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Jeff Buckley

Posted at 4:05 AM on May 29, 2007 by Mac Wilson (134 Comments)

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Jeff Buckley. He drowned while swimming in the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee. He was last seen (or heard, I should say) singing Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" while paddling through the waves. He was sucked under by the current and his body was discovered a week later, thus ending the life and career of a talented and promising musician.

What is Jeff Buckley's legacy? Is this truly a case of a supreme talent cut down in his prime, or was he a flukey wonder who benefitted from the success of his father Tim? Do we remember Buckley for his body of work, or merely his (albeit definitive) version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"? Would Chris Martin have a career if not for Buckley's signature vocal inflections? If Jeff Buckley had not slipped beneath the Mississippi current that May night a decade ago, would he have gone on to top Grace, or would he have faded away, labelled as just another mid-90s crooner?

Comments (134)

Jeff Buckley was an amazing artist. He is one of my greatist influences as an artist myself. I think that he would have continued creating great pieces of work. I did not even know that Tim existed untill after Jeff passed away.

Posted by John Taylor | May 29, 2007 4:34 AM

Although I've never been a big fan of Jeff Buckley, I have the utmost respect for his work and what he did. His version of Hallelujah is trancendent. I'm just not into the vocal stylings that much. However, he was a totally unique and highly talented musician. I think he would have gone on to do some very interesting music.

Jeff was a lot like his dad, kind of the tortured artist who didn't want to be pigeonholed. Although, he barely knew his father. He only met him a handful of times in his life. Like Tim, he had a hard time reconciling his vision with what the record companies expected of him. He was in turmoil about his future at the time of his death.

If you're interested, there is a book called "Dream Brother" which tells the story about both Tim and Jeff and how their career paths kind of followed the same arc to a degree, and how their relationship (or lack thereof) informed each other's music and life. I knew virtually nothing about either person, but the book at least allowed a glimpse of what they both were about.

Posted by Frick | May 29, 2007 12:32 PM

Frick, "Transcendent" is the perfect word to describe Buckley's version of "Hallelujah". I'm not all that crazy about his vocal style either, but that song stops me dead in my tracks every time I hear it, and has caused me at least one "driveway moment". I think Buckley was a prodigious talent and his death a true loss. Who knows what he might have produced had he had time to mature?

Posted by Auntie | May 29, 2007 1:09 PM

Voice like an angel. "Lover You Should've Come Over" is one of the most heart-wrenching, genuine songs I've heard and will probably ever hear again. It makes me weep. I hear it, and I turn into a dog howling at passing trains. Craig Arnold has a great poem about Jeff Buckley in his book, Shells. Recommended reading.

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