It was 10 years ago today (May 29, 1997) that Jeff Buckley drowned in the Mississippi River at age 30. It's one of those things that I remember where I was when I heard the sad news (driving past the Danbury Fair Mall after work). Though he only released one proper studio album, Grace, it left a lasting legacy. Since then, a plethora of posthumous collections have been released (in fact, another collection was released last week--seriously, this has to stop), but they are only the tip of the iceberg, and constantly underline the fact that he will never release that long-awaited follow-up.
He was a brilliant singer/songwriter whose love of music was vast and whose future possibilities seemed limitless. I first remember seeing his video for "Grace" on MTV at around 2 AM, after the 120 Minutes program was finished with their typical lineup of grunge and new wave bands. After soaking it in I recall saying to a friend, "What the hell is he doing on that show?" His incredible vocal delivery and intensity made him stand apart from everything else--hearing him was like a slap in the face. I bought the album and immediately was taken by his talent and versatility. I think the lyrics to Grace were the first ones I ever looked up and printed out on the internet's new fangled "world wide web" (on my IBM clone 386-40).
I was also lucky enough to see him play twice on the "Mystery White Boy Tour" in the summer of 1995, the first time opening for Juliana Hatfield at the Trocadero in Philly. He was a consummate showman, witty and endearing, and he had the crowd (mostly the girls) eating from the palm of his hand. The second time I saw him at Tradewinds in Sea Bright, NJ. Before the show he was sitting out in the deck area with his band; we were too chicken shit to go talk to him, but we watched him order tea with honey and lemon while he smoked. Most of all we were amazed that such a powerful voice could come out of such a scrawny body. There will never be another artist like him, period. He will most definitely be missed.
Check out one of my favorite music blogs I Am Fuel, You Are Friends awesome JB tribute as well.
Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should Have Come Over (Live @ Metro in Chicago, 1995) [YouTube]
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