Larry Beckett

Larry Beckett. Courtesy LinkedIn.

Larry Beckett (born 4 April 1947) is an American poet and songwriter, best known for his collaborations with Tim Buckley in the late 1960s.

Youth

Beckett was born in Glendale, California, where his father was an English and speech teacher and his mother worked in the career counseling industry. The Becketts moved around for the 1st decade of Larry Beckett's life, first to Ashland, Oregon, then back down south to Downey, California and eventually settling in nearby Anaheim when Larry was 10 years old.

Larry attended Loara High School where he developed a passion for writing and poetry. While attending high school he befriended classmates Tim Buckley and Jim Fielder, a relationship that would launch Beckett into music songwriting. The adolescent friends would frequent Hollywood, where they were introduced to the area's art and music scene.

Songwriting career

Buckley and Beckett started writing together in the mid-1960s, when both were members of Southern California group The Bohemians, in which Beckett played drums and Jim Fielder (later of Blood, Sweat and Tears) played bass. They recorded a demo for Elektra Records, but the company was only interested in Buckley as a solo artist, not the group.

Beckett contributed to Buckley's first 2 albums, Tim Buckley and Goodbye and Hello, both as co-songwriter and as a collaborator on arrangements. The songs which Beckett co-wrote, such as "Morning Glory" and "Song to the Siren", were characterised by the literary tone of his lyrics. The title track of "Goodbye and Hello" was originally constructed by Beckett as a piece in which two voices would sing different words and melodies.

Later years

Beckett and Buckley resumed their songwriting partnership for Starsailor in 1970, and Beckett was sporadically involved in Buckley's later work until Buckley's death in 1975. He has remained a poet and songwriter as well as working as a computer consultant, based in Portland, Oregon. Beckett is married to photographer Laura Fletcher and they have 2 children - Susannah Beckett (born 1990) and Liam Beckett (born 1999).

Publications

Poetry

• Songs and Sonnets. Willits, CA: Rainy Day Women Press, 2002.
• Paul Bunyan. Middlesbrough: Smokestack Books, 2015.

Non-fiction

• Beat Poetry. St. Andrews, UK: Beatdom, 2012.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

Larry Beckett Reads Last Lyric Written For Tim Buckley 'On The Hook'

• List of English-language songwriters

External links

Books

• Beat Poetry by Larry Beckett at Beatdom

About

• Larry Beckett at Facebook
• Interview with Beckett, 2000
• Another interview, 2004