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PETE HAM
 Although every member of Badfinger composed material for the
group, Pete Ham was probably the most important songwriter in the band.
He wrote all of their hits, and also co-wrote "Without You,"
which was covered by Nilsson for a number one single. He did not release
any solo records during his lifetime, which ended with his suicide in
1975 (brought on by the band's horrific legal and financial problems).
However, he merits an entry as a solo artist because of the posthumous
1997 compilation of Ham solo studio demos, 7 Park Avenue. Recorded on
two-track in the late '60s and early '70s and mostly unrecorded by
Badfinger, they bear, as did much of Badfinger's material, a strong
resemblance to the work of Paul McCartney in their ingenious melodicism.
They do a good deal to flesh out appreciation of his talents, showing on
the whole a more tender side than was usually expected from Badfinger. A
second volume of home-studio demos was released in 1999 under the title
Golders Green. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
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