Larry Beckett

Larry Beckett (born 4 April 1947) is an American poet and songwriter, best known for his collaborations with Tim Buckley in the late-1960s. In the 21st century, he is emerging as a poet and literary critic.

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 first 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 Beckett attended Loara High School where he developed a passion for writing and poetry. While attending high school Larry Beckett 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.

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 & 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 two 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.

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