Enter Now for a Chance Win Photographer Merri Cyr’s A Wished For Song: A Portrait of Jeff Buckley in Paperback!
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On a break from recording his sophomore album in 1997, Jeff Buckley took a swim in a stretch of the Mississippi River that runs alongside Memphis. In that instant, one of the most distinct voices of the 90’s, one that was just starting to realize its full potential, was silenced.
Since his untimely passing, Buckley has become a generational icon. His sole album, Grace — a not-so-subtle nod to Leonard Cohen with tinges of Nick Drake, Lee Hazelwood, and his father, the 60’s folk singer Tim Buckley — has achieved legendary status. That Buckley, with a career shut down while still in its infancy, tops best-of lists to this day is a testament to the raw emotional power of his writing and performances.
Brooklyn-based photographer Merri Cyr was with Buckley his entire career, and her 2002 hardcover book, A Wished-For Song: A Portrait of Jeff Buckley, is a stunning collection of hundreds of candid and intimate photos of the musician. Backbeat Books is now readying the introduction of a new paperback version, complete with a slew of new and unseen photos from Cyr’s archive that were not included in the original book.
A close friend and longtime travel companion, Cyr documented Buckley’s every move: from the coffee houses of New York’s East Village to studio sessions, world tours, and the hours of downtime between gigs when the real action happens. Cyr and her camera were always within arm’s reach until the final days.
Cyr’s photos show Buckley’s evolution from local singer/songwriter to critical darling to a legend cut down in his prime. Bittersweet moments of Buckley on the cusp of realizing his dreams are captured with running commentary from those who knew him best, his friends and fellow musicians, as well as collected accolades from devoted fans and contemporaries like Bono, Elvis Costello, Eddie Vedder and Jimmy Page.