Mike Gibbins

Drummer (Badfinger, The Iveys)

Michael George Gibbins, often listed as Mickey Gibbins, was born in Swansea on 12 March 1949 and grew up in Townhill. He learned to play drums in the sea cadets and played around South Wales with a group called The Misfits before auditioning for The Iveys, the Swansea band led by Pete Ham, in 1964.

The Iveys were signed to The Beatles' Apple label, and in 1969 Paul McCartney produced their single Come and Get It, after which they renamed themselves Badfinger. With Gibbins on drums the band scored a run of international hits, including No Matter What, Day After Day and Baby Blue, and he also played on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and at The Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, where producer Phil Spector nicknamed him Mr Tambourine Man.

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Badfinger's Swansea-born drummer, who played on No Matter What, Day After Day and Baby Blue, and at The Concert for Bangladesh.

Badfinger broke up after Pete Ham's death in 1975, and Gibbins went on to work as a session drummer in Wales. He took part in later Badfinger line-ups in the early 1980s, and in the late 1990s formed Madfinger with former Iveys bassist Ron Griffiths. He released four solo albums, among them A Place in Time and In the Meantime, before his death at his home in Florida on 4 October 2005.

Career Highlights

1964 - Joined The Iveys, the Swansea band that became Badfinger
1969-1972 - Hits including Come and Get It, No Matter What, Day After Day and Baby Blue
1971 - Played at The Concert for Bangladesh

ℹ️ Born 12 March 1949 in Swansea, Wales.

ℹ️ Died 4 October 2005 in Florida, USA, aged 56.

Born and raised in Swansea, where he learned to drum in the sea cadets and played in local bands before joining The Iveys.

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