Dave Michael Alexander (“Zander”)

Born: June 3, 1947, in Whitmore Lake, Michigan
Died: February 10, 1975, in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Band: The Stooges

Dave was the original bassist for the proto-punk band The Stooges. Like the rest of The Stooges, he was a fairly unseasoned player in the early days of the band, but their attitudes foreshadowed the punk movement by a few years. Zander first met the Asheton brothers in high school, but dropped out after 45 minutes of his senior year to win a bet. Eager to go to Liverpool, he recruited Ron Asheton to come along. In England the duo sought out the Beatles and caught a show with The Who. Once they made it home, they founded The Stooges with Iggy.

Dave Alexander played bass on The Stooges and Fun House, and is credited as the primary composer of “We Will Fall,” “Little Doll,” and “Dirt.” Inspired by Jim Morrison, Iggy took stage antics to unprecedented levels, smearing peanut butter on his chest, cutting his arms with shards of glass, and pioneering the art of stage diving. Drugs were out of control, and although Dave isn’t likely to have been any worse than the rest, his interest in practicing dwindled, and he left during the infamous Goose Lake International Music Festival in 1970. He died of pneumonia at an Ann Arbor hospital in 1975.

Chris Bell

Born: January 25, 1951 in Memphis, Tennessee
Died: December 27, 1978 in Memphis, Tennessee
Bands: Big Star, Rock City, Icewater, and solo

Born into a wealthy family in Tennessee, Chris Bell spent his childhood listening to the Beatles, photographing, and playing music with his friends. He got a reputation as a good songwriter and guitar player when Alex Chilton (of the Box Tops fame) came back to Tennessee he was welcomed into the fold. Fuelled by his fascination with the Beatles, Chris Bell wanted the two to become a song writing team like Lennon/McCartney. Big Star began working in the legendary Ardent studio at night as Big Star, the group created a brilliant album titled #1 Record. The sound, which was later labeled power pop, was drowned out by FM staples such as Led Zeppelin and marred by lousy distribution by Stax.

Big Star played only seven gigs in its original configuration before Chris Bell left disillusioned. Bell worked on a solo album that wasn’t released until 14 years after his death and became a born-again Christian, preaching the power of the Lord to friends if they wanted to listen. Chris Bell accidentally crashed his car while driving home early one morning and died on impact.

Artists such as Elliot Smith, Wilco, R.E.M., and Ryan Adams revere Big Star’s music. Cheap Trick’s remake of “In The Street” is now known as the theme from That ’70s Show. (Alex Chilton, who kept the band alive for another album after Bell left, recently revived Big Star.) He is truly one of rock’s unheralded, yet remarkable songwriters.

Pete Ham

Born: April 27, 1947, in Swansea, Wales
Died: April 24, 1975, in Surrey, England
Bands: The Iveys, Badfinger

A Welsh singer, guitar player, and songwriter, Pete was a dedicated musician who spent as much time as possible honing his craft for his group Badfinger. The group’s predecessor was founded in his hometown Swansea while Pete was still in his teens, and they played a lot of the same venues as Steve Winwood and The Who. A small-time manager named Bill Collins saw the group’s potential and took them under his wing, letting the members live and practice out of his London home. Collins encouraged The Iveys to work on song writing and Pete took the advice to heart.

While the rest of London went psychedelic, The Iveys remained old fashioned in both dress and songwriting. Although the group’s talent attracted attention from several record companies, Collins stayed put, waiting for a better opportunity. A former Beatles roadie, who worked for Apple records, took a strong liking to the group, and Paul McCartney signed them on in 1968. The single “Maybe Tomorrow,” which trailed on the Billboard 100, selecting a follow-up proved difficult. In 1969, Paul McCartney gave them “Come and Get It” and an opportunity to record that track and a pair of their own for the movie The Magic Christian, starring Pete Sellers, Ringo Starr, Raquel Welch, and a John Cleese cameo. Before the release, the group changed their name to Badfinger and went for a slightly harder rock edge.

In November 1970, Badfinger released their second LP (No Dice) and the single “No Matter What” reached number eight on the Billboard charts (“Without You” from the same album became a hit for Harry Nilsson (1971) and Mariah Carey (1993). Signing on with business manager Stan Polley in 1970 proved to be a bad decision. He came highly recommended, but his mob ties and clever financial acrobatics only became obvious to the band members down the road.

Badfinger played acoustic guitars on George Harrison’s monumental triple record All Things Must Pass (1971), sang backup vocals on a Ringo Starr single, and Pete Ham performed “Here Comes the Sun” on acoustic guitar with George Harrison on his Concert for Bangla Desh. Ass, Badfinger’s last record for Apple, failed to reach the Billboard Top 100. The follow-up, the eponymous Badfinger, was met with little enthusiasm, but 1974′s Wish You Were Here was lauded by Rolling Stone magazine and other outlets. In a lawsuit with Warner Brothers, Polley was asked about money supposedly stashed away in an escrow account, but he didn’t respond to the requests since the money had vanished. In retaliation, WB removed Badfinger’s records from its catalog. Pete Ham soon found himself in a rut. He had written Top 10 singles and worked hard for Badfinger, but had no money and little fame to show for it.

April 24, 1975, Pete Ham hanged himself in his studio and his suicide note blamed Stan Polley for his death. Pete Ham’s daughter was born the following month.

Pete Ham and Badfinger performing their pop-classic “Without You”

Badfinger.org
PeteHam.net