Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997)
Having recorded only one studio album, ‘Grace’ in 1994, Jeff Buckley has a legacy that continues to snowball. Buckley was on the fringes of superstardom when his untimely death bought a cut short his blossoming career. His cult status and impact on the music industry is undeniable with artists such as ‘Muse’ and ‘Coldplay’ citing him as a major influence.
Born in 1966 in Orange County, Scotty Moorhead, as he was then known, already had a rich musical heritage. His mother, a classically trained pianist, his stepfather Ron Moorhead was a guitarist and avid record collector, and his estranged biological father was folk musician Tim Buckley. Having only met his father once, at the age of eight, Buckley was eager to avoid the comparisons and presumptions that would ultimately be made about his music.
Buckley’s musical evolution flowed through the 1980’s as he attended the Los Angeles Guitar institute where he played in as many as five bands at one time. In 1991, he became interested in the legacy of his father and first sparked attention when playing in a tribute concert “Greetings from Tim Buckley” in New York. Jeff’s raw talents startled Tim’s colleagues, and fans alike, and much was quickly made of his potential. Stemming from this, Jeff spent a brief time playing in the super-group “Gods and Monsters” featuring ex-Captain Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas. He would go on to form an unrivaled creative partnership with Lucas in preparation for ‘Grace’.
Jeff moved to New York shortly thereafter in an attempt to forge a career in music. Attracting attention from various Record Labels through his live sets at the infamous ‘Sin-é’, Sony released a live EP and commissioned ‘Grace’ to be recorded at the acclaimed Bearsville Studio. Grace was recorded with a mixture of original tracks written by Buckley and Lucas accompanied with a trail of beautifully crafted obscure covers.
Despite moderate album sales, Grace was lauded by critics and hailed as the next big thing. Buckley was keen to avoid his music becoming undermined by commercialism, and therefore opposed the idea of music videos and television advertising. He wanted his music to be heard, and he wanted word of mouth and his live performances to do the talking for him, so he embarked on a worldwide tour throughout 1994. In 1995, Buckley won the prestigious "Grand Prix International Du Disque" awarded by Academie Charles Cros in honour of his work in the album ‘Grace’.
Achieving a cult following in France and playing the infamous Reading and Glastonbury festivals, Buckley had, in his own right, cleared the path to superstardom. The public was now aware of Buckley in all his glory. Grace was lauded as a masterpiece and his follow-up effort was eagerly anticipated.
After writing a string of new songs, Buckley was ready to record his new album during the summer of ’97. The album was to be called My Sweetheart The Drunk. Whilst preparing to record the album in Memphis Tennessee, Buckley drowned in the Wolf River when swimming with close friend Keith Foti. He died on May 29th 1997, aged 30.
Jeff’s tragic and untimely death left an unfinished album and a wealth of unfulfilled potential behind. He was highly rated by his peers and much loved by music enthusiasts worldwide. Steve Berkowitz, who signed Jeff to Columbia Records always envisaged that Buckley’s career would be a long and prosperous one. “I thought that Jeff would make twenty-five records and I think that Columbia and Sony thought that it went Dylan, then Springsteen then Buckley.”
His legacy cannot be denied. Since his death, achieved a posthumous number one in the USA eleven years after his death. This was due to his version of ‘Hallelujah’ being performed on hit show American Idol. The same song also featured in a Christmas Number One battle in the UK in 2008 when it was revealed that the winner of TV talent show X-Factor would release a version of the song. Buckley’s song eventually finished in the number two position.
Chris Cornell, Thom Yorke, PJ Harvey and Rufus Wainraight are amongst some of the better-known artists that have written songs as an homage to Jeff’s work.
Kieran Scragg, lead singer of up – and – coming band IKO describes Buckley’s influences as a ‘chain reaction’. “I grew up on ‘Grace’ and owe much of my vocal style to him. Some of my musical heroes have also stated that Buckley was a direct influence on their styles. Being a massive fan of Thom Yorke and PJ Harvey, I was unaware for a long-time that in reality I was only being influenced by Buckley. His relatively unknown status might mean that there are many others out there who are maybe unknowingly influenced by his music.”
He also received a posthumous Grammy Award Nomination in 1998 for ‘Best Male Vocal Performance’ for Everybody Here Wants You. ‘Grace’ was later voted ‘The Number One Modern Rock Classic of All Time’ by MOJO magazine in 2006. A motion picture has been rumored to be in development, with avid fan Brad Pitt often declaring an interest in a directing position in such a project.
Despite mediocre sales and public reception during his lifetime, Jeff’s work has continued to grow and grow in its popularity. ‘Grace’ is now six-times platinum in Australia, and often found in ‘Best of All Time’ lists.
Jeff’s untimely death rather predictably drew comparisons with his father. Jeff may have had a much shorter career, but it was just as spectacular, influential and unique as anyone else who had passed before him or even since.
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