans magical vocals; background harmony and dual lead. He also sang on Ringo Starr`s massive hit "It Don`t Come Easy." But Evans` crowning career moment was writing the chorus of the all-time ballad standard "Without You," a co-written song with bandmate Peter Ham. The composition became a huge #1 hit worldwide for Harry Nilsson and has since become a standard with hundreds of cover versions over the decades following.

During the evening of November 18, 1983, Evans had a heated argument with Joey Molland of Badfinger on the telephone, chiefly regarding potential publishing/ASCAP divisions of the "Without You" song whose ASCAP royalties accumulating for airplay had been funding Evans, with other potential publishing funds being held by Apple Corps Ltd. pending resolution of debate between the group members and manager Bill Collins. Early the following morning, the 19th of November, Evans was found dead by suicide,[1] his body hanging in his back garden from a willow tree. Allegedly, he left no note, but family and friends have speculated he was overwhelmed by the combination of his conflicts with Molland, ex-manager Bill Collins and ex-bandmate Mike Gibbins over the pending royalties, plus the U.S. lawsuit he felt threatened his livelihood further. But a major factor of Evans depression, alluded by many friends and family members, was that he was never able to get over his former bandmate`s Pete Ham`s suicide. Marianne Evans, his wife, was quoted in a documentary stating "Tommy said `I want to be where Pete is. It`s a better place than down here` ...." Thus the sad and final irony of the man who wrote the chorus of "Without You", "I can`t live, if living is without you..." Evans is also survived by a son, Stephen.