Ken Mansfield headlines 1968 Week

Ken Mansfield, former U.S. Manager for Apple Records, is heading up an all-star cast of authors to commemorate the watershed year of 1968.

Billed as "Revolution '68: How the Beatles Reflected a Rebellious Year," Mansfield will appear with authors Charles Kaiser, Devin McKinney and Anthony DeCurtis at New York City's Barnes and Noble, 2289 Broadway at 82nd Street. The event starts at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a signing. Mansfield will be signing copies of his all-music tome The White Book (Thomas Nelson, $22.95). Seating is limited to the first 100 people.

Mansfield has worked with some of the biggest giants in the rock 'n roll and the country music genres. As the U.S. manager of the Apple Records label, he was invited by his bosses, The Beatles to be among only a handful of eyewitnesses to catch their last-ever gig on the rooftop of their London headquarters on January 30, 1969. He was a loyal employee and companion to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr both during the band years and well after their breakup in 1970. He was present when they composed some of their most enduring tunes. As a record label exec and Grammy Award-winning producer, he also worked on the marketing, promotion and production of dozens of top-selling artists, such as the Beach Boys, and was also a major player in country music in the 1970s as producer of choice of the groundbreaking Outlaw movement, whose impact is still felt in the genre to this very day.

Through exclusive, never-before-seen photos and personal stories, Mansfield - one of the very last Fab Four insiders to pen a book - offers a compelling memoir that delves into his life in the 1960s and '70s and his unique partnership with The Beatles and other musicians who had orbited their world, from James Taylor to Harry Nilsson. It also includes fleeting, yet unforgettable encounters with Mama Cass Elliott, Eric Clapton, Donovan, Glen Campbell and Dolly Parton. As observer, friend and colleague, Mansfield attended Beatles recording sessions, partied in their swimming pools, took their irate calls, witnessed the madness of Beatlemania, and publicized their success. Entertaining, historically accurate, and illuminating a side of the Fab Four known only to a few like Mansfield, The White Book shines fresh light on the true characters behind the cultural phenomena that revolutionized a generation.