Rock and a Heart Place : A Rock 'n' Roller-coaster Ride from Rebellion to Sweet Salvation

Rock and a Heart Place traces the rise, fall, and redemption of famous entertainers who were brought to their knees a great place to meet God. Join award-winning producer and music executive Ken Mansfield and biographer Marshall Terrill on a spiritual journey down the secluded halls of the music industry. Rock and a Heart Place is your backstage pass to never before-heard secrets, stories, and testimonies from some of rock music's greatest legends including members of Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, Collective Soul, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Grand Funk Railroad, Kansas, Korn, Ozzy Osbourne, Pointer Sisters, Prince, The Ronettes, and The Turtles.

ARTISTS FEATURED (hardcover edition) 

MARK VOLMAN was cofounder of The Turtles, a 1960s pop-rock band that has sold more than forty million records. He was also a core member of Frank Zappa’s The Mothers of Invention and the dynamic duo Flo & Eddie. 

RUTH POINTER is one of the legendary Pointer Sisters who scored dozens of hits in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and sold close to forty million records, making them one of the most successful female groups of all time. 

BRIAN "HEAD" WELCH is the lead guitarist for the nu metal band Korn. In addition to chart-topping, million-selling records and two GRAMMY awards, their shows fill up arenas and stadiums worldwide. 

CHRIS HILLMAN helped define the country rock genre by his groundbreaking work with The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas, and the Desert Rose Band. 

JOHN ELEFANTE was the lead singer of the multiplatinum-selling Kansas from 1981 to 1985 and wrote two of their highest charting singles. After leaving Kansas, he became one of the most successful Christian producers of all time. 

RUDY SARZO has been a professional recording artist for more than thirty years and a member of Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Blue Oyster Cult, Yngwie Malmsteen, and DIO. 

England Dan & JOHN FORD COLEY waved the soft-rock banner loudly in the 1970s, releasing several platinum and gold records in their decade-long partnership and Top 10 hits that are staples of classic rock radio today. 

With DEZ DICKERSON at his side from 1978 to 1983, Prince became a household name, selling more than one hundred million albums, earning seven Grammys, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. 

SHANE EVANS of Collective Soul dominated 1990s rock and alternative radio, charting an astounding seven number-one hits, nineteen Top 40 singles, and ten million in worldwide sales. 

NEDRA ROSS and The Ronettes were the first bad girls of rock and roll, racially indefinable, and one of the most exciting acts of their era, ruling the airwaves in the early ’60s with a string of girl-group classics and mini rock operas. 

RICHIE FURAY of Buffalo Springfield was a major catalyst for the 1960s country folk rock sound. Richie's repeat performance as cofounder of Poco carried on this tradition of great music. 

MARK FARNER of Grand Funk Railroad earned eleven consecutive RIAA Gold/Platinum Record Awards from 1969 to 1975. They surpassed The Beatles in record sales in 1970.

Rock and a Heart Place is a compelling, fascinating read. Ken Mansfield’s relationships throughout his impressive career include many famous artists, who, along with Ken, came to the conclusion that personal fulfillment cannot be satisfied with money, sex, and drugs, the trifecta of a rock and roller and that life ultimately holds little purpose without a relationship with their Creator.

- Michael Omartian, Multiple Grammy® Award-winning producer, arranger, and musician, The Recording Academy (NARAS) Keyboard Musician of the Year

Where do rock stars go when they’ve tried everything the world has to offer and yet have continued to come up empty? In Rock and a Heart Place, Ken Mansfield provides engaging and perhaps surprising answers. This fascinating and fun-to-read book is loaded with inside stories of some of our favorite music makers. It is a classic reminder that regardless what messes our family or friends might encounter, the Creator is greater; nobody is beyond hope, and there is no need to give up on anyone!

- Ken Abraham, New York Times best-selling author

Reading any Ken Mansfield book is an eye-opening experience. As an innovative producer and record company executive during the heat and heart of the sixties through the nineties music scene, his recollections of the way things were bring back not only the sights and sounds of the era but reveal the bigger picture of the Creator’s purpose for all our lives. Joined by respected biographer/author Marshall Terrill, Ken takes us on a mesmerizing journey traveling alongside some of the greatest musical icons of our time. Within these pages are real life stories of famous men and women who have tasted struggle, fame, fortune, and loss, yet speak today of restoration and renewal.

- Phil Keaggy, Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame, Seven-time Dove Award recipient and two-time Grammy® Award nominee