 | |
| Author | Kenneth Womack |
|---|---|
| Subject | Mal Evans |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | November 14, 2023 |
| Pages | 592 |
| ISBN | 0-063-24851-4 |
Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans is a biography of the Beatles' road manager Mal Evans by Kenneth Womack. It was published on November 14, 2023 by HarperCollins.
Malcolm Frederick Evans (1935–1976) was employed as the road manager and personal assistant to the British rock band the Beatles from 1963 up until their break-up in 1970. By 1976, he had secured a publishing contract with G. P. Putnam's Sons for his memoir (to be titled either 200 Miles to Go or Living the Beatles Legend) and had received approval to publish it from all four Beatles, but died shortly before the manuscript was due. [1] In 1988, a box was found in the publisher's basement containing the full manuscript for the memoir along with his personal diaries, notebooks, and photos. [2] In 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Evans' son Gary asked the Beatles researcher Kenneth Womack to write a biography of Evans. When Womack agreed, Gary sent him the full contents of the box. [3] [4] In addition to using its materials, Womack conducted over 200 interviews with people who had known Evans. [5] [6]
The book covers Evans' life from his childhood in Wales up until his death in 1976, which Womack argues was a suicide by cop. [4] Womack describes Evans' encounters with the celebrities Marlene Dietrich, Burt Lancaster, and Keith Moon, the difficulties of protecting the Beatles during Beatlemania, and Evans' infidelity and neglect of his family. [7] The book also contains scans of previously-unseen photographs and diary pages, including the final known picture of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, taken in 1974 during their only post-Beatles recording session together. [1]
Alexandra Jacobs of The New York Times wrote that Womack told Evans' story "with rigor and care if not a sparkling prose style", and concluded that "[Evans] is here dusted off and given a proper salute". [7] Tim Adams of The Guardian noted that as the book approaches the subject's death it "becomes a kind of cautionary tale". [8] Dominic Green expressed a similar sentiment in The Wall Street Journal , also calling the book a "cautionary tale" and writing that "Evans loved Elvis, the movies and cowboy shootouts. Living the dream turned his life upside-down, then killed him." [9]
A second volume comprising only of unedited material from Evans' archive is planned for 2024. [3]
Malcolm Frederick Evans was an English road manager and personal assistant employed by the Beatles from 1963 until their break-up in 1970.
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' first release on their Apple record label and one of the "First Four" singles by Apple's roster of artists, marking the label's public launch. "Hey Jude" was a number-one hit in many countries around the world and became the year's top-selling single in the UK, the US, Australia and Canada. Its nine-week run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 tied the all-time record in 1968 for the longest run at the top of the US charts, a record it held for nine years. It has sold approximately eight million copies and is frequently included on music critics' lists of the greatest songs of all time.
"Here, There and Everywhere" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album Revolver. A love ballad, it was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. McCartney includes it among his personal favourites of the songs he has written. In 2000, Mojo ranked it 4th in the magazine's list of the greatest songs of all time.
"The Long and Winding Road" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1970 album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. When issued as a single in May 1970, a month after the Beatles' break-up, it became the group's 20th and final number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.
"Helter Skelter" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album The Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song was McCartney's attempt to create a sound as loud and dirty as possible. It is regarded as a key influence in the early development of heavy metal. In 1976, the song was released as the B-side of "Got to Get You into My Life" in the United States, to promote the Capitol Records compilation Rock 'n' Roll Music.
"And Your Bird Can Sing" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on their 1966 album Revolver, apart from in the United States and Canada, where it instead appeared on Yesterday and Today. The song was written mainly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The recording features an extended dual-guitar melody, played by George Harrison and Paul McCartney, which anticipated the harmonised guitar arrangements commonly used by Southern rock, hard rock and heavy metal bands.
"Eleanor Rigby" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album Revolver. It was also issued on a double A-side single, paired with "Yellow Submarine". Credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership, the song is one of only a few in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney later disputed primary authorship. Eyewitness testimony from several independent sources, including George Martin and Pete Shotton, supports McCartney's claim to authorship.
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"Blackbird" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney, and performed as a solo piece by McCartney. When discussing the song, McCartney has said that the lyrics were inspired by hearing the call of a blackbird in Rishikesh, India, and by the civil rights movement in the Southern United States.
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"Dear Prudence" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. The song was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Written in Rishikesh during the group's trip to India in early 1968, it was inspired by actress Mia Farrow's sister, Prudence Farrow, who became obsessive about meditating while practising with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Her designated partners on the meditation course, Lennon and George Harrison, attempted to coax Farrow out of her seclusion, which led to Lennon writing the song.
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney, credited to Lennon–McCartney, and released in 1967 on the album of the same name. The song appears twice on the album: as the opening track, and as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)", the penultimate track. As the title song, the lyrics introduce the fictional band that performs on the album.
"The Night Before" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1965 film Help! and soundtrack album of the same name. It was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Described as a pop rock or rock and roll song, its lyrics reflect on the singer's last night with his lover before being abandoned.
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Kenneth Womack is an American writer, literary critic, public speaker, and music historian, particularly focusing on the cultural influence of the Beatles. He is the author of the bestselling Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles, John Lennon, 1980: The Last Days in the Life, and Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans.
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