Touched by Grace ― My Time With Jeff Buckley

(Book). Touched By Grace is an up-close-and-personal account by the legendary guitarist and songwriter Gary Lucas of the time he spent with his friend and collaborator, Jeff Buckley, during Jeff's early days in New York City. It describes their magical performance together at the Greetings from Tim Buckley concert at the Church of St Ann in 1991 the event that first introduced Jeff to the world at large; the creation of their songs "Mojo Pin" and "Grace," which started life as guitar instrumentals by Gary and would later become integral to Jeff's debut album, Grace ; and their plan to take on the world together in Gary's band Gods & Monsters. Just as the band was set to soar, however, Jeff pulled the plug, opting instead to sign a solo deal with Columbia Records the very label that had recently cut short its recording contract with the original incarnation of Gods & Monsters. In this fascinating, revelatory new book, Gary Lucas writes with vivid, heartfelt honesty about the highs and lows of this all-too-brief musical union, from his first meeting with Jeff through to the devastating phone call from an MTV journalist with news of Jeff's disappearance in the Mississippi River. Touched By Grace is an eye-opening tale of music, passion, betrayal, and more.

Gary Lucas is a world-class guitarist and Grammy-nominated songwriter. Dubbed "the greatest living electric guitarist" by Daniel Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain On Music, he has recorded more than 20 acclaimed solo albums spanning everything from psychedelic rock to Chinese pop, and was a key member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band during the 80s. He was a consultant on the film Greetings From Tim Buckley, which stars Penn Badgley as Jeff Buckley and covers the same time period as this book. For more information, visit www.garylucas.com.