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Beatles’ Roadie, Mal Evans, is Subject of 1st Full-Length Biography

by Best Classic Bands Staff

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Mal Evans (Photo: Getty Images via Dey Street Books)

The first full-length biography of Mal Evans, the Beatles’ beloved friend, road manager, and confidant, is coming from world-renowned Beatles scholar and author Kenneth Womack. The book, Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans, is in conjunction with Evans’ family and estate. It will be published on Nov. 14, 2023, via HarperCollins’ Dey Street Books imprint. Pre-order it here. [The book’s cover art has not yet been revealed.]

Working with full access to Evans’ unpublished archives, Womack conducted hundreds of new interviews, providing readers with a full telling of Evans’ unknown story at the heart of the Beatles’ legend. The book is lavishly illustrated with unseen photos and ephemera from Evans’ archives.

From the publisher’s announcement: Evans was an invaluable member of the band’s inner circle. A towering figure in horn-rimmed glasses, he 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 rooftop concert above their Apple Corps Ltd. offices.

Mal Evans (r) with Michael Lindsay-Hogg, George Martin and Ringo Starr in Peter Jackson’s Get Back

For decades, the mystery surrounding Evans’ treasure trove of unreleased material has left Beatles fans and music historians alike longing for a glimpse into the life and times of this most devoted friend among their inner circle. Evans is also seen as a central figure in the footage in Peter Jackson’s acclaimed 2021 Get Back docu-series.

In 2020, the Evans family turned to Womack to bring the archives to the world. Evans’ vast, never before seen archive including diaries, manuscripts, and photographs associated with the Beatles is viewed as a Holy Grail when it comes to understanding the band’s unparalleled legacy.

“My dad meant the world to me,” says Gary Evans. “He was my hero. Before Ken joined the project, I thought I knew the story of my dad. But what I knew was in monochrome; 15 months later it is like The Wizard of Oz (dad’s favorite film) because Ken has added so much color, so much light to his story. Ken has shown me that dad was the Beatles’ greatest friend. He was lucky to meet them, but they had more good fortune with dad walking down the Cavern steps for the first time.”

“What I’ve discovered in this archive is more than I could have ever truly imagined,” says Womack. “I am honored and thrilled to present this biography and accompanying materials with the historical integrity that they deserve.”

Evans himself had planned to submit his manuscripts for publication in the mid-1970s, with the written permission of the Beatles themselves, but he tragically died a month beforehand – and the project was shelved.

Over the years, his legend has only grown among Beatles aficionados. Evans left a stable job as telecommunications engineer to serve as road manager for the fledgling band. He 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.

Though he started off as their roadie in August 1963, he truly became their most intimate companion, with a birds-eye view of Beatlemania as it raged across the world. He singlehandedly captained their stage show, prepping their instruments and accompanying them on tour.   After the group abandoned the stage to pursue studio work in 1966, his contributions began to loom even larger, holding a special place in the creative universe of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. When the Beatles formed Apple Corps., he re-fashioned himself as a talent scout, and developed a number of rock ‘n’ roll acts for the fledgling label—most notably, Badfinger, for whom he produced several songs including the hit, “No Matter What.”

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.

Kenneth Womack

2023’s first volume of the book comprises a full-length biography, lavishly illustrated with unseen photos and ephemera from Evans’ archives. A second volume, complete with Evans’ diaries, manuscripts, and numerous other artifacts, will be published in 2024.

Dr. Kenneth Womack is Professor of English and Popular Music at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. He is the author or editor of 40 books, including Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles (2007), the Cambridge Companion to the Beatles (2009), The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four (2014), and a multivolume study devoted to the life and work of Beatles producer George Martin. His bestselling book, Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles, was released in 2019. His latest book, John Lennon, 1980: The Last Days in the Life, was published in 2020.