Join Grammy Award-winning producer Mansfield as he journeys through the canyons of Hollywood, alleys of Nashville, and back streets of his soul! Featuring never-before-published stories about Ringo Starr, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, and others, Mansfield's memoir traces his spiritual odyssey of one who experienced the desolation of success---and the fulfillment that comes only from God.
Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll and... religion? Former record executive Mansfield (The White Book) looks back on his life during a road trip from the vantage point of one who has seen it all and then found God. The open road is an apt and common metaphor for the spiritual life, but this travelogue never really connects the dots. Why does the author take the trip? What does he hope to find? Is he attempting to exorcise past demons, or beg forgiveness for enjoying the excesses of life in the music business? All of these are themes the author flirts with but never embraces. Mansfield's prayerful musings, however, are quite extraordinary. These spirituality-infused moments are the most poignant of the book, although they make strange bedfellows with accounts of hanging out with Ringo Starr, Dolly Parton and Lou Rawls. While the book is a bit disjointed, the brief forays into prayer along with the exciting stories of the music business in the '60s and '70s make this a welcome addition to the spirituality shelf. (June 9) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Average Rating: 3 out of 5 stars(3 out of 5 stars)
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3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith (Los Angeles), November 03, 2009
Do You Have an Angel on Your Shoulder and the Devil on Your Back?
Do you feel that you have an angel on your shoulder and the devil on your back? As Ken Mansfield struggles between a deep belief in God and a plague of doubts about his faith. Having spent over forty years of senseless meandering, he embarks on one last journey in his quest to find answers, inviting you to travel along with him and his wife, Connie.
If you grew up listening to music in the 60s through the 90s, you have no doubt heard and enjoyed some of this Grammy-winning producer’s music. Through his cross country journey Ken jostles us back and forth between his present soul-searching journey and his reminisces of four decades in the music industry. Through stories of success and innovation, pain and sorrow, Ken transparently reflects ‘the shallow importance of worldly things in those heady days’ and honestly explains that ‘the dilemmas I’ve experienced since were always about not letting go of those same old terrestrial considerations.’
This book is for all who desire to discover and recover God’s purpose for their lives. This journey will reveal the vapidness of seeking after only worldly honor and fame. It calls the reader to trust God and seek Him daily.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Ann Harrington (United States), September 07, 2009
We all go through those moments when God draws us into a time of deepen our faith and our relationship with Him.
Between Wyomings: My God and an iPod by Ken Mansfield contains the personal story of the author as he travels across the country in his van in a search for that deeper, intimate faith. His book contains many flashbacks to his days in the record industry working with icons such as Dolly Patron and the Beatles. Mansfield spent his career as a famous music producer for some of the biggest names in the industry.
The title of this book caught my attention and I was excited to get reading it. Unfortunately I had a hard time getting into it. I found myself enjoying the recounting of his interactions with those in the music industry, but those moments were too spread out to hold my attention. I wasn’t really sure what to take out of the portions that seemed more of a soul searching private journal than a book to be read by others.
Overall, if you enjoy reading journals or personal memoirs this book may be just for you. Ken definitely had some memorable moments during his music career. If you are looking for a fast paced page turner then this book is not for you.
I have reviewed this book for Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger Program.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Cynthia Cullen (Hilton Head Island, SC USA), August 22, 2009
What better way to tell the story of your life than on a road trip? That is what Ken does with such beautiful language - weaving personal stories into the physical landscape that is our beautiful nation. As he and his wife Connie leave their home in Bodega Bay in a they call "MOSES", they take a physical as well as mental journey to some of the most memorable places in their lives and recount for us the struggles, victories, and just plain interesting stories of their lives. A great read for artists of all kinds!
3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Kylan Robinson (Pullman, WA), July 23, 2009
In Between Wyomings, Ken Mansfield gives us a partial account of his life history. We are told accounts of his experiences with the Beatles, his adventures with Waylon Jennings, and his attempts to keep his head above water in the extreme opulence and excess of the music business.
After reading this book, it’s easy to image that Ken Mansfield could be called the modern-day embodiment of the biblical Book of Ecclesiasties. At first glance, it looks like Mr. Mansfield had it all. Money, success, fame, and more. Even at the peak of his meteoric ascension, though, the reader can see that Ken was always grasping for more.
Eventually, Ken’s life fell apart. He dabbled in obscure religion and used drugs heavily, trying everything he could think of to fill the void in his heart. As the author of Ecclesiaties concluded, “there is nothing new under the sun.” Fortunately, this is where God’s grace came into play, and now all of his earlier accomplishments pale in comparison to his Eternal Savior.
In many ways, it seems like Ken might to relate to a whole range of unbelievers. For much of his life he chased worldly goals and ambitions. He had reached the pinnacle of achievement according to our society, but he now believes that all of those pursuits were wasteful.
At the same time, Mr. Mansfield may have undermined his own efforts to tell his testimony in a compelling way. As I read this book, I often found myself more interested in his wild and crazy stories than his deep, wandering, introspective ponderings about God. An unbeliever could easily write off Ken’s transformation by claiming that his simply “went soft in his old age.” Let’s hope that’s not the case, but I could see it as a potential problem.
Overall, I would characterize Ken Mansfield’s writing style as extremely accessible. He was able to take me through a full range of emotions as I read this book, and I appreciated the way that he weaved his stories into the backdrop of a roadtrip with his wife.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Barbara (Macclenny, FL.), July 10, 2009
This wonderful non-fiction book, winds it's way through the tremendously interesting life of the author. As you read "Between Wyomings" you will ride along with Ken and his wife Connie on an amazing journey of his past, before he knew Christ, and the present day, as a born-again Christian. Ken does a wonderful job recounting his life in the music industry for some 30 years.
As I read this captivating book, I enjoyed every minute reading about the lessons Ken has learned over the years, why the Lord allowed everything in his life to happen and what he's chosen to do with his life now. In paragraph after paragraph, I saw myself and often felt like he was reading my own mind. I too had experienced many of the same feelings from the time before I knew Christ.
I was deeply touched at the words of this humble man. His faith and what the Lord has brought him through, was such an encouragement to me.
I most definitely would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who were hitting their teenage years in the 60's. You'll understand why when you read the book.
I am a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program at http://brb.thomasnelson.com
3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Kathy Leicester (United States), July 06, 2009
Ken Mansfield’s book “Between Wyomings,” is the tale of Ken and his wife, Connie, traveling through the “mile markers” of Ken’s life and career as a music producer. Ken is on a spiritual journey to find himself and believes that physically revisiting the places of his life will help him move beyond their memories and closer to God.
There are moments of wisdom:
“Instead of forgetting to remember His promises, I begin remembering that I need to forget the lies of the devil and just take God at His Word.” page 33
“I thought when I became a Christian things would sort themselves out automatically.... Instead, it seems whenever I place my trust on the Rock, it rolls over me and crushes me beneath its weight.” page 99
“I had made success my god and when failure came my way I found myself alone and confused in a godless world.” page 192
Even with its wisdom, it is, in the end, a beautifully redemptive story, awkwardly told. After a lifetime securing every pleasure the world had to offer, the real prize in Ken’s life came only after worldly failure pushed him to his knees, where he confessed faith in Jesus Christ. The awkwardness is in the storytelling--short poorly written interludes of spiritual journey are set between chapters clearly describing his career.
The spiritual interludes are confusing at best. His attempts at describing spiritual truths in a folksy, in-the-moment style were unfocused and confusing. In contrast, the chapters describing his days in the music business were written in a crisp and lyrical style that pulled me straight into the tale. The stark contrast in the literary quality of the two chapter styles was as if two different people had written the book, and the spiritual interludes became burdens to carry to the next chapter.
Judging by the testimonials at the end of the book (Pastors Alistair Begg and David Jeremiah, neither one a flatterer), Ken is a powerfully gifted speaker. That giftedness didn’t translate well into this book.
2 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Vershal Hogan (Vidalia, LA), June 23, 2009
By some strange alignment of the stars, the music of my father’s youth was also the music of my own youth, and when I saw Ken Mansfield’s book Between Wyomings, I thought it might have some resonance with me — after all, he worked with the likes of the Beatles, Waylon Jennings and James Taylor, and he partied with members of Buffalo Springfield and Willie Nelson.
The book follows Mansfield on a literal and metaphorical journey across the country and through his memories of show business. It chronicles his spiritual highs, lows and eventual conversion to Christianity, and — unlike many Christian memoirs — doesn’t get preachy about his life pre-conversion. (He is fairly critical of his time as a New Ager, but most of his commentary about his pre-Christian life can be summed up in his statement at the end of the chapter about novelty-album screecher Mrs. Miller: “When I get to heaven, I will apologize.”) By the end of the book, Mansfield — who is 10 years into incurable cancer — deals with some personal baggage, but — even though Mansfield is a decent enough writer — the reader never really feels a connection with him.
The book has its interesting moments, but it has some serious flaws. It (annoyingly) jumps from present-tense-first-person to past-tense depending on the narrative, and the passages on spirituality can for at times be church sign cheesy. Perhaps the biggest problem with the book is that, while it deals with memorable characters, it is not memorable itself.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sarah Katie (Dallas, TX), June 21, 2009
Ken Mansfield takes on a wild car ride in his lastest release, Between Wyomings.
I initially read this book because of his connections with the music industry. However, many of the artists and music gurus I have never heard of before. I found myself skimming over many of the chapters that talked exclusively about his life in the music world. But, the parts of his discoveries of the love and nature of God were GREAT!
It was neat also to learn about his influence on the lives of the Beatles. This book doesn't concentrate a lot on the group, but the members get mentioned a couple of times. :)
I would definitely recommend this book for people who know more about 60's & 70's music than I do. Since i didn't know most of the names, not all of the book captured my whole attention. A fun book all the same though!
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