(Credits: Far Out / Roy Tee)
Jeff Buckley was truly a rare talent, equally capable of delivering earth-shatteringly powerful vocal performances, writing impressively complex lyrics, and playing intricate guitars. Despite being the son of the legendary folk artist Tim Buckley, whom he’d met only once in his life, the Grace singer wasn’t your typical example of nepotism. After attending his father’s memorial gig in 1991 and singing a few songs to gain a sense of closure, audience members couldn’t believe the strength and beauty of Buckley’s voice.
Yet, for years before that, Buckley had been in various bands, trying to find opportunities as a musician, but he didn’t have much luck. Playing genres from dancehall reggae to punk, Buckley had tried his best to get somewhere for a long time, and then, just like that, people were suddenly interested in his talents. He subsequently got to work on some demos, collaborating with Gary Lucas while also playing regular gigs at cafés to further get his name out there.
Within a few months, he’d signed to Columbia Records and started making his debut, Grace. Yet, this would, tragically, be his only studio album. The singer passed away in 1997 after accidentally drowning in a river, just three years on from his first record. He left behind many demos and live recordings, which were all eagerly received by distraught fans. Despite the fact that he’d only released one album, Buckley’s brilliance had ensured his legacy, even before he’d died. There was no way such an extraordinary talent would simply be forgotten.
Buckley’s passion for music was apparent in everything he did, and his taste was extremely eclectic, allowing him to take inspiration from a wide variety of sources. He loved everyone from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Van Morrison and Siouxsie and the Banshees, but there were certain artists that he actively compared himself to. Writing his own press release, he once labelled himself as the “warped lovechild of Nina Simone and all four members of Led Zeppelin with the fertilized egg transplanted into the womb of [Edith] Piaf out of which he is borne and left on the street to be tortured by the Bad Brains.”
Poetic even in moments like this, Buckley’s four choices are all rather different from each other on first listen, but they all have something in common that the singer could clearly recognise – raw emotion. Buckley covered several songs made popular by Simone during his career, like ‘Lilac Wine’ and ‘The Other Woman’, as a mark of respect for one of his idols.
Her powerful voice, often so intense that you have to take a pause just to really let it sink in, clearly influenced the way that Buckley would mould his own, often letting it run wild. For similar reasons, he loved Edith Piaf, known for her striking voice. On his live EP Live at Sin-é, he covered ‘Je n’en connais pas la fin’ by the French singer, possibly one of the best covers he ever did.
Led Zeppelin had a significant impact on Buckley, who loved both the guitar riffs and Robert Plant’s recognisable vocals. Buckley often performed falsettos like Plant, something that was uncommon in alternative rock at the time. Yet, he took from the classic rock legends, blending these intense vocal deliveries with complex guitar parts. When Jimmy Page and Buckley finally met, tears were shed. According to the musician Chris Dowd, “They actually cried when they met each other. Jimmy heard himself in Jeff, and Jeff was meeting his idol. Jimmy Page was the godfather of Jeff’s music.”
Bad Brains were the other rock band that Buckley cited as part of his musical DNA, although the Washington D.C. group operated in the sub-genre of hardcore punk. Evidently, their frenetic rhythms inspired some of Buckley’s heavier tracks. He even covered ‘Against I’ once, putting his own spin on the punk track by using an acoustic guitar, which he strummed as fast as he could.
