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.  

Watching the Roof: Jenny Spurill

 

Jenny (wearing mini dress and no coat) and her co-workers watch the Beatles

For many years I have been discovering who was present on January 30, 1969, to witness The Beatles rooftop performance.    I hit a dead-end until the recent release of the Get Back documentary where more and more witnesses are being discovered.   One such person that has come forward is Jenny Spruill, who watched some of the performance after a co-worker told her to go out to the fire escape and see what was going on.    I discovered this article on Starline News Online.  

Article written by John Stanton

Published December 3, 2021

People around the world have been watching The Beatles' final days as a group in "Get Back," Peter Jackson's sprawling, nearly-eight-hour documentary, which debuted Nov. 25 on the Disney Plus streaming service. 

At least one local woman, however, witnessed the documentary's climactic scene first-hand.

In 1969, Jennifer "Jenny" Spruill, a native of England who has lived in Hampstead, north of Wilmington, for more than 20 years with her husband, Jack, a North Carolina native, was working at an office in central London. 

During "a pretty dark and dreary" day on Jan. 30 of that year, Spruill said, a man she worked with asked, "'Why don't you go out on the fire escape? Something's happening.'"

Her office was on the fifth floor, so Spruill and two co-workers climbed to the sixth-story fire escape and stepped outside.

"And there were The Beatles," Spruill said — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, along with the organist Billy Preston — playing what would prove to be their final live "show" as a band.

The funny part, she said, is that she wasn't exactly a Beatles fan.

"You probably couldn't have paid me to go to a Beatles concert," Spruill said, although these days she's changed her tune. "Of course, I am (a fan) now. I think they're amazing."

And while she stayed watching the band play for longer than some she worked with, Spruill said, eventually she began thinking, "Gosh, this is noisy," and went back inside before police put an end to the impromptu concert, which lasted for less than an hour. 

It's a wonderful story, and one Spruill has told to family and friends many times over the years. But if you're skeptical, well, the proof is right there on the screen. 

Jack and Jenny Spruill's daughter Fiona Spruill, a North Carolina native (and former New York Times editor) currently living in Amsterdam, said she's always treasured her mother's story of the day she saw The Beatles. 

And while she's always believed her mom's account, "We had never been able to find her in any footage," Fiona Spruill wrote on her Twitter page Dec. 1. "Until tonight."

Watching for her mother in the documentary, Fiona Spruill finally spotted her between 1:42 and 1:44 of the third episode of "Get Back," "Standing on the roof of a white building about three stories up behind Ringo's head."

"They worked really hard to find me" in the documentary, Jenny Spruill said with a laugh. 

Fiona Spruill's tweet — "'Get Back' is a wonderful documentary but did you find your mom in it? BECAUSE I DID" — had nearly 6,000 likes as of Friday. 

Having a place in pop music history as one of the only people to witness the final Beatles performance isn't Jenny Spruill's only claim to fame.

As Jennifer M. "Jenny" Trewby, she grew up playing tennis and competed in London's famous Wimbledon tournament between 1958 and 1964, amassing a 1-6 record in singles, 0-1 in mixed doubles and 2-5 in women's doubles, reaching the tournament quarterfinals in 1963.

In fact, her tennis connections led to her working in central London's fashion district, where The Beatles' Apple Corps headquarters, the site of their rooftop show, was located at 3 Savile Row. Spruill was working in the promotions department of Fred Perry sportswear, named for and started by the British Wimbledon champion.

Jenny Spruill said she and her husband just got back to Hampstead this week after spending four months in London. She hasn't watched the "Get Back" documentary yet, she said, but she plans to. 

Get Back at the IMAX - Film review

 

This past Saturday I was was fortunate to be able to go to an IMAX theater in St. Louis that was showing The Beatles Get Back Rooftop Concert. 

First I have to say how great it felt to be back at a Beatles event with other fans for the first time in over 2 years.    Since I had Covid for the 2nd time this past August, I have been extremely careful about being around large groups of people, but the IMAX theater is big and had very large seats that kept you from being too close to a stranger. 

What I saw on the big IMAX screen was the exact same thing that was shown during Part 3 of the Get Back documentary on Disney +.     Literally -- it was the exact same thing.    Well -- at the beginning they showed the introduction from Part 1.   I was a little disappointed by the introduction.   It seemed to have been thrown together quickly after the fact.    

That isn't to say that the Get Back Rooftop at the IMAX wasn't worth going to.   It was great.  Every time I have watched "Get Back" I notice or hear something different.    The sound in this theater was so great, it was almost like hearing the classic Beatles songs performed on the rooftop again for the first time.   

Would it have been nice to have seen the Rooftop Concert without the footage of the people on the ground being interviewed in the midst of the music?   Sure.   However -- I was more than happy to be able to watch the amazing footage Peter Jackson put together on a large screen.    I do like hearing the interviews with the people on the street, but I would still like to hear the full concert uninterrupted.  

If this comes back to an IMAX theater again, it is well worth the money to see it.   If you haven't seen "Get Back" on Disney +, you really need to OR you will need to buy the Blu-Ray when it eventually comes out.    The Rooftop concert is such an important part of The Beatles that no fan should miss out on watching it as much as possible. 

53 years ago today

 

Get Back Observations: Maureen loves The Beatles

 

Get Back Observation #3:  Maureen Starkey loved The Beatles.

Maureen was one of the original Beatle fans.   She would go to the lunchtime Beatles performances at the Cavern Club to see The Beatles perform.   She was a 15-year-old girl and had a crush on the new Beatles drummer, Ringo.   Maureen wasn't any different than any of the other Cavern girls.   She got there early and tried to get in the front to see The Beatles.   She hung around outside the Cavern and got Ringo's autograph at one point.    She was one of the earliest Beatles fans.

Photo by Astrid Kirchherr

In time, Ringo asked her to dance at the Cavern and the two began to date.  As we all know, Maureen and Ringo were married and eventually had three children together.   

In the "Get Back" film, we see Maureen a few times.   One of the times happens to be the day that George quits and Paul jokingly tells her to learn a few chords over the weekend and she will be in the band.   It was also on that day and during the million and one discussions about where to have the final concert for the film.  One of the places mentioned that day was the Cavern Club.   The only voice you hear when that idea was tossed out, was Maureen with an enthusiastic "yeah!"    She loved the idea of seeing her favorite band back where she first saw them. 

The performance is on the roof of 3 Savile Row and Maureen is one of two Beatles wives that watch the performance.  You get the idea that she was not going to miss it.   It was cold and supposedly she gave her red jacket to her husband, but Maureen was rocking out the entire time.   Yoko looked pretty miserable on the rooftop.  John even asks her when it is done, if she was alright.   I think Yoko was cold and was not having fun.   Maureen was the complete opposite sitting next to her.   She was shaking her head and smiling the whole time.    The one song that she REALLY got into was "One After 909."  I realized that this was not a new song to her.   The Beatles performed "One After 909" at the Cavern Club.   I think that while they performed that song, Maureen was taken back a few years earlier to when she was 15 and at the Cavern.   However, she did not have to fight her way into the front seats -- she had the best seat in the house.     Of the people that witnessed the rooftop performance only two people -- Mal Evans and Maureen Starkey had also seen The Beatles perform at the Cavern in Liverpool. 

I'd always known that you could hear Maureen cheering at the end of the last "Get Back," and Paul says, "Thanks Mo!" to her.   However -- I just didn't realize how much she enjoyed the entire performance and that she wasn't Maureen -- wife of Ringo Starr during that show, but Maureen -- original fan of The Beatles. 

I purposely posted this today, December 30, in remembrance of Maureen.  

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

50 years ago: The Rooftop Concert

It was 50 years ago, on January 30, 1969, that the Beatles performed on the rooftop of 3 Savile Row.  Many different events have gone on over the world today to celebrate.   Fans met at the building and sang the songs the Beatles sang that day,  Beatles tribute bands have been performing on rooftops to crowds of fans.   And most importantly, The Beatles have announced that new footage from Let it Be is going to be released alongside the Let it Be film!   Can it really be true??   

Checking out the roof

Playing on the roofs again

Beatles end all concerts

I was trying to figure out if the Beatles ever made an official announcement by the end of 1966 or start of 1967 that they were done touring.   I know that there was a lot of talk and most fans understood that they weren't touring again, but was an announcement ever made?   

In looking for the answer, I discovered this interesting Associated Press Article from March 27, 1969.

That last line in this story made me shake my head....yikes. 

Beatles End All Concerts

The Beatles will never again perform in public, drummer Ringo Starr said today.

"I suppose it's a bit nasty on the fans," he said in an interview.   "I'm sorry for them, but no more public shows---never."

The Beatles-- John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo will still make records and films.

They were to have given their first concert in two years in January, but it was delayed repeatedly and finally postponed indefinitely.

Peter Brown, an executive of Apple, the Beatles company said, "We tried to arrange one last concert but it just was not practicable.  There were too many obstacles.  We will never do it now.  we just can no get the right venue."

Brown said an open-air arena such as the giant Wembley Stadium would not yield the right kind of Beatles' sound, while a big public hall like Albert Hall is too small for the thousands who would want to attend.

Apple spokesmen deny recurring rumors that the Beatles will break up.

"Make no mistake -- we shall always stick together,"  Starr said.  "Of course, we have our own separate interests to develop.  We shall branch out and pursue our own individual careers, but we shall always be The Beatles."

"Despite what the critics say, we are as popular as ever we were.  I don't say the Beatles will last forever, but we'll go on for a very long time -- unless we get shot, or something."