The Beatles, The Bible and Bodega Bay

Posted by: lifestory in Music

Tagged in: success , sales , purpose , meaning , leaders , hope , forgiveness , faith , business

 Ken Mansfield, former US manager of the Beatles' Apple Record company, found God and now reflects on his former life of fame and fortune, music and money.

 

 

Watch Ken's story at: Outreach

Ken Mansfield has experienced a life that most people have only read about.   He was in the heart and heat of the music industry when it was young and vibrant—back when creativity and passion made the music.  Beginning with being the leader of the successful southern California folk group “The Town Criers”, he graduated to becoming a top music industry executive and producer in Hollywood and Nashville.  As a Capitol Records executive he had the great fortune of being part of the classic era of pop and jazz working with artists such as Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee, George Shearing, The Four Freshmen, Nancy Wilson, Judy Garland, Lou Rawls, Glen Campbell, Bobbie Gentry and Al Martino as well as the early careers of legendary country artists Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Sonny James.  But then the tempo really picked up and the pace quickened when he began working with bands like The Beach Boys, The Beatles and The Band.

A simple young man from the Indian reservation lands in Northern Idaho, Ken found himself propelled into the center of a rock and roll whirlwind when the Beatles asked him to be the US Manager of their Apple Record label, as well as acting as their personal liaison between the UK and the US.  When the Beatles breakup seemed inevitable, he moved on to become a Vice President at MGM Records and then President of a CBS label owned by Andy Williams.  Wanting to fly even higher and faster, he left the corporate world to set up his own company, Hometown Productions Inc., where he began producing famous artists of that era such as Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Don Ho, David Cassidy, Andy Williams, Claudine Longet, The Flying Burrito Bros. and more. His downfall was inevitable but the eventual result was incredible—from the ashes came the beauty and joy of the Risen Lord and in time he was commissioned to produce the renowned Imperials and eventually earned a Grammy and a Dove Award when he produced the Gaither Vocal Band’s classic “Homecoming” album.

The refining period between the heady secular successes and the gospel gold was not one that Ken would have chosen on his own.  In that barren era, the money, servants, family, career, health and the successes and excesses he took for granted for so long all went away leaving him with little but a sense of confusion and despair.  That is when he found Jesus and began an exciting new journey.  “Every day I thank God for loving me so much that He allowed all my worldly possessions to go away and in exchange gave me the one true gift of value—eternal life through His Son and my Savior Jesus Christ. God is a loving Father who was kind enough to allow me to become “broke” so I could be “broken”.

It is these experiences and more that Ken brings to people as he once again returns to the road—this time walking with the Lord.  His time in the music business—especially The Beatles years and his exciting conversion, have led to a publishing deal with one of the leading publishers in Christian literature, Broadman Holman, and a top-selling book, “The Beatles, The Bible and Bodega Bay”.  His story and his appearances have blessed him with being selected by the E.O. Television Network (Europe) for a special film about Ken and the Beatles that ends in his conversion to Christianity.  His evening event features this film which is followed by Ken’s personal testimony and then closes with an entertaining Q&A allowing guests to find out more about the Beatles and his road to salvation. 

At Life Story Foundation, we are continually looking for inspirational stories that describe a person's life before and after they found their Christian faith. If you know of a Christian testimony story or video online, please email us the link so we can post it on our site.

Thanks for the link,

Life Story Foundation 

info@lifestory.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it    

Would you like to know how to have a personal relationship with Jesus?

Find out more >

Comments (0)Add Comment
Write comment
 
  smaller | bigger
 

busy