Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) was an American singer and guitarist whose unique voice, spanning four octaves, launched him to semi-celebrity. He played with experimental guitarist Gary Lucas in his band Gods and Monsters. In 1994, Buckley released his first album Grace, composed of ten tracks. While sales were slow, the album quickly received critical acclaim and appreciation from other musicians (among them Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney).
Buckley's naïve vision of the record industry led him to an unbearable situation. After the release of his first and critically acclaimed album, he spent more than two years touring across the world. It seemed to be a tiring but effective means for him to keep his independence from his record company. In 1995 he played a concert which he considered the finest performance of his career at the Paris Olympia, a venue made famous by his idol, the French chanteuse Edith Piaf.
Soon after recordings began for his second album which was to be called My Sweetheart the Drunk, Jeff Buckley drowned in the Mississippi River on May 29, 1997, aged 30.
After Buckley's death some of the demo recordings for his second album were released on Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. Three other albums composed of live recordings have also been released, along with a live DVD of a performance in Chicago.
Jeff Buckley's father was the musician Tim Buckley, who released a series of highly acclaimed folk and jazz albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s before his own untimely death in 1975 (1975 in music)
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Last updated: 05-07-2005 13:50:15
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04
