Living the Beatles Legend
**MiCannes Award Music Book of the Year**
The first full-length biography of Mal Evans, the Beatles’ beloved roadie, assistant, confidant and friend
A towering figure in horn-rimmed glasses, Malcolm ‘Mal’ Evans was an invaluable member of the Beatles’ inner circle. Serving as their long-time roadie, personal assistant and protector, he was a sometime lyricist, occasional performer and regular fixer at the height of the group’s fame and beyond.
But Mal’s dedication to his beloved ‘boys’ and his own desire for stardom took its toll, leading to the dissolution of his marriage and his untimely death in January 1976.
Until now, Mal’s extraordinary life has remained shrouded in mystery. Drawing on hundreds of exclusive interviews and with full access to Mal’s unpublished archives – including his personal diaries, manuscripts and memorabilia – renowned Beatles scholar Kenneth Womack paints the first complete portrait of this complicated figure at the heart of the Beatles’ story.
Living the Beatles Legend is a fascinating but ultimately tragic tale about life at the edges of superstardom.
Kenneth Womack is one of the world’s foremost writers and thinkers about the Beatles. He is Professor of English and Popular Music at Monmouth University in New Jersey, the Music Culture critic for Salon, and a contributor to publications such as the Guardian, the Independent, Slate, Billboard, Time and Variety. He is the author of several highly regarded books about the band, most recently Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles and John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life. www.kennethwomack.com