his name was terry melcher, one of l.a.'s top music producers.te spring of '69, melcher agreed to come to spahn ranch to hear manson sing. >> charlie almost expected somebody to pull out a contract and a pen and say, "here, sign here, where you now have a contract with columbia records." >> reporter: but, there was to be no contract because later terry melcher politely but firmly rejected charlie manson. >> charlie was really crushed. >> reporter: he would not be a rock and roll star. he would not be rich and famous. he was a failure. which to manson, meant said his parole officer roger smith. >> charlie was in serious danger of losing the family. he did something that, you know, politicians are masterful at, and that is he creates this -- this horrible thing out there. that there's gonna be a race war. >> reporter: it was a time of racial strife in america, especially in l.a. and manson blended that information somehow with the book of revelation, to prophesy armaggedon, a world-ending race war. he called it "helter skelter." after one of the so