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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZBUCKLEY, Jeff(b 17 Nov. '66, Orange Co. CA; d 29 May '97) Singer-songwriter, guitarist; son of Tim Buckley (below). Some obituaries gave his birth date as 1 August. He had an unsettled childhood, growing up under the name Scott Moorhead, and never knew his father, who had abandoned the family; when his mother divorced he took the name on his birth certificate and like his father turned to music for relief from demons. He sang and played in groups, went solo in NYC folk clubs such as the Caf‚ Sine-e. With a gorgeous voice, interpretative power, a budding songwriting talent and eclectic influences, he made a five-song EP Live At Sine-e on the UK Big Cat label, covers incl. Edith Piaf and Van Morrison, then signed with Columbia. Grace '95 got rave reviews, all of which mentioned his cover of Benjamin Britten's 'Corpus Christi Carol'; 'Last Goodbye' was a blend of folk, blues and scatting that got radio play and reached the top 20 in the Billboard album tracks chart; the album's closer, 'Dream Brother', was perhaps about his father's absence 'asleep in the sand, with the ocean washing over'. Talent being out of fashion in the USA, the album did better in Britain and Ireland, where he was compared to Morrison. He complained of strange dreams; while working on another album in Memphis, he went for a swim fully clothed in the treacherous Mississippi River. His body was found a week later. My Sweetheart, The Drunk was issued '98, demo tracks completed by his band incl. 'The Sky Is A Landfill'. |