Violist Caroline Buckman died of cancer in March 2023 at the age of 48. Eleven months earlier she had taken part in a recording that later turned out to be the final Beatles song “Now And Then”. Until her death, Buckman herself did not know what exactly she was taking part in. Her parents only found out that she was part of the Beatles string group after the song was released.
From “Give & Take” to “Now And Then”
The mother of the deceased, Erika Buckman, now has CBC tells how proud she was when she found out about the project and how her daughter felt about the recordings. Buckman took part in a three-hour recording in April 2022, which was rewarded with a “couple hundred dollars”. At the time, she and other musicians only knew that they would work for Paul McCartney. They assumed that it would be a solo project called “Give & Take”.
McCartney himself was there during the recording, took time to talk to the artists, take photos and listen to them. One of the musicians remembers that the singer wanted to stay with them rather than sit in the mixing room. According to his statement, McCartney said, “No, this is where the magic happens… I just want to sit here and enjoy it.”
“She was very excited”
Caroline Buckman has previously worked on musical projects for Star Wars and Star Trek, as well as Neil Young and REM. Throughout her career, she had never asked anyone for an autograph until she met Paul McCartney, who she had signed her sheet music. Looking back, her friend says: “She was very excited. She said, “I played with Paul McCartney today.”
Buckman’s mother clearly remembers the phone call in which she learned that her daughter had actually played for Now And Then. She said on the phone at the time: “You’re going to make me cry.” Today she explains: “She would have been incredibly happy about it. It’s sad, but I’m very proud.”