
Joey Molland of the Power-Pop Band Badfinger Dies at 77
Joey Molland, a guitarist and songwriter who was the last surviving member of Badfinger, one of the first acts signed to the Beatles' Apple Records and a power-pop force in the early 1970s on the strength of hits like 'Day After Day' and 'No Matter What,' died on March 1 in St. Louis Park, Minn. He was 77.
His partner, Mary Joyce, said he died in a hospital from complications of diabetes.
Mr. Molland joined Badfinger — originally called the Iveys — in 1969. The band had been signed the year before as a marquee act for Apple Records, the much-publicized label formed by the Beatles in 1968 as part of the parent company Apple Corps.
'Badfinger gave me the opportunity to do everything a musician could want,' Mr. Molland said in a 2020 interview with Guitar World magazine. 'I got to make records. I heard my music on the radio, and I toured all over. I couldn't believe the luck we were having. For a time, everything was great.'
Apple Corps was a high-minded, if financially dubious, initiative to tap the Beatles' millions to fund unknown talents in music, film and electronics. It was created so that, as John Lennon said at the news conference announcing the venture, 'people who just want to make a film about anything don't have to go on their knees in somebody's office — probably yours.'
This experiment in 'Western Communism,' as Paul McCartney called it, involved no shortage of misfires. (The company's retail shop, known as the Apple Boutique, hemorrhaged 200,000 pounds — the equivalent of millions in today's dollars — in a little more than a year.) But Badfinger was a gamble that worked, and its members enjoyed their new status as rock stars. Badfinger in about 1970. From left: Pete Ham, Tommy Evans, Mike Gibbins and Mr. Molland. Credit... via Getty Images
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Billy Ray Cyrus Makes Bold Statement About 'the One They Call…. My Girlfriend'
Billy Ray Cyrus Makes Bold Statement About 'the One They Call…. My Girlfriend' originally appeared on Parade. is opening up about his feelings about England, a music legend, and 'the one they call… my girlfriend.' The country star took to Instagram on Sunday, June 1 to share a photo of himself wearing shades and a green print open collared shirt and to share some thoughts about his 'great friend ,' music fans in the U.K. and . 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 'Happy Sunday Callin!!!! Reminded this morning of my great friend Carl Perkins! Words he spoke to me. 'Take care of your fans in England 🏴 They love real music 🎵 and true artist who are unique…original … and not afraid of boundaries.' So true my friend. The inspiration here is unbelievable….. especially the one they call…. my girlfriend. Thank you 🙏🏼 @elizabethhurley1 for reminding me how great this country is. You would have loved Carl!!! From what you've shared he and your Daddy were very similar. Happy early Birthday 🎂 to your Daddy Bear 🐻 Ready ….Set …. Don't Go,' Cyrus wrote in the caption. Perkins, for those unfamiliar with the name, is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who had a huge influence on Elvis Presley and the Beatles. He wrote and was the first to record 'Blue Suede Shoes' and the Beatles covered his songs 'Honey Don't,' 'Matchbox' and 'Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby' (though there was some controversy over the origins of the latter song). Perkins died in 1998 at the age of 65. Perhaps more noteworthy than the reference to Perkins is Cyrus' mentions of Hurley, who the 'Achy Breaky Heart' singer has been linked to since Easter. She recently revealed that the couple will be in England together to celebrate her 60th birthday in June, and Cyrus' post confirms he is indeed in the approved of Cyrus' post, giving him props in the comments. '👏👏🔥🔥 You two are on FIRE! Love this!! Can't wait to see you perform again. Love your voice your music and of course you!' wrote one fan. 'You have always been wonderful BR! You know I've been a loyal fan since 1992, Al Shlitz called me 'Miss England'. I have always been privileged to have some of the best UK fan / friend times and memories in the US and here in England. Your 1997 UK tour was an incredible time! Hope you're enjoying being on this side of the pond. Happy Sunday Callin'. Much love & admiration always 🇬🇧🎶❤️,' added another. Billy Ray Cyrus Makes Bold Statement About 'the One They Call…. My Girlfriend' first appeared on Parade on Jun 2, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
13 of the late Brian Wilson' s finest songs to revisit
Brian Wilson's death on Wednesday at the age of 82 heralds an end to one idea of Southern California — as the temperate paradise of ascendant Americana. Exuberance and dreaminess, writerly sophistication and technical ambition, drugs and madness: Wilson's exquisite craft captured all of it, with his band the Beach Boys leaving behind a singularly inventive and exultant body of work, one that scripted and embodied California to the world. His vast catalog of incomparable achievement also contained thwarted hopes and despair amid his drug abuse and mental illness. It should be revisited in its full range today. These are a few of his hallmark accomplishments as a writer, arranger and performer. Surfer Girl (1963)Unbelievably, impossibly the first single that Brian Wilson ever wrote. So sophisticated and delicate in its moon-eyed teenage passions, full of artful melodic moves bolstered by the pure-water harmonies that would define the group. The song that set the template for a SoCal subculture, and a band to eventually rival the Beatles. In My Room (1963)Perfectly captures the loneliness and sanctity of young solitude over a lovely doo-wop arpeggio. It's a bracingly vulnerable track for a boy band to write in any era of masculinity. Warmth of the Sun (1964)What a beautiful composition to come right in the wake of the Kennedy assassination. Soaked with loss, redeemed by those radiant chord changes showing Wilson's escalating ambitions as a writer, here with Mike Love. Don't Worry Baby (1964)Riffing off the Ronettes' hit the year before, this early cut served double duty as a sincere portrait of romantic comfort and safety, and a reassurance for Wilson's own insecurities as a performer on stage and in life. The regal vocal here proved it worked. Please Let Me Wonder (1965)An absolute swoon. Wilson was ramping up to the sonic inventions of 'Pet Sounds,' but this era-transitional single captured the old lovelorn magic and dreaminess in an increasingly robust arrangement. California Girls (1965)Written with Love after the Beach Boys' first European tour, this hallmark single is diabolical in its sincerity and craftsmanship, a gobsmacked appreciation for all the world's women that probably did as much to build the Golden State's global reputation as Hollywood and the microchip. Caroline, No (1966)It's hard not to pack this list with songs from 'Pet Sounds,' but this one stands out for its poignancy about time passing and the grind of life changing a lost love. Wilson regarded it as one of his best, and with its striking instrumental palette of harpsichord and flutes, it's easy to agree. God Only Knows (1966)From the opening bait-and-switch lyric to the quiet, tidal shifts in tone and that regal outro, it may be the emblematic Beach Boys song. It will never lose its potency as a crowing statement of devotion. Go get married to it, or ponder its existential desperation. Good Vibrations (1966)Probably the definitive Beach Boys single in that it has absolutely everything they're beloved for — compositional genius, technical invention and immaculate performances spliced from four different studios into one incandescent, emblematic single. Darlin' (1967)The Beach Boys were in decline by 1967 — in health and hipness alike. Wilson revamped a song he wrote with Mike Love (for what became Three Dog Night). Now as a rollicking horn-driven soul number (with a great vocal from Carl Wilson), it became an unexpected highlight of this era for the band. Cabin Essence (1969 and 2004)A core piece of the mangled, unfinished 'Smile' sessions, the song took Wilson four decades to get right and finally release as part of his own effort to finish the LP. It's packed with ideas from all over the American songbook — Aaron Copland and western folk, run through with Wilson's own cracked impressionist view of life on the rails. Surf's Up (1971)'A blind class aristocracy, back through the opera glass you see / The pit and the pendulum drawn.' An elegy for the hopeful '60s, with a wry title that lays the band's old sunny optimism in the grave. Til I Die (1971)A wrenching composition evoking a declining Wilson's hopelessness and despair, all the more striking for its exuberant production. It feels even weightier on today of all days — 'How deep is the ocean, I've lost my way.' Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.


Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
13 of the late Brian Wilson' s finest songs to revisit
Brian Wilson's death on Wednesday at the age of 82 heralds an end to one idea of Southern California — as the temperate paradise of ascendant Americana. Exuberance and dreaminess, writerly sophistication and technical ambition, drugs and madness: Wilson's exquisite craft captured all of it, with his band the Beach Boys leaving behind a singularly inventive and exultant body of work, one that scripted and embodied California to the world. His vast catalog of incomparable achievement also contained thwarted hopes and despair amid his drug abuse and mental illness. It should be revisited in its full range today. These are a few of his hallmark accomplishments as a writer, arranger and performer. Surfer Girl (1963)Unbelievably, impossibly the first single that Brian Wilson ever wrote. So sophisticated and delicate in its moon-eyed teenage passions, full of artful melodic moves bolstered by the pure-water harmonies that would define the group. The song that set the template for a SoCal subculture, and a band to eventually rival the Beatles. In My Room (1963)Perfectly captures the loneliness and sanctity of young solitude over a lovely doo-wop arpeggio. It's a bracingly vulnerable track for a boy band to write in any era of masculinity. Warmth of the Sun (1964)What a beautiful composition to come right in the wake of the Kennedy assassination. Soaked with loss, redeemed by those radiant chord changes showing Wilson's escalating ambitions as a writer, here with Mike Love. Don't Worry Baby (1964)Riffing off the Ronettes' hit the year before, this early cut served double duty as a sincere portrait of romantic comfort and safety, and a reassurance for Wilson's own insecurities as a performer on stage and in life. The regal vocal here proved it worked. Please Let Me Wonder (1965)An absolute swoon. Wilson was ramping up to the sonic inventions of 'Pet Sounds,' but this era-transitional single captured the old lovelorn magic and dreaminess in an increasingly robust arrangement. California Girls (1965)Written with Love after the Beach Boys' first European tour, this hallmark single is diabolical in its sincerity and craftsmanship, a gobsmacked appreciation for all the world's women that probably did as much to build the Golden State's global reputation as Hollywood and the microchip. Caroline, No (1966)It's hard not to pack this list with songs from 'Pet Sounds,' but this one stands out for its poignancy about time passing and the grind of life changing a lost love. Wilson regarded it as one of his best, and with its striking instrumental palette of harpsichord and flutes, it's easy to agree. God Only Knows (1966)From the opening bait-and-switch lyric to the quiet, tidal shifts in tone and that regal outro, it may be the emblematic Beach Boys song. It will never lose its potency as a crowing statement of devotion. Go get married to it, or ponder its existential desperation. Good Vibrations (1966)Probably the definitive Beach Boys single in that it has absolutely everything they're beloved for — compositional genius, technical invention and immaculate performances spliced from four different studios into one incandescent, emblematic single. Darlin' (1967)The Beach Boys were in decline by 1967 — in health and hipness alike. Wilson revamped a song he wrote with Mike Love (for what became Three Dog Night). Now as a rollicking horn-driven soul number (with a great vocal from Carl Wilson), it became an unexpected highlight of this era for the band. Cabin Essence (1969 and 2004)A core piece of the mangled, unfinished 'Smile' sessions, the song took Wilson four decades to get right and finally release as part of his own effort to finish the LP. It's packed with ideas from all over the American songbook — Aaron Copland and western folk, run through with Wilson's own cracked impressionist view of life on the rails. Surf's Up (1971)'A blind class aristocracy, back through the opera glass you see / The pit and the pendulum drawn.' An elegy for the hopeful '60s, with a wry title that lays the band's old sunny optimism in the grave. Til I Die (1971)A wrenching composition evoking a declining Wilson's hopelessness and despair, all the more striking for its exuberant production. It feels even weightier on today of all days — 'How deep is the ocean, I've lost my way.'