FEATURE:
An Eternal Icon
PHOTO CREDIT: Merri Cyr/Sony Music
Remembering Jeff Buckley at Fifty-Three: The Ultimate Playlist
___________
WHENEVER we mark the birthday of a musician who…
PHOTO CREDIT: Michel Linssen/Redferns
is no longer with us, there is this tinge of sadness. The legendary Jeff Buckley died in 1997 at the age of thirty, but he accomplished a lot in his career. His sole studio album, Grace, was released in 1994 and just celebrated (in August) its twenty-fifth anniversary. The influence of Buckley is clear: look around the scene and you can hear his essence and brilliance live on. Whilst it is tragic Buckley did not get to record a second album – he drowned mere hours before his band were due to fly in to start work -, he seduced and entranced legions of fans around the world. I am ending this feature with an ultimate playlist, but I suggest people check YouTube and you can see some of his performances. The book, Jeff Buckley: His Own Voice: The Official Journals, Objects, and Ephemera, was released last month and is well worth purchasing. Buckley died twenty-two years ago, but his majesty and remarkable music will live on. I think Buckley would still be recording today if he was still alive. Maybe his sound would be different to Grace; I feel he would gone through various stages and changes. I am curious what he would make of social media and the current scene. As tomorrow would have been Jeff Buckley’s fifty-third birthday, I felt it important to show my respect for one of my favourite musicians ever – Buckley’s music means so much to me and, even though I never met him, I miss him a lot. To end, I have compiled a Jeff Buckley playlist that shows…
WHAT a talent he was.