Philco

America used to be a very nice place, united and at peace. But God was asked to leave, and it’s never been the same.

In a mosaic of true moments wrapped in the warm jacket of imagination and memory, Philco invites readers back to the heart and innocence of an America as far removed from today’s reality as 78 rpm records and drive-in movies. But somewhere in each of us is a longing for those days in America when “Let me help you with that tire, ma’am” and “An honest dollar for an honest day’s work” was both said and meant.  

Revisit America’s lost innocence with Philco as he is transported to a time and space where his identity is stripped away and he embarks on a journey of self-discovery. He finds himself anew in a world that is strangely familiar, but still nearly forgotten.

Ken Mansfield’s legendary career in the music industry began as a member of the Town Criers, a successful southern California folk group in the early 1960s. From there he moved to executive tenures as US manager of The Beatles’ Apple Records and, director at Capitol Records, vice president at MGM Records, and president at Barnaby/CBS Records. As a record producer, he was instrumental in launching country music’s “Outlaw” movement in the 1970s, producing Waylon Jennings’ number-one 1975 landmark recording “Are You Ready for the Country” and Jessi Colter’s number-one hit “I’m Not Lisa.” Ken also produced the Gaither Vocal Band’s 1991 GRAMMY and Dove Award–winning Homecoming album, which launched another historic movement, the resurgence of Southern gospel music via the Gaither Homecoming series of recordings, videos, and concerts. Ken is now an ordained minister, a sought-after speaker, and the author: The Beatles, The Bible and Bodega Bay; The White Book; Between Wyomings; Stumbling on Open Ground; and Rock and a Heart Place.