When it comes to rock 'n' roll tragedies, the list is fairly macabre, a sad roster of unmet potential and early death. Plenty of talented musicians fit the bill — as the so-called "27 Club," Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison comprise the genre's most notorious triumvirate. The sheer amount of loss can be downright stultifying at times. Take the plane crash that claimed most of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1977. Or worst of all: the terrible winter's night in December 1980 when John Lennon was felled by an assassin.
While it may not enjoy the same level of infamy, Badfinger's tragic end makes for one of rock's truly heartbreaking stories. A promising beginning as the Apple Records heir-apparent to the Beatles resulted in a spate of hit singles, including "Come and Get It," "No Matter What," "Baby Blue" and "Day after Day." But by the mid-1970s, the group's forward momentum had been stalled by a series of unsavory business deals. The royalties from "Without You," composed by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, Badfinger's uber-talented songwriting duo, were stalled in red tape after scoring an international hit in the hands of Harry Nilsson.
