Dolly and Ringo

 

No furniture? No problem!

 August 11, 1968

Living in the Material World

 May 1973

54 years since the Roof

 

In memory of Ken Mansfield

 

Ken Mansfield being interviewed at the Fest for Beatle Fans in Chicago 2019
photo by Sara Schmidt 

Ringo and Ken, 2006

Best buddies - Mal and Ken

Paul and Ken in 1968

Mal, Ken, and George in 1968

George and Ken in the 70s

Ken in his white coat on the rooftop 

I am very sad to say that Ken Mansfield passed away on November 17, 2022.  Ken worked with Capitol Records in Los Angeles and had many interactions with The Beatles.  He was then promoted to the head of Apple Records in the United States.   

Most Beatle fans remember him as the guy in the white coat on the rooftop during the concert.   He was the only guy sitting with Yoko, Maureen, and Chris.   

Many people might not realize that Ken and Mal Evans became best friends, and they hung out together a lot.  Actually, Ken was supposed to meet Mal for lunch the day after he died in 1976.   Ken knew that something wasn't right with Mal and that something had to be bothering him and so he and Mal made plans to have lunch the next day because Ken had to go to the Billboard Music Awards.    He always spoke of Mal with such kindness, and I think he might have felt guilty because he should have done something sooner.   

Ken was a very soft-spoken, kind man.   He answered my email in the early 2000s when I wrote to him about I was being bullied online about being a Beatles fan.   He always showed kindness towards Beatles fans and was an all-around great man.   

I hope that Ken has now reunited with his friend, Mal, and they finally got to have that lunch.  

Capitol Records convention '68

Give us just one minute!

With a little help

McCartney and Mansfield

The Roof (the Beatles Final Concert) - A Book Review

The book The Roof:  The Beatles Final Concert by Ken Mansfield is a real treat for Beatle fans both hardcore and casual.    Ken Mansfield, of course, is the "guy in the white jacket" that you see on the rooftop while the Beatles are performing on January 30, 1969.

Ken was much more than a lucky guy in a white jacket on a cold rooftop.   He was the U.S. manager of Apple Records.    In the book, he tells the story of how he got the job and explained his relationship with the Beatles and the rest of the Apple folks.

What makes this book special is that it is Ken's story.   It isn't a historical telling of the Let it Be sessions and the rooftop, but Ken's personal telling of the events from his point of view.    He doesn't white-wash the story either.   He tells of how uncomfortable things had gotten between the band and how he noticed a change once Billy Preston came on board.

Ken also digs into the history of the Mayfair area of London (where the Apple Building was located) and the history of 3 Savile Row itself.   It is actually very interesting!

The biggest part of the book deals with the performance on the rooftop itself.   Who was there and who wasn't?   Why was Ken wearing a white jacket?    Just how cold was it up there?    What about those bobbies?      Ken answers a lot of questions in a fast-paced manner.   It makes the book easy to read and very enjoyable. 

The book ends with chapters highlighting some of the unnoticed heroes of Apple who were good friends with Ken.

This book is really another one of those Beatle books that you just need to read, especially this time when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rooftop concert and into the 50th anniversary of Let it Be.

The link below is the affiliate link to Amazon where you can purchase this book..   I get a small percentage of anything purchased through this link.  Money made from the Amazon Afflication is used to pay the annual fee to keep this site online.  Thank you for your support.  Sara

https://amzn.to/3wIixd4

George Harrison the Play boy

On October 31, 1968, George Harrison accepted an award on behalf of Apple.  The ceremony was held at the Playboy club in L.A.

What way to make a livin'

As I have mentioned before, I am in a play this summer and we have came to the time where I have dress rehearsals and performances for the next few weeks.   It will be in my best interest to take a break from the blog for a short time and focus on the play.  I might update things if I can, but I am not making any promises.

The play I am in is "9 to 5:  The Musical."    I am not a fan of country music at all, but there is something about Dolly Parton that I like.   She is a very talented song writer and I really do like the songs from this musical.    I am playing the part of "Kathy" who is one of the secretaries that work with the 3 main characters.   It is a smaller part, but it is  larger small part if you can follow that.   I have lines and I get to sing and dance.   If you live in the St. Louis, MO area and are interested in seeing "9 to 5" here is the link to order tickets and to get more information.  http://www.altonlittletheater.org/?page_id=203

One geeky thing that I enjoy about this play is that it takes place in 1979, and so every night I get to "go back in time" to that year.   John is still alive as and I get to wear oversized glasses and polyester.  It is just a fun time period.  

Anyhow----I will return soon.  I just hear from so many people who check this blog every day and I do not want anyone to think that I am closing down shop.

Peace and Love
Sara S (aka Starshyne)

Love the Brother

I do this all of the time.  I save a photo that I find online to my hard drive and then I don't remember who is in the photo.   All I know is that this person met Ringo Starr in 2006.    This is Ken Mansfield with Ringo in 2006.  Thanks Mark for jogging my memory.