Looking Out My Back Door

Jeff Buckley (why you should know this name)

Back around 1994-96, a friend of mine worked at one of the major record labels, for one of the company's legendary A&R (Artist & Repertoire) men. I used to go visit her at lunchtime, a nice stroll up Madison Avenue, and just gab about music. (Naturally, she held one of my dream jobs!) She would load me up with promo CDs and turn me on to new artists. I think the best thing I ever came away with was Jeff Buckley's first studio album, "Grace." One afternoon I was up at her office and she tried to convince me to come to an artist event at downtown's Tower Records, and I said, nope, it's raining, maybe next time. Well, I missed the chance to see and hear Jeff Buckley (and probably meet him, too) and later realized what a hard lesson I'd learned. NEVER pass up an opportunity.

You see, Jeff Buckley died in 1997, while recording his second studio album in Memphis. He and some pals were out carousing, and were reportedly a bit drunk. Somehow they ended up by the Mississippi River, and Jeff ended up in it. The current was strong and Jeff was lost. I followed this online (probably the first news event that I watched unfold in this fashion), as the search continued for days. Unfortunately, Jeff did not survive.

In the eight years since his passing, Jeff has probably become more well-known than before. His mother, Mary Guibert, helps make this possible by publishing an on-line newsletter, with links to Jeff-related events, news from around the globe about Jeff Buckley tributes, a Q&A section, and much more (to subscribe, free, go to http://www.jeffbuckley.com/newsletter, and you'll get the Jeff Buckley International Newsletter). It also keeps you up to date on any upcoming CD or DVD releases.

OK, great, you may be thinking, but I still don't know why Jeff Buckley matters. He matters because he was an artist cut down probably before he reached his prime, who possessed a beautiful, sometimes ethereal voice, and pure musical talent. He wasn't afraid to venture into genres other than rock (among the songs he covered were Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," Arlen/Gershwin's "The Man That Got Away" - associated primarily with Judy Garland, and even a couple of Edith Piaf numbers. He also did a wicked version of the MC5's "Kick Out The Jams."). His father was a folk troubadour of the 1960s & 70s, Tim Buckley, who also died relatively young, but Jeff honed his natural talent with a lot of hard work and study.

Courtesy of my friend at the record company, I was able to pass along several copies of "Grace" to my more musically-inclined friends, and they all fell in love. One had formed a band, and would tell me from time to time how much Buckley influenced their music. He wasn't alone. The Jeff Buckley International Newsletter constantly gets letters from fans around the world, saying how much they've been touched by Jeff's music, including many who discovered him years after his death. Several of his songs have turned up through the years on movie or television soundtracks (especially the first season of "The Dead Zone") and he even rated an exhibition at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a couple of years ago.

Right now I'm listening to "Mystery White Boy: Live '95~'96," a concert album that was released in 2000. It's a good showcase of his broad range, recorded in the U.S., Australia, Germany and France. However, if you've never heard of Jeff Buckley before now, listen to the "Grace" album. It still ranks high on American and foreign lists of important/influential recordings, more than a decade after its release and eight years after his passing. That should give you some idea of what a talent Jeff Buckley was - and why you should give him a listen. You won't be disappointed.

posted by Hopster @ 1:08 PM