As a teenager, Mike Gibbins, who has died aged 56, bashed drums with semi-professional groups before joining the Iveys in 1965. By 1967 they were playing London, had been seen by Paul McCartney, and signed to Apple as Badfinger.
McCartney wrote their first and biggest hit, Come and Get It, which featured in the 1969 film The Magic Christian. With guitarists Tom Evans and Joey Molland, Gibbins and guitarist, pianist and leader Pete Ham embarked on prolonged touring. Between 1970 and 1974 they issued five albums, which included No Matter What and Without You (best known sung by Harry Nilsson).
Gibbins contributed to John Lennon's Imagine album and George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and appeared in 1971 at New York's Concert for Bangladesh. Not everyone was impressed by his technique. Rolling Stone likened his drumming to "basketballs landing in a vat of oatmeal".
Born in Swansea, after trying the bugle with the sea cadets he took up drumming with an army cadet band. "When I left, it took me a long time to get rid of bashing the drum the military way," he once said.
Gibbins created several of Badfinger's most memorable songs, including In the Meantime which was combined with Joey Molland's Some Other Time into a medley by producer Chris Thomas. Gibbins performed it his way in 2003 as the title track of his final solo album.
By the mid-1970s, Badfinger had fallen out of favour with critics. Ham left, rejoined, then committed suicide in 1975. Gibbins responded to the death by quitting Badfinger to join the Flying Aces and Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler's band, playing on her hit It's a Heartache.
Badfinger ceased as a creative unit when, in 1983, Evans also killed himself. But the group was fondly remembered in the US, and Gibbins re-formed Badfinger with Molland for several 1980s tours. He settled in the US, composing, performing and organising Badfinger reissues. His four solo, self-penned albums included A Place in Time (1998) and More Annoying Songs (2000).
He is survived by his second wife Ellie and a son from his first marriage.
· Michael George Gibbins, musician, born March 12 1949; died October 4 2005