[ rock music]
- Mark Healey is as comfortable in a recording studio
as he is in the small west-central Wisconsin town
called Durand.
- You know, I know everybody and it's kinda nice.
[car rumbles by]
- Here you can still find a barber, a bar and a bakery,
all on the same street.
- There's this mindset
that's a little bit different than other places
and it turns out to be my mindset.
[rock guitar music]
- And Mark "is" a little bit different
because not everyone is part of a legendary rock band.
- People know the songs but they don't know the name of the band.
[rock guitar music]
- The band is Badfinger.
Back in the 70s, long before Mark was a member,
their songs were bonafide billboard hits:
- "No Matter What"
"Day After Day"
"Come and Get It"
"Baby Blue"
- * If you want it *
* Here it is *
* Come and get it *
* Ooo oo o *
* Make your mind up fast *
- If they sound a bit like the Beatles, that's no coincidence.
They were a protégé band
that followed in the wake of the Fab Four.
And the first group signed by the Beatles' Apple Records.
- Paul McCartney wrote the first song for the band...
"Come and Get It."
Then George Harrison produced the "Straight Up" album.
- The Beatles and Badfinger were often intertwined.
Around that same time, Mark Healey was a teenager
growing up in Wisconsin's capitol city.
- Oh man, it was fantastic.
I grew up on the west side.
It was definitely an exciting time.
I mean when the riots were going on.
The Mifflin Street block party,
I think the police gave everybody
30 seconds to disperse.
And then within no time at all,
they were just shooting tear gas in.
- It was against that backdrop
that Mark found his musical footing.
- I know when I was 14,
I got in this band called "The Fine Young Men,"
except we had a girl singer.
We had an agent.
We played on the weekends.
I had to wear glasses,
because I was 14 and we were playing in these bars.
I didn't want to be rich or famous or anything.
I just wanted to play.
- And play he did.
Mark found his way to Los Angeles
and into recording studios,
engineering music for television shows like "Magnum P.I."
- Did some music for a show called "Gilligan's Planet."
Did a lot of Hanna Barbara stuff.
Did a lot of cartoons that never went anywhere.
- The group Badfinger wasn't going anywhere either.
Trying to overcome the suicides of two original band members
and financial problems,
lead singer Joey Molland had an idea.
- Decided to put the band back together and
take it on the road.
So we started looking for players.
Mark was recommended to us.
He came to my house and
I thought, "Yeah, this guy's it. Yeah."
- It's now been more than 30 years
and Mark is still performing the hits
with Joey Molland's Badfinger.
[rock guitar music]
* No matter what you are *
- The songs still stand up today.
* Doesn't matter what you do, girl *
* Ooh girl *
* With you *
- When he s not touring,
Mark is usually here in his recording studio.
- * I went looking for the middle *
* But all I could find was the edge *
- The studio keeps me busy all the time.
I just produced a guy named Ben Brooks,
who's from Portsmith, England.
This one that I did for Ben,
he's got Michael Bland playing drums.
Michael was Prince's drummer.
Greg Inhofer, who worked with Bob Dylan,
is the keyboard player.
* I'll do anything *
* Anything *
- Mark also engineers his own music.
- I've got a solo record out.
It's getting played in 55 countries
between 20,000 and 30,000 air plays,
every three months.
*I know what I want *
* I know what to do *
- He brings energy.
He brings his heart.
- *I'll do anything *
- He brings his voice,
which has improved greatly over the years, I gotta say, and
[laughs]
- A voice that takes lead vocals on an original Badfinger hit
featuring the Beatles' George Harrison.
* I remember finding out about you *
- Keep your ears open for him
'cause he'll always be around and
he'll always be doing something
and it'll always be something good.
-* My mind is all around you *
[rock guitar music]
* Looking out of my lonely gloom *
* Day after day *
I've found this path to make my living and to get through life.
I think things worked out quite well for me.
You know, I'm very happy.
[band playing last notes of song]
- Thank you everybody.
- Good night to ya. Hope you enjoyed it.
[applause]
[band ends note]
[applause]