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‘He lived his whole life in that fire’: the tragic story of ‘lost’ singer Jackson C Frank

A school fire, a shooting and mental health issues plagued a man whose legacy is remembered in a new documentary

As told in the film, Frank’s story stands with the sorriest of the many doomed musician sagas, replete with tales of intense physical pain, lingering mental trauma, horrific diagnoses, an accidental shooting that left him blind in one eye, as well as periods of homelessness. Photograph: Jim AbbottA rare bright spot during the eight and a half months he spent recuperating in the hospital arrived when a music teacher brought him an acoustic guitar, which he taught him to play. Other artists picked up on his songs, including Paul Simon, who recorded Blues Run the Game with Art Garfunkel in an outtake, and Denny, who cut You Never Wanted Me and Milk & Honey in shattering versions.

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