JEFF BUCKLEY
Born: 17th November, 1966
Birth name: Jeffrey Scott Buckley
Mother: Mary Guibert (classical pianist)
Father: Tim Buckley (folk musician)
Died: 29th May, 1997
"And the rain is falling
And I believe my time has come
It reminds me of the pain I might leave behind..."
- Grace
Jeff could never have known that a song created years before his death
would be such an eerie echo of the tragic accident that took his life.
Jeff was part of a slowly recovering breed of rock stars - performers
who value their art above everything else. And Jeff was perhaps unique
in the way that he bared his soul to the world with his lyrics. Often
his songs were deeply personal and very emotional. Which is part of the
magic that Jeff brought to the world.
His voice was nothing less than beautiful. It was as if an angel had
been sent down from heaven. Technically his voice was one of a kind - a
high tenor voice, which could range 4 octaves and hit the high notes.
But it was the emotion that he put into his singing that really set his
voice apart. He put his heart and soul into every performance, whether
it be in front of a crowd of thousands or in an intimate cafe in New
York.
But he was not just a voice. He was also an accomplished musician, his
main instrument being guitar. He also played bass (he played gigs for a
band called "Science of the Mind" on bass), harmonium and whatever
instruments he could get his hands on. He attended music school for
several years, learning guitar and honing his singing skills. His
earliest influence was his mother, Mary, who is a clasically trained
pianist. When he was a boy they would sing songs together, and so Jeff's
love of music begins.
By all accounts Jeff was one of the loveliest people you could hope to
meet. Always playing the clown, he lived a carefree lifestyle and had
many friends. He was always eager to help out wherever he could, whether
the help was monetary or otherwise. During his last weeks in Memphis, he
went to the Zoo often. He was particuarly fond of the butterflies and
tigers, and was in the process of volunteering to clean cages, but
unfortunately never got the chance to do so.
He left the world without a single enemy; a great achievement for any
man. But Jeff was the kind of person who you couldn't help liking - and
if you weren't won over by his personality, you'd certainly change your
mind upon hearing his music. He is sorely missed by his family and his
fans and the world has one less angel. But we can rest assured that he
has passed on to another place, and his voice will once again be joining
the heavenly choirs.
