Did Charles Manson write any songs?
Charles Manson (born November 12, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.—died November 19, 2017 in Kern County, California) was an American criminal and cult leader whose followers committed numerous legendary killings in the late 1960s. Their crimes were the inspiration for the best-selling novel Helter Skelter (1974). Manson was born to a 16-year-old girl and an…
Charles Manson (born November 12, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.—died November 19, 2017 in Kern County, California) was an American criminal and cult leader whose followers committed numerous legendary killings in the late 1960s. Their crimes were the inspiration for the best-selling novel Helter Skelter (1974).
Manson was born to a 16-year-old girl and an unknown male. After his mother was imprisoned for armed robbery, he moved to West Virginia to live with an aunt and uncle. Beginning at the age of nine, he spent the most of his life in juvenile reformatory or jail for offenses such as petty larceny, armed robbery, burglary, and auto theft.
Following his release from prison in 1967, Manson relocated to San Francisco, where he gathered a tiny but devoted following among the city’s bohemian youth culture. By 1968, he had become the leader of the “Family,” a community religious cult dedicated to studying and implementing his outlandish religious beliefs based on science fiction, the occult, and fringe psychology. He predicted an apocalyptic racial conflict that would destroy the United States and place the Family in a position of dominance.
The Family carried out multiple murders on Manson’s orders in 1969, illustrating Manson’s grip on his followers. The most well-known victim was actress Sharon Tate, wife of film director Roman Polanski, who was assassinated in her Los Angeles home with three guests. The subsequent trial of Manson and his associates in 1970 drew widespread attention. Manson was sentenced to death in 1971, but after California abolished the death penalty in 1972, his sentence was commuted to life in prison. He became eligible for parole in 1978, but was denied both then and in following hearings.
Did Charles Manson write any songs?
Yes, The song “Cease to Exist,” written and produced by a certain Charlie Manson, was the inspiration for “Never Learn Not to Love,” which was eventually published as the B-side to “Bluebirds Over the Mountain” in 1968.
