Mal Evans
May 27, 1935 – January 5, 1976
Mal Evans worked as the Beatles’ road manager for many years and also appeared in minor roles on several of their records. He also discovered and produced Badfinger. Evans was working as a bouncer at the Cavern Club in Liverpool when, in 1963, Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, hired him to work with Neil Aspinall as the Beatles’ assistant road manager. Evans’ duties ranged from bodyguard to errand-runner for the band. During the Beatles’ later years, Evans helped out in the studio. He contributed an occasional lyric or two and even played on several records. It was Evans who was manning the alarm clock during the key moment of “A Day in the Life.” In 1968, Evans brought Badfinger to Apple Records and even though he almost no technical experience in the studio, produced several of Badfinger’s songs, including their hit, “No Matter What.” Evans moved to Los Angeles during the early ’70s after he and his wife separated. In December of 1976, his wife asked for a divorce and Evans reportedly fell into a noticeable depression. On January 5, 1976, a friend went to Evans’ apartment to check on him only to find him in an agitated and confused state and in possession of an air rifle. Police were called and demanded Evans put down what they thought was a regular rifle, but he refused. Mal Evans, age 40, was shot and killed by the officers who felt threatened by his actions. The shooting was ruled justifiable.