Charles Manson

Charles Milles Manson (born November 12th 1934) is an inmate serving life in the California penal system since his conviction in 1970 for involvement in multiple murders. His music career consists of his demo recordings made before his infamy was secured through leadership of the ragtag hippie murder clique known as "The Family", in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Later on these tapes were compiled and surfaced as the album "Lie" . A smattering of subsequent recordings have been made during Manson's prison stint and smuggled out of the facilities he has been held at. He is also known for writing a song recorded by the Beach Boys, and another recorded by Guns n Roses.

Prior to his involvement in the murder trial that made him famous , Manson had met The Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson and his associate Terry Melcher, the son of actress Doris Day. Gram Parson's manager Phil Kaufman recorded Manson's songs on a reel to reel tape, and the Beach Boys somehow ended up rearranging a Manson composition in 1968. The song chosen was Manson's song “Cease to Exist”, which the Beach Boys retitled "Never Learn Not to Love", and much to Manson's chagrin, when it appeared as a b-side, his name was left off the credits.

According to Van Dyke Parks, Manson came around & threatened Dennis Wilson and Melcher, but Wilson kicked Manson's ass. Legend has it that seeking revenge, Manson looked up Melcher's address, but Melcher had moved, and pregnant movie actress Sharon Tate was living at the location by the time Manson's cohorts arrived for mayhem in the summer of 1969. Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi convinced a jury that Manson planned and ordered his "family" to commit Tate's and several other brutal murders, in what came to be known as the "Tate-La Bianca" murders, named after the victims. Manson was convicted for being the mastermind, and was not accused of committing the murders in person . He is currently serving a lifetime sentence in California's Corcoran State Prison. On 23 May 2007, Manson was denied parole for the eleventh time. He will not be eligible again for parole until 2012. Due to his eccentric and arguably dangerous behavior as well as his notoriety, it is highly unlikely he will ever be released. Manson has never admitted guilt and maintains his innocence.

Since his trial and conviction, Manson's name and image have been integrated into American pop culture generally as a popular media symbol of ultimate evil. A website featuring accounts of his musical career exists at mansonmusic.blogspot.com. His songs have been covered by many artists including Redd Kross, and most infamously by Guns 'n Roses, who preformed the song "Look at your Game Girl" for their platinum "The Spaghetti Incident" cover album.