Ken Mansfield
Ken Mansfield was raised in the northern Idaho Panhandle and has experienced a life that most people can only imagine. He was in the heart and heat of the music industry when it was young--back when creativity and passion made the music.
As a top ten graduating senior from San Diego State University, Ken entered the space industry in a classified position on the Saturn and Surveyor space programs. Music was his first love, though, and he became the leader of the successful southern California folk group the Town Criers. His experience as an entertainer, coupled with a B.S. degree in marketing, soon led him to his role as a top music industry executive and producer in Hollywood and Nashville.
In his executive roles, Mansfield not only observed the music of the time; he also helped shape it. 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 being a part of the early careers of legendary country artists Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Sonny James. Later years led him to work with the Beach Boys, the Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Bob Seger, Eric Burdon and War, Ray Stevens, Hank Williams Jr., Michael Parks, Petula Clark, David Cassidy, Don Ho, Flying Burrito Bros, Andy Williams. Claudine Longet and eventually Waylon, Willie, and the boys during the exciting "Outlaw movement."
It was while he was a Capitol Records executive that Mansfield found himself propelled into the center of a rock 'n' roll whirlwind. The Beatles asked him in 1968 to help them plan the worldwide launch of their record company and to come aboard as United States manager of Apple Records. He was eventually asked to serve as their personal liaison between the U.K. and the U.S. Ken was "the" person in America when it came to matters related to the Beatles throughout the rise and phenomenal popularity of the band.
When the Beatles breakup seemed inevitable, Ken moved on to become a vice president at MGM Records and then president of a CBS label owned by Andy Williams. In 1973 he left CBS/Barnaby to set up his own company, Hometown Productions, Inc., where he began producing artists such as Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Don Ho, David Cassidy, and the Flying Burrito Bros.
Then Ken entered a barren era in which the money, servants, family, career, and health that he took for granted went away, leaving him with little but a sense of confusion and despair. That is where he found Jesus - and from ashes came a beauty that led him on a whole new journey. As Ken writes, "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."
In time, Mansfield 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. Mansfield now takes these business experiences and spiritual insights on the road as he shares his stories through speaking engagements and writing. He is the author of "The Beatles, the Bible, and Bodega Bay", "The White Book", "Between Wyomings", "Stumbling on Open Ground", "Rock and a Heart Place” and his latest critically acclaimed book, “The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert”.