By: Brad Gallagher
Have you ever heard of a rock group called the Iveys? I’ll bet you have but just don’t know it. Keep reading.
The Iveys were a classic rock band formed in 1961 (the year I was born by the way) in the city of Swansea in Wales. The group was comprised of Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins, Tom Evans, and Joey Molland. Still doesn’t ring a bell? Read on.
As the story goes, from 1961 through 1968 the Iveys performed as the opening act for several famous British rock groups such as The Spencer Davis Group, The Moody Blues, The Who, and The Yardbirds as well as others. But, they never really made a name for themselves until one night when Beatles’ roadie, Mel Evans, saw them play. Mel liked what he heard and got ahold of some of the Iveys’ demo tapes. He went on to play the demos for the member of the Beatles until he was able to convince all four of them to sign the Iveys to their new Apple Music label. That was in 1968.
The Beatles worked closely with the Iveys, almost like mentors, until the Iveys were ready to release their first album on Apple Music in 1969. Some of the songs on this album were even written by members of the Beatles. The producers at Apple Music, however, were not fond of the name “The Iveys”, so after much discussion with the band it was decided that the name was just a little “too trite” for the music scene of the day. They all decided that the name needed to be changed before the album was released.
At the same time, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were working on a new album of their own. One day while composing one of the songs for this album, John Lennon was playing the piano with so much intensity that he sprained his fore finger. During the healing process he referred to that finger as his bad finger. He even named that song he was composing “The Bad Finger Boogie”. Neil Aspinall, Apple Music’s producer, liked the name Badfinger so much that he proposed it for the Ivey’s new name. And the rest is history.
Badfinger went on to release 10 albums with hits like “Day After Day”, Baby Blue”, “Hold On”, “Maybe Tomorrow”, and of course, “Come And Get It” which was written and produced by Paul McCartney.
So now you know who the Iveys are. And on a side note, “The Bad Finger Boogie” was released on the Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. Of course the name was changed before the album was released. You know “The Bad Finger Boogie” as the second song on the album. “I get by With A Little Help From My Friends”.
Thank you for reading my ramblings. Keep an eye out for upcoming editions of “As The Story Goes”.
AS THE STORY GOES 