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Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by performing
cover songs In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...
at venues in East Village, Manhattan, such as Sin-é, while gradually focusing more on his own material. After rebuffing interest from record labels and Herb Cohen—the manager of his father, singer Tim Buckley— he signed with
Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
, recruited a band, and recorded what would be his only studio album, ''
Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...
'', in 1994. Over the following three years, the band toured extensively to promote ''Grace'', including concerts in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Australia. In 1996, they stopped touring and made sporadic attempts to record Buckley's second album in New York City with Tom Verlaine as the producer. In 1997, Buckley moved to
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...
, to resume work on the album, to be titled ''
My Sweetheart the Drunk ''Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk'' is a compilation album by the American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released by Columbia Records on May 26, 1998, a year after his death. It comprises recordings Buckley made with the producer Tom Verla ...
'', recording many four-track demos while also playing weekly solo shows at a local venue. On May 29, 1997, while awaiting the arrival of his band from New York, he drowned during a spontaneous evening swim, fully clothed, in the Mississippi River, where he was caught in the
wake Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition * Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...
of a passing boat; his body was found on June 4. Since his death, there have been many posthumous releases of his material, including a four-track collection of demos and studio recordings of his unfinished second album ''My Sweetheart the Drunk'', expansions of ''Grace'', and the '' Live at Sin-é'' EP. Chart success for Buckley came posthumously; with his cover of
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
's " Hallelujah", Buckley attained his first number one on '' Billboard''s Hot Digital Songs in March 2008 and reached number two in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
that December. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' included ''Grace'' in its list of the
500 Greatest Albums of All Time * Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time * NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a 2013 special issue of British magazine '' NME'', available digitally or in newsstands on October 23. The li ...
and included Buckley in their list of the greatest singers.


Early life

Born in
Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...
, Buckley was the only son of Mary ( Guibert) and Tim Buckley. His mother was a Zonian of mixed
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
,
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
nian descent, while his father was the son of an Irish American father and an Italian American mother. Buckley was raised by his mother and stepfather, Ron Moorhead, in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
, and had a half-brother, Corey Moorhead. Buckley moved many times in and around Orange County while growing up, an upbringing Buckley called "rootless trailer trash". As a child, Buckley was known as Scott "Scottie" Moorhead, based on his middle name and his stepfather's surname. His biological father, Tim Buckley, was a singer-songwriter who released a series of folk and jazz albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and whom, he said, he only met once, at the age of eight. After his biological father died of a
drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.
in 1975, he chose to go by Buckley and his real first name, which he found on his birth certificate. To members of his family he remained "Scottie". Buckley was brought up around music; his mother was a classically trained pianist and cellist, and his stepfather introduced him to
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are c ...
, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...
at an early age. Led Zeppelin's '' Physical Graffiti'' was the first album he owned, and he has noted hard rock band Kiss as an early favorite. He grew up singing around the house and in harmony with his mother, and later noted that all his family sang. He began playing guitar at the age of five after discovering an acoustic guitar in his grandmother's closet. At age 12, he decided to become a musician and received his first electric guitar, a black
Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz guitarist, jazz, country guitarist, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid body ...
, at age 13. He attended Loara High School and played in the school jazz band; during this time, he developed an affinity for
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
bands Rush,
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book o ...
, and
Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...
, as well as jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola. After graduating high school, he moved to Hollywood to attend the Musicians Institute, completing a one-year course at age 19. Buckley later told ''Rolling Stone'' the school was "the biggest waste of time", but noted in an interview with ''DoubleTake Magazine'' that he appreciated studying music theory there, saying, "I was attracted to really interesting harmonies, stuff that I would hear in Ravel,
Ellington Ellington may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Ellington, Cambridgeshire * Ellington, Northumberland *Ellington High and Low, a civil parish in North Yorkshire **High Ellington **Low Ellington United States *Ellington Airport (Texas), Hous ...
, Bartók."


Career

Buckley spent the next six years working in a hotel and playing guitar in various struggling bands, playing in styles from jazz,
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...
, and roots rock to heavy metal. He toured with
dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Ro ...
reggae artist Shinehead and also played the occasional funk and R&B studio session, collaborating with fledgling producer
Michael J. Clouse Michael J. Clouse (sometimes credited as Michael J. Clouse III), an American record producer and songwriter was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Framingham North High School in Framingham, Massachusetts and received a degree from ...
to form X-Factor Productions. Throughout this period, Buckley limited his singing to backing vocals. He moved to New York City in February 1990 but found few opportunities to work as a musician. He was introduced to
Qawwali Qawwali (Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি ( Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontine ...
, the Sufi devotional music of India and Pakistan, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, one of its best-known singers. Buckley was an impassioned fan of Khan, and during what he called his "cafe days", he often covered Khan's songs. In January 1996, he interviewed Khan for ''
Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...
'' and wrote liner notes for Khan's ''Supreme Collection, Vol. 1'' compilation. He also became interested in blues musician
Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generat ...
and
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pu ...
band Bad Brains during this time. Buckley moved back to Los Angeles in September when his father's former manager, Herb Cohen, offered to help him record his first demo of original songs. Buckley completed ''Babylon Dungeon Sessions'', a four-song cassette that included the songs " Eternal Life", "Unforgiven" (later titled " Last Goodbye"), "Strawberry Street" (a different version of which appears on the ''Grace Legacy Edition''), and punk screamer "Radio". Cohen and Buckley hoped to attract attention from the music industry with the demo tape. Buckley flew back to New York early the following year to make his public singing debut at a tribute concert for his father called "Greetings from Tim Buckley". The event, produced by show business veteran Hal Willner, was held at St. Ann's Church in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...
on April 26, 1991. Buckley rejected the idea of the concert as a springboard to his career, instead citing personal reasons regarding his decision to sing at the tribute. With accompaniment by experimental rock guitarist Gary Lucas, Buckley performed "I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain", a song Tim Buckley wrote about an infant Jeff Buckley and his mother. Buckley returned to the stage to play "Sefronia – The King's Chain", "Phantasmagoria in Two", and concluded the concert with "Once I Was" performed acoustically with an impromptu a cappella ending, due to a snapped guitar string. Willner, the show's organizer, later recalled that Buckley's set closer made a strong impression. Buckley's performance at the concert was counterintuitive to his desire to distance himself musically from his father; Buckley later explained his reasoning to ''Rolling Stone'': "It wasn't my work, it wasn't my life. But it bothered me that I hadn't been to his funeral, that I'd never been able to tell him anything. I used that show to pay my last respects." The concert proved to be his first step into the music industry that had eluded him for years. On subsequent trips to New York in mid-1991, Buckley began co-writing with Gary Lucas, resulting in the songs "
Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...
" and "
Mojo Pin "Mojo Pin" is the first song on Jeff Buckley's 1994 album '' Grace''. It was written by Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas, and was first introduced on his EP, '' Live at Sin-é''. Buckley stated that the song was about a dream of a black woman. Throug ...
", and by late 1991, he began performing with Lucas's band Gods and Monsters in New York City. After being offered a development deal as a member of Gods and Monsters at Imago Records, Buckley moved to Lower East Side, Manhattan, at the end of 1991. The day after Gods and Monsters officially debuted in March 1992, he decided to leave the band. Buckley began performing at several clubs and cafés around
Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...
, but Sin-é became his main venue. He first appeared at Sin-é in April 1992 and quickly earned a regular Monday night slot there. His repertoire consisted of a diverse range of folk, rock, R&B, blues, and jazz cover songs, much of it he had newly learned. During this period, he discovered singers such as
Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blue ...
,
Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...
,
Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in ...
, and
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in ''The ...
. Buckley performed an eclectic selection of covers from a range of artists from Led Zeppelin, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, Édith Piaf,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
, the Smiths, Bad Brains,
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
,
Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generat ...
and Siouxsie Sioux. Original songs from the ''Babylon Dungeon Sessions'', and the songs he'd written with Gary Lucas were also included in his set lists. He performed solo, accompanying himself on a borrowed Fender Telecaster. Buckley stated he learned how to perform onstage from playing to small audiences. Over the next few months, Buckley attracted admiring crowds and attention from
record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...
executives, including industry maven Clive Davis dropping by to see him. By the summer of 1992, limos from executives eager to sign the singer lined the street outside Sin-é. Buckley signed with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
, home of Bob Dylan and
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
, for a three-album, nearly deal in October 1992. Buckley spent three days in February 1993 in the studio with engineer Steve Addabbo and Columbia A&R representative, Steve Berkowitz, recording much of Buckley's solo repertoire. Buckley sang a cappella and accompanied himself on acoustic and electric guitars, Wurlitzer electric piano, and harmonium. These tapes remain unreleased in the Columbia vaults, but much of this material later surfaced on the ''Grace'' album. Recording dates were set for July and August 1993 for what would become Buckley's recording debut, an EP of four songs which included a cover of Van Morrison's " The Way Young Lovers Do". '' Live at Sin-é'' was released on November 23, 1993, documenting this period of Buckley's life.


''Grace''

In mid-1993, Buckley began working on his first album with record producer Andy Wallace. Buckley assembled a band, composed of bassist Mick Grøndahl and drummer Matt Johnson, and spent several weeks rehearsing. In September, the trio headed to Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, to spend six weeks recording basic tracks for what would become ''Grace''. Buckley invited ex-bandmate Lucas to play guitar on the songs "Grace" and "Mojo Pin", and Woodstock-based jazz musician Karl Berger wrote and conducted string arrangements with Buckley assisting at times. Buckley returned home for overdubbing at studios in Manhattan and New Jersey, where he performed take after take to capture the perfect vocals and experimented with ideas for additional instruments and added textures to the songs. In January 1994, Buckley departed on his first solo North American tour in support of '' Live at Sin-é,'' followed by a 10-day European tour in March. Buckley played clubs and coffeehouses and made in-store appearances. After returning, Buckley invited guitarist Michael Tighe to join the band and a collaboration between the two resulted in " So Real", a song recorded with producer/engineer Clif Norrell as a late addition to the album. In June, Buckley began his first full band tour called the "Peyote Radio Theatre Tour" that lasted into August.
The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...
' Chrissie Hynde, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, and The Edge from U2 were among the attendees of these early shows. ''Grace'' was released on August 23, 1994. In addition to seven original songs, the album included three covers: "
Lilac Wine "Lilac Wine" is a song written by James Shelton (lyrics and music) in 1950. It was introduced by Hope Foye in the short-lived theater musical revue, ''Dance Me a Song''. The song has since been recorded by many artists. Lyrics The lyrics form a ...
", based on the version by Nina Simone; made famous by Elkie Brooks, "
Corpus Christi Carol The Corpus Christi Carol or Falcon Carol is a Middle or Early Modern English hymn (or carol), first written down by an apprentice grocer named Richard Hill between 1504 and 1536. The original writer of the carol remains anonymous. The earliest ...
", from
Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
's '' A Boy was Born'', Op.3, a composition that Buckley was introduced to in high school, based on a 15th-century hymn; and " Hallelujah" by
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
, based on
John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various sty ...
's recording from the Cohen tribute album, ''
I'm Your Fan ''I'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen'' is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1991, produced by the French music magazine ''Les Inrockuptibles''. The album features Cohen's songs interpreted by some of the most respected rock act ...
''. His rendition of "Hallelujah" has been called "Buckley's best" and "one of the great songs" by ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
'', and is included on ''Happy Mag'''s list of "The 10 Best Covers Of All Time", and ''Rolling Stone''s list of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Sales of ''Grace'' were slow, and it garnered little radio airplay despite critical acclaim. ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' proclaimed it "a romantic masterpiece" and a "pivotal, defining work". Despite slow initial sales, the album went
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
in France and Australia over the next two years, achieved gold status in the U.S. in 2002, and sold over six times platinum in Australia in 2006. ''Grace'' won appreciation from a host of revered musicians and artists, including members of Buckley's biggest influence, Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page considered ''Grace'' close to being his "favorite album of the decade".
Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...
was also complimentary, as was
Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...
, saying of Buckley's work, "There's an undercurrent to his music, there's something you can't pinpoint. Like the best of films, or the best of art, there's something going on underneath, and there's a truth there. And I find his stuff absolutely haunting. It just ... it's under my skin." Others who had influenced Buckley's music lauded him: Bob Dylan named Buckley "one of the great songwriters of this decade", and, in an interview with ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
'',
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
named ''Grace'' as one of 10 albums he'd bring with him to a desert island.


Concert tours

Buckley spent much of the next year and a half touring internationally to promote ''Grace''. Following Buckley's ''Peyote Radio Theater'' tour, the band began a European tour on August 23, 1994, starting with performances in the UK and Ireland. The tour continued in Scandinavia and, throughout September, numerous concerts in Germany were played. The tour ended on September 22 with a concert in Paris. A gig on September 24 in New York dovetailed on to the end of the European tour and Buckley and band spent the next month relaxing and rehearsing. A tour of Canada and the U.S. began on October 19, 1994, at CBGB's. The tour was far reaching with concerts held on both East and West Coasts of the U.S. and a number of performances in central and southern states. The tour ended two months later on December 18 at Maxwell's in
Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58, ...
. After another month of rest and rehearsal, the band commenced a second European tour, this time mainly for promotion purposes. The band began the tour in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
. The short tour largely consisted of promotional work in London and Paris. In late January, the band did their first tour of Japan, playing concerts and appearing for promotion of the album and newly released Japanese single "Last Goodbye". The band returned to Europe on February 6 and toured various Western European countries before returning to the U.S. on March 6. Among the gigs performed during this period, Buckley and his band performed at a 19th-century-built French venue, the
Bataclan Bataclan may refer to: *''Ba-ta-clan'', a 1855 operetta by Jacques Offenbach *Bataclan (theatre), a theatre in Paris named after the operetta **Bataclan theatre massacre, November 2015 Paris attacks Music *''Bataclan 1989'', by Maxime Le Foresti ...
, and material from the concert was recorded and later released in October of that year as a four track EP, ''
Live from the Bataclan ''Live from the Bataclan'' is a live EP by singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released in October 1995 (see 1995 in music). It was recorded at the Bataclan in Paris, France, in early 1995. Track listing #"Dream Brother" (Jeff Buckley, Mick Grøn ...
''. Songs from a performance on February 25, at the venue Nighttown in
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, were released as a promotional-only CD, '' So Real''. Touring recommenced in April with dates across the U.S. and Canada. During this period, Buckley and the band notably played
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban ...
in Chicago, which was recorded on video and later released as ''
Live in Chicago Live in Chicago may refer to: Albums *Live! in Chicago (Kenny Wayne Shepherd album) * ''Live in Chicago'' (The Apples in Stereo album), a live album by The Apples in Stereo *''Live in Chicago, 1999'', an album by Joan of Arc *''Live in Chicago'', b ...
'' on VHS and later on DVD. In addition, on June 4 they played at Sony Music Studios for the Sony Music radio hour. Following this was a month-long European tour between June 20 and July 18 in which they played many summer music festivals, including the
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contempo ...
and the 1995
Meltdown Festival Meltdown is an annual festival held in London, featuring a mix of music, art, performance and film. Meltdown is held in June at Southbank Centre, the arts complex covering and including the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and The ...
(at which Buckley sang Henry Purcell's " Dido's Lament" at the invitation of Elvis Costello). During the tour, Buckley played two concerts at the Paris Olympia, a venue made famous by the French vocalist Édith Piaf. Although he had failed to fill out smaller American venues at that point of his career, both nights at the large Paris Olympia venue were sold out. Shortly after this Buckley attended the Festival de la Musique Sacrée (Festival of Sacred Music), also held in France, and performed "What Will You Say" as a duet with
Alim Qasimov Alim Hamza oghlu Qasimov ( az, Alim Həmzə oğlu Qasımov; born August 14, 1957) is an Azerbaijani musician and one of the foremost mugham singers in Azerbaijan. He was awarded the International Music Council- UNESCO Music Prize in 1999, one ...
, an
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
i
mugham Mugham ( az, Muğam) or Mughamat ( az, Muğamat) is one of the many classical compositions from Azerbaijan, contrasting with tasnif and ashik. It is a highly complex art form that weds classical poetry and musical improvisation in specific ...
singer.
Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyou ...
has since released a live album, 2001's
Live à L'Olympia ''Live à l'Olympia'' is the 1996 live album by Cesária Évora. The live album features tracks that Cesária Évora sung at the legendary Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni ...
, which has a selection of songs from both Olympia performances and the collaboration with Qasimov. Buckley's ''Mystery White Boy'' tour, playing concerts in both Sydney and
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
, Australia, lasted between August 28 and September 6 and recordings of these performances were compiled and released on the live album '' Mystery White Boy''. Buckley was so well received during these concerts that his album ''Grace'' went
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
in Australia, selling over 35,000 copies, and taking this into account he decided a longer tour was needed and returned for a tour of
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
and Australia in February the following year. Between the two
Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...
n tours, Buckley and the band took a break from touring. Buckley played solo in the meantime with concerts at Sin-é and a New Year's Eve concert at Mercury Lounge in New York. After the break, the band spent the majority of February on the ''Hard Luck Tour'' in Australia and New Zealand, but tensions had risen between the group and drummer Matt Johnson. The concert on March 1, 1996, was the last gig he played with Buckley and his band. Much of the material from the tours of 1995 and 1996 was recorded and released on either promotional EPs, such as the '' Grace EP'', or posthumously on albums, such as ''Mystery White Boy'' (a reference to Buckley not using his real name) and ''Live à L'Olympia''. Many of the other concerts Buckley played during this period have surfaced on bootleg recordings. Following Johnson's departure, the band, now without a drummer, was put on hold and did not perform live again until February 12, 1997. Due to the pressure from extensive touring, Buckley spent the majority of the year away from the stage. However, from May 2 to 5, he played a short stint as bass guitarist with Mind Science of the Mind, with friend Nathan Larson, then guitarist of
Shudder to Think Shudder to Think was an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records, and two on Epic Records. Their early work was largely influenced by post-hardcore although ...
. Buckley returned to playing live concerts when he went on his "phantom solo tour" of cafés in the Northeast U.S. in December 1996, appearing under a series of aliases: the Crackrobats, Possessed by Elves, Father Demo, Smackrobiotic, the Halfspeeds, Crit-Club, Topless America, Martha & the Nicotines, and A Puppet Show Named Julio. By way of justification, Buckley posted a note stating he missed the anonymity of playing in cafes and local bars:


''My Sweetheart the Drunk''

After in 1996, Buckley started writing a new album with the working title ''My Sweetheart the Drunk''. While working with Patti Smith on her 1996 album ''
Gone Again ''Gone Again'' is the sixth studio album by Patti Smith, released June 18, 1996 on Arista Records. The production of the record was preceded by the deaths of many of Smith's close friends and peers, including her husband Fred "Sonic" Smith, her b ...
'', he met collaborator Tom Verlaine, the lead singer of the punk band
Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
. Buckley asked Verlaine to be producer on the new album and he agreed. In mid-1996, Buckley and his band began recording sessions in Manhattan with Verlaine, recording "Sky Is a Landfill", "Vancouver", "Morning Theft", and "You and I".
Eric Eidel Eric Eidel is an American musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. M ...
played the drums through these sessions as a stop-gap after Matt Johnson's departure, before Parker Kindred joined as full-time drummer. Around this time, Buckley met
Inger Lorre Inger Lorre (born Lori Ann Wening) is an American singer who is best known for her band Nymphs. Music career Nymphs Nymphs spent the mid-to-late '80s honing their craft in New Jersey, but they soon decided to try to make it big in California. ...
of the Nymphs in an East Village bar and struck up a fast and close friendship. Together, they contributed a track to '' Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness'', a
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian anc ...
tribute album. After Lorre's backup guitarist for an upcoming album quit the project, Buckley offered to fill in. He became attached to one of the songs from the album, " Yard of Blonde Girls" and recorded a cover. Another recording session in Manhattan followed in early 1997, but Buckley and the band were unsatisfied with the material. On February 4, 1997, Buckley played a short set at the Knitting Factory's tenth anniversary concert featuring a selection of his new songs: "Jewel Box", "Morning Theft", "Everybody Here Wants You", "The Sky is a Landfill" and "Yard of Blonde Girls".
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
was in attendance and expressed interest in working with Buckley. The band played their first gig with Parker Kindred, their new drummer, at Arlene's Grocery in New York on February 9. The set featured much of Buckley's new material that would appear on ''Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk'' and a recording has become one of Buckley's most widely distributed bootlegs. Later that month, Buckley recorded a spoken word reading of the
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
poem, " Ulalume", for the album ''
Closed on Account of Rabies ''Closed On Account of Rabies'' (1997) is a double- CD with poems and tales of Edgar Allan Poe performed by various artists, and produced by Hal Willner. It is one of numerous multi-artist tribute albums that Willner has produced, as well as o ...
''. It was his last recording in New York; shortly after, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Buckley became interested in recording at Easley McCain Recording in Memphis, at the suggestion of friend Dave Shouse from the
Grifters A grifter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Grifters (band), a 1990s American indie rock band * ''The Grifters'' (novel), a 1963 American novel by Jim Thompson * ''The Grifters'' (film), a 1990 American adaptation of the novel * Grifter (ch ...
. He rented a shotgun house there, of which he was so fond he contacted the owner about purchasing it. From February 12 to May 26, 1997, Buckley played at Barristers', a bar located in downtown Memphis, underneath a parking garage. He played there numerous times in order to work through the new material in a live atmosphere, at first with the band, then solo as part of a Monday night residency. In early February, Buckley and the band did a third recording session with Verlaine in Memphis, where they recorded "Everybody Here Wants You", "Nightmares by the Sea", "Witches' Rave" and "Opened Once", but Buckley expressed his dissatisfaction with the sessions and contacted ''Grace'' producer, Andy Wallace, to step in as Verlaine's replacement. Buckley started recording demos on his own 4-track recorder in preparation for a forthcoming session with Wallace; some of the demos were sent to his band in New York, who listened to them enthusiastically and were excited to resume work on the album. However, Buckley was not entirely happy with the results and sent his band back to New York while he stayed behind to work on the songs. The band was scheduled to return to Memphis for rehearsals and recording on May 29. After Buckley's death, the recordings with Verlaine and Buckley's demos were released as ''Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk'' in May 1998.


Death

On the evening of Thursday, May 29, 1997, Buckley's band flew to Memphis to join him in his studio to work on his new material. The same evening, Buckley went swimming fully dressed in Wolf River Harbor, a slack water channel of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...
, singing the chorus of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are c ...
's " Whole Lotta Love" while swimming under the Memphis Suspension Railway. Keith Foti, a roadie in Buckley's band, remained on shore. After moving a radio and guitar out of reach from the wake from a passing
tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
, Foti looked up to see Buckley had vanished; the wake of the tugboat had swept him away from shore and under water. A rescue effort that night and the next morning by scuba teams and police failed to discover Buckley's body. On June 4, passengers on the '' American Queen'' riverboat spotted his body in the Wolf River, caught in some branches. Buckley's autopsy showed no signs of drugs or alcohol in his system, and the death was ruled an accidental drowning. The official Jeff Buckley website published a statement saying his death was neither mysterious nor a
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
.


Tributes

Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, with whom Buckley previously had a relationship, recorded the Massive Attack song " Teardrop" the day she learned he was missing, and later stated: "That was so weird ... I'd got letters out and I was thinking about him. That song's kind of about him – that's how it feels to me anyway." PJ Harvey knew Buckley personally. She wrote the song "Memphis" after hearing the news. She had received a letter from him the week before. "There were many things I wished I could say to him, so instead I wrote this song". Chris Cornell wrote "Wave Goodbye", which appeared on his first solo album, '' Euphoria Morning'', for Buckley. Rufus Wainwright, whose career had barely started when he met Buckley, wrote "Memphis Skyline" in tribute to him, from his 2004 album ''Want Two''. Steve Adey's "Mississippi" from his 2006 album '' All Things Real'' contains the lyrics "Until the morning thief steals the humming of the Lord", a reference to Buckley's "Morning Theft". Duncan Sheik's "A Body Goes Down" paid tribute to Buckley on Sheik's 1998 album '' Humming'', which was included in the documentary '' Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley''. Drummer Matt Johnson played drums on the track, as well as for ''Grace'' and most of ''Humming''. Glen Hansard wrote "Neath the Beeches" in memory of Buckley; it appears on the album ''
Dance the Devil ''Dance the Devil...'' is the third studio album by Dublin based band The Frames. The album was first released in Ireland on 25 June 1999 on ZTT Records and subsequently in the UK and USA later in the year. On this album the band returned to us ...
'' by Hansard's band The Frames. Pete Yorn's song "Bandstand in the Sky" from his album '' Nightcrawler'' and his live album '' Live from New Jersey'' is a tribute to Buckley. Zita Swoon's song "Song for a Dead Singer" from the album ''I Paint Pictures on a Wedding Dress'' is a tribute to Jeff Buckley.
Lisa Germano Lisa Ruth Germano (born June 27, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Indiana. Her album ''Geek the Girl'' (1994) was chosen as a top album of the 1990s by '' Spin'' magazine. She began her career as a violinist ...
's "Except For The Ghosts", from the album ''
In The Maybe World ''In the Maybe World'' is an album by folk musician Lisa Germano. It was released in 2006 through Young God Records. The album peaked at #3 on ''Billboards Top New Age Albums in the summer of 2006, becoming her biggest chart hit in the US. "Red ...
'', was written for Buckley.
Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...
's "Just Like Anyone", from the album ''
Bachelor No. 2 A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...
'', pays tribute to Buckley. Juliana Hatfield's song "Trying Not To Think About It", from the album '' Please Do Not Disturb,'' was written about the death of Jeff Buckley.
Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, Glamour (presentation), glamour, and melan ...
's song "Gods and Monsters" is a direct nod to Buckley's former band; Del Rey cites Buckley as an influence. Caligula's Horse's song "Dragonfly" was described as "a vocal dedication to the music of Jeff Buckley" by Jim Grey (the band's lead vocalist). Mark Kozelek's song "LaGuardia", from the album ''Mark Kozelek with Ben Boyce and Jim White 2,'' includes lyrics detailing Kozelek's memories of Jeff Buckley. Bono often pays tribute to Buckley and once stated "Jeff Buckley was a pure drop in an ocean of noise". Katatonia covered his song "Nightmares by the Sea" on their album '' Tonight's Decision,'' and their song "Saw You Drown", from their previous album '' Discouraged Ones,'' was written as a tribute to his tragic death.
Kevin Morby Kevin Robert Morby (born April 2, 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. A former member of Woods and the Babies, Morby has released seven solo studio albums: '' Harlem River'' (2013), ''Still Life'' (2014), '' Singing Saw'' (20 ...
's songs "A Coat of Butterflies" and "Disappearing" include references to Buckley and his death. Pianos Become the Teeth’s song "Buckley" references Buckley and his death.


Musical style

Buckley's voice was a particularly distinguished aspect of his music; he possessed a
tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...
vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...
, spanning around four octaves. Buckley made full use of this range in his performances, particularly in the songs from ''Grace'', and reached peaks of high G in the tenor range at the culmination of "Grace". "Corpus Christi Carol" was sung nearly entirely in a high falsetto. The pitch and volume of his singing was also highly variable, showcased in songs "Mojo Pin" and "Dream Brother", which began with mid-range quieter vocals, before reaching louder, higher peaks near the ending of the songs. Buckley played guitar in a variety of styles, ranging from the distorted rock of "Sky is a Landfill", the jazz of " Strange Fruit", the
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...
styling of "Lost Highway", and the guitar fingerpicking style in "Hallelujah". He occasionally used a slide guitar in live performances as a solo act, as well as for the introduction of "Last Goodbye", when playing with a full band. His songs were written in various
guitar tuning Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. Tunings are described by the particular pitches that are made by notes in Western music. By ...
s which, apart from the EADGBE standard tuning, included Drop D tuning and an Open G tuning. His guitar playing style varied from highly melodic songs, such as "
The Twelfth of Never "The Twelfth of Never" is a popular song written in 1956 and first recorded by Johnny Mathis the following year. The title is a popular expression, which is used as the date of a future occurrence that will never come to pass. In the case of th ...
", to more percussive ones, such as "New Year's Prayer".


Equipment

Buckley mainly played a 1983 Fender Telecaster and a Rickenbacker 360/12, but also used several other guitars, including a black Gibson Les Paul Custom and a 1967
Guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
F-50 acoustic. When on tour with his band, he used Fender Amplifiers for a clean sound and Mesa Boogie amps for overdriven tones. While he was primarily a singer and guitarist, he also played other instruments on various studio recordings and sessions, including
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...
, dobro,
mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
, harmonium (heard on the intro to " Lover, You Should've Come Over"), organ, dulcimer ("
Dream Brother "Dream Brother" is the last track on the original release of Jeff Buckley's album ''Grace (Jeff Buckley album), Grace'', the penultimate on later releases of the album. Written by Buckley, bassist Mick Grøndahl and drummer Matt Johnson (drummer) ...
" intro), tabla, esraj, and harmonica.


Personal life

Buckley was roommates with actress Brooke Smith from 1990 to 1991. During a tribute concert to his father, Tim Buckley, in April 1991, Buckley met artist
Rebecca Moore Rebecca Moore may refer to: * Rebecca Moore (singer-songwriter) (born 1968), American musician, actress and animal rights activist * Rebecca Moore (pageant titleholder) (born 1988), American beauty pageant contestant * Rebecca Moore (scientist) ...
, and the pair dated until 1993. This relationship became the inspiration for his record ''Grace'' and provoked his permanent move to New York. From 1994 to 1995, Buckley had an intense relationship with Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins. They wrote and recorded a duet together, "All Flowers in Time Bend Towards the Sun", which has never been released commercially. Buckley began a relationship with musician Joan Wasser in 1994. He reportedly proposed marriage to her shortly before his death.


Legacy

After Buckley's death, a collection of demo recordings and a full-length album he had been reworking for his second album were released as ''
Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk ''Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk'' is a compilation album by the American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released by Columbia Records on May 26, 1998, a year after his death. It comprises recordings Buckley made with the producer Tom Ver ...
'' the compilation being overseen by his mother, Mary Guibert, band members and old friend
Michael J. Clouse Michael J. Clouse (sometimes credited as Michael J. Clouse III), an American record producer and songwriter was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Framingham North High School in Framingham, Massachusetts and received a degree from ...
, as well as Chris Cornell. The album achieved gold sales in Australia in 1998. Three other albums composed of live recordings have also been released, along with a live DVD of a performance in Chicago. A previously unreleased 1992 recording of " I Shall Be Released", sung by Buckley over the phone on live radio, was released on the album '' For New Orleans''. Since his death, Buckley has been the subject of numerous documentaries: ''Fall in Light'', a 1999 production for French TV; ''Goodbye and Hello'', a program about Buckley and his father produced for Netherlands TV in 2000; and ''Everybody Here Wants You'', a documentary made in 2002 by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). An hour-long documentary about Buckley called '' Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley'' has been shown at various film festivals to critical acclaim. The film was released worldwide in 2009 by Sony BMG Legacy as part of the ''Grace Around The World Deluxe Edition''. In spring 2009, it was revealed that Ryan Jaffe, best known for scripting the movie ''The Rocker'', had replaced Brian Jun as screenwriter for the upcoming film ''Mystery White Boy''. Orion Williams is also set to co-produce the film with Michelle Sy. A separate project involving the book ''Dream Brother'' was allegedly cancelled. In May and June 2007, Buckley's life and music were celebrated globally with tributes in Australia, Canada, UK, France, Iceland, Israel, Ireland, Republic of Macedonia, Portugal, and the U.S. Many of Buckley's family members attended various tribute concerts across the globe, some of which they helped organize. There are three annual Jeff Buckley tribute events: the Chicago-based ''Uncommon Ground'', featuring a three-day concert schedule (''Uncommon Ground'' hosted their 25th anniversary tribute in November 2022 ); ''An Evening With Jeff Buckley'', an annual New York City tribute; and the Australia-based ''Fall In Light''. The latter event is run by the Fall In Light Foundation, which in addition to the concerts, runs a "Guitars for Schools" program; the name of the foundation is taken from lyrics of Buckley's "New Year's Prayer". In 2015, tapes of a 1993 recording session for Columbia Records were discovered by Sony executives doing research for the 20th anniversary of ''Grace''. The recordings were released on the album '' You and I'' in March 2016, featuring mostly covers of songs. In 2012, '' Greetings from Tim Buckley'' premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...
; the film explores Jeff Buckley's relationship with his father. Buckley is referenced in the 2001 film '' Vanilla Sky,'' when Sofia asks David if he would rather listen to Jeff Buckley or Vikki Carr, to which he responds, "Both. Simultaneously." As David is leaving Sofia's apartment, the music playing is the intro to Jeff Buckley's song " Last Goodbye", from his 1994 studio album ''
Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...
''. Matt Bellamy from
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
acquired the yellow telecaster Buckley used throughout his 1994 LP ''Grace'' and used it to record new music. In July 2021, a new rendition of Muse's 2009 song “Guiding Light” was released and sold as an NFT ahead of appearing on Bellamy's solo EP "Cryosleep". Bellamy stated: “Jeff’s Telecaster that he recorded the whole Grace album with, and the song ‘Hallelujah,’ has a sound like nothing I’ve ever heard. I had a whole team of people doing due diligence on it to make sure it was absolutely the right one, interviewing his family and all sorts, before purchasing”.


Resurgence

In 2002, Buckley's cover of
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
's "Hallelujah" was used in the "Posse Comitatus" episode of '' The West Wing,'' for which the audio team received an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
. On March 7, 2008, Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" was number one on the iTunes chart, selling 178,000 downloads for the week, after being performed by Jason Castro on the seventh season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to A ...
''. The song also debuted at number one on '' Billboard''s Hot Digital Songs chart, giving Buckley his first number one hit on any ''Billboard'' chart. The 2008 UK '' X Factor'' winner Alexandra Burke released a cover of "Hallelujah", with the intent to top the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
as the
Christmas number one single In the United Kingdom, Christmas number ones are singles that top the UK Singles Chart in the week in which Christmas Day falls. The singles have often been novelty songs, charity songs or songs with a Christmas theme. Historically, the vo ...
. Buckley fans countered this, launching a campaign with the aim of propelling Buckley's version to the number one spot; despite this, Burke's version eventually reached the Christmas number one position on the UK charts in December 2008. Buckley's version of the song entered the UK charts at number 49 on November 30, and by December 21, it had reached number 2, even though it had not been rereleased in a physical format.


Influence

Musicians who have been influenced by Buckley include
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
,
Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...
, Bat For Lashes,
Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, Glamour (presentation), glamour, and melan ...
, Anna Calvi, Kiesza,
Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was ...
, Jonny Lang, Eddie Vedder, Fran Healy, and Chris Cornell. Radiohead recorded " Fake Plastic Trees" after being inspired by Buckley's performance at The Garage in London. Speaking about the difficulty of recording the song prior to seeing Buckley, Colin Greenwood remarked “It was going really slowly, so John Leckie said, ‘Why don’t we go out?’ We went to see Jeff Buckley play at The Garage. He just had a Telecaster and a pint of Guinness. And it was just fucking amazing, really inspirational. Then we went back to the studio and tried an acoustic version of ‘Fake Plastic Trees’. Thom sat down and played it in three takes, then just burst into tears afterwards. And that's what we used for the record.” Thom Yorke has said that Buckley's performance gave him the confidence to sing falsetto.
Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey (manager), Phil H ...
's song " Shiver" was inspired by "
Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...
". Chris Martin called it "a rip off of Jeff Buckley".


Biopic

According to '' Variety'', a biopic about Buckley's life, called ''Everybody Here Wants You,'' starring Reeve Carney as Buckley, is set to begin filming in autumn 2021. It will be
Orian Williams Orian Williams (born 11 November 1965) is an American film producer. Williams is best known for the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated Willem Dafoe/John Malkovich film ''Shadow of the Vampire'', as well as the BIFA-winning ''Control'', an Ian Cur ...
's directorial debut and will be released by Culmination Productions. It will be co-produced by Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert, and Alison Raykovich, manager of Buckley's estate, and will have access to his music.


Discography

;Studio album * ''
Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...
'' (1994)


Awards and nominations

* The Académie Charles Cros awarded Buckley the "Grand Prix International Du Disque" on April 13, 1995, in honor of his debut album ''Grace''. * MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best New Artist in a Video for "Last Goodbye", 1995 * ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' magazine nomination for Best New Artist, 1995 * Triple J Hottest 100 awarded number 14 best song for that year in the world's largest voting competition for "Last Goodbye", 1995 *
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Everybody Here Wants You", 1998 * ''Grace'' was ranked number 303 of the 500 Greatest Albums by ''Rolling Stone'' in 2003. * Buckley's cover of "Hallelujah" was ranked number 259 of the
500 Greatest Songs "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
by ''Rolling Stone'' in 2004. * MOJO Awards nomination for Calalogue Release of the Year for ''Grace'', 2005 * In 2006, ''Mojo'' named ''Grace'' the number one Modern Rock Classic of all Time. It was also rated as Australia's second favorite album on ''
My Favourite Album ''My Favourite Album'' was a nationwide poll conducted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to discover Australia's most popular album. Voting was by phone, SMS or over the ABC's website between 20 September 2006 to midnight on 18 October 2 ...
'', a television special aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, on December 3, 2006. * ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Buckley number 39 in its 2008 list, The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. * On the Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, 2009, Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" was voted third place; "Last Goodbye" was seventh, "Lover, You Should've Come Over" was 56th, and "Grace" 69th. * On the Triple J Hottest 100 of the Past 20 Years, 2013, Last Goodbye was voted third place and "Hallelujah" number 36.


References


Sources

* * * *


Further reading

* * * *


External links

*
''Amazing Grace'' documentary

Jeff Buckley Videos
Official
Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyou ...
music videos * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley, Jeff 1966 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American singers Accidental deaths in Tennessee American folk rock musicians American male singer-songwriters American people of French descent American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent American people of Panamanian descent American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters American tenors American writers of Greek descent Columbia Records artists Deaths by drowning in the United States Former Roman Catholics Musicians from Anaheim, California People from Greenwich Village Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singers with a four-octave vocal range Musicians Institute alumni 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from California Guitarists from New York (state) American soul singers 20th-century American male singers