May Pang

The daughter of Chinese immigrants (her Chinese name, Fung Yee, means "Phoenix bird"), May Pang grew up in New York, living with her parents and an adopted brother. After graduating high school in the early seventies, May decided against college, wanting instead to get in on the ground floor of the music industry, and make the business end of music her career. After some rounds of different companies, May was hired as an assistant at ABKCO, Allen Klein's artist management company, whose clients included three former Beatles: John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. One day answering phones, May recognized the voice asking to speak to her boss, unmistakably as John's. He proved as charming then (and later in person) as she'd imagined from seeing him in the media, and when the chance came to help John and Yoko Ono on a project, May happily accepted, and flew to England. May's work for John and Yoko led to a stint as their personal assistant, as they moved from England to New York.