Living the Beatles’ Legend

The Untold Story of Mal Evans

By: Kenneth Womack

Narrated by: Gary T. Evans, Kenneth Womack

Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

The first full-length biography of Mal Evans, the Beatles’ beloved friend, confidant, and roadie.

Malcolm Evans, the Beatles’ long-time roadie, personal assistant, and devoted friend, was an invaluable member of the band’s inner circle. A towering figure in horn-rimmed glasses, Evans loomed large in the Beatles’ story, contributing at times as a performer and sometime lyricist, while struggling mightily to protect his beloved “boys.” He was there for the whole of the group’s remarkable, unparalleled story: from the Shea Stadium triumph through the creation of the timeless cover art for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the famous Let It Be rooftop concert.

Leaving a stable job as telecommunications engineer to serve as road manager for this fledgling band, Mal was the odd man out from the start—older, married with children, and without any music business experience. And yet he threw himself headlong into their world, traveling across the globe and making himself indispensable.

In the years after the Beatles’ disbandment, Big Mal continued in their employ as each embarked upon solo careers. By 1974, he was determined to make his name as a songwriter and record producer, setting off for a new life in Los Angeles, where he penned his memoirs. But in January 1976, on the verge of sharing his book with the world, Evans’s story came to a tragic end during a domestic standoff with the LAPD.

For Beatles devotes, Mal’s life and untimely death have always been shrouded in mystery. For decades, his diaries, manuscripts, and vast collection of memorabilia was missing, seemingly lost forever…until now.

Working with full access to Mal’s unpublished archives and having conducted hundreds of new interviews, Beatles’ scholar and author Kenneth Womack affords listeners with a full telling of Mal’s unknown story at the heart of the Beatles’ legend. Living the Beatles’ Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans is the missing puzzle piece in the Fab Four’s incredible story.

©2023 Kenneth Womack (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

200 miles to go ...

I feel like I've almost completed that final journey of learning everything I can about the Beatles. Thank you Mal and Gary. You've created something beautiful.

Pivotal Insight and Inner Light of The Beatles

Riveting, well written and yet another masterpiece by Ken Womack. In this case, Mal Evans' son, Gary, also participates not only in the audio intro but throughout the untold story as a key source. Having read many tomes about the Fab Four and always hunting for additional details, I feel this entire documentation is just that...full of unearthed details or confirmations of others. It moved me to purchase physical copies as holiday gifts...and of course one more for me. Simple cannot get enough of this incredibly important and nearly lost compliment to all else that's ever been written or reported. Mal deserves nothing less. Cannot wait until volume two!

A Legend Indeed

Great to have Mal’s diaries see the light of day and used in the writing of this bio. Should have been read in a Liverpudlian accent though.

Complicated, dedicated Mal the roadie

I've waited a while for this publication. It's higher than my highest hopes. Mal's dark side was always there, but the drug use exacerbated the underlying insecurity. He was conflicted by his life on the road, ambition to be a star and appalling inconsideration of his loving wife and kids that he left in the U.K. for the bright lights of celebrity shadows.

The narration by author Kenneth Womack is excellent. Such a complicated biography being written in a way that I think I somewhat know Mal really wasn't expected. Incredible highs and such tragic lows. What a ride... 200 miles.

All You Need is Mal

What an incredible book. The stories Mal shares and the loyalty he had for the Fab Four. Unfortunately, his family would pay the price, but he was loved by family, friends, fans and Beatles alike. The book makes you wish you had met him at some point.

The journey

The story was good to hear from start to finish so I am through writing

The unknown right hand man

The story of Mal Evans was both incredible and incredibly sad the way it ended. But what a ticket to ride! Very enjoyable to listen to and to understand what it was like in the 60s to be a roadie for the biggest band in the entire world and what musicians get today is almost embarrassing in comparison ! It was so great to discover how these diaries were hidden away for many years, and when it are gems of information about Mal’s relationship with each of the Beatles. This poor guy got shanked a few times, but his service to the Beatles was taken for granted, and he just sucked it up and loved what he was doing. Definitely worth listening to or reading.

Fascinating perspective!

The story is told with, what I believe to be, some painful honesty along with genuine affection. I loved Mal's comments about John, the "mad genius!"

Excellent insight to the world of the Beatles

Fascinating journey into the world of the Beatles, revealing many insights that I would not have guessed

Just.. WOW!

Thank you Mal. I know there are tens of people behind how your memories came to life in this book. But at the end, the only one we really own gratitude.. is you.