Who was Jeff Buckley?

Jeffery Scott Buckley, A pioneer in the Alternative rock genre. Most people either know him for his immensely famous cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah or his most popular song “Lover, You Should’ve Comer Over” who has written over 230 total songs. His most popular album, Grace (1994) was his debut record album. He had previously released recordings of his performances at Sin-é. Sin-é Was a cafe that Jeff had worked in for some years, a cafe in which he also played in frequently.


Tim Buckley – Jeff Buckley’s Father.

Right after his shift, he would take off his apron, pick up his guitar, and play a multitude of songs. Mostly covers, however he would sometimes play his own songs on stage. He released these recordings as an album called “Live at Sin-é” This album was actually one of the first accepted by my hometown radio station. As thanks, Jeff sent a signed poster to one of my managers where I work now, who ran the radio station in the 90’s. 

 

Shortly after Jeff Buckley’s release of Grace (1994) Jeff Buckley got to work on his sophomore album, My Sweetheart The Drunk (1998). This album, in my personal opinion, had a different personality. It was more explicit, yet filled with the same passion. It was still Jeff Buckley but in a different font. However, this album was released posthumously. Jeff Buckley had written the majority of the album, but his life was tragically cut short.

How Did Jeff Buckley Die?

On May 29th, 1997 Jeff Buckley was waiting for his gig, he decided to swim into the Wolf river in Memphis TN, and Go for a swim fully clothed. With his boots on…  There was only one person who witnessed the events of what happened Keith Foti. They found Jeff’s body on June 4th, his hands and face mangled by water. Only identifiable by the golden ring on his belly button.

It was labeled an “Accidental Death” He had been known to disappear for short amounts of time, so his friends weren’t all that worried about him missing for a few days. Until they heard that they had found his body in the river. Keith Foti was with him before he died, he said that he had heard Jeff Singing “Whole Lotta Love” By Led Zepplin. 

What Did Jeff Buckley Accomplish?

 

Jeff Buckley was a pioneer in the field of alternative rock. His vocal range and guitar skills far outmatched a lot of others at the time. To many, he was known for his outstanding cover of Hallelujah. He brought an entirely different perspective to the song with his vocals alone. Over Jeff Buckley’s entire career, he released one studio album. Which was Grace. He died before he could finish his next album, sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. But even still, with only one album, he made an immense impact on the world.He won dozens of  awards and nominations. I put a list below with the website that posted the list. Most of which are from RollingStone for his album Grace being as outstanding as it was. 

2023: Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time: #131 Jeff Buckley

2022: Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: #147 Jeff Buckley, ‘Grace’

2022: Rolling Stone 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time: #67 Jeff Buckley, ‘Grace’

2021: Rolling Stone Australia – The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: #394 Jeff Buckley, ‘Grace’

2021: Rolling Stone 40 Greatest One-Album Wonders: #4 Jeff Buckley, ‘Grace’

2020: #147 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

2016: Consequence of Sound listed Jeff Buckley as #26 of the 100 Greatest Singers Of All Time

2014:  Jeff Buckley’s masterful version of Hallelujah was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry as a culturally, historically and aesthetically significant recording

2014: Listed as one of  ’20 Artists Eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Next.’ Jeff became officially eligible in 2019.

2014: #4 on Rolling Stone’s list of “1994: The 40 Best Records From Mainstream Alternative’s Greatest Year”

2013: Rolling Stone listed Grace as #43 of the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time.

2012: Rolling Stone listed Grace as #304 of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

2011: Rolling Stone names Grace #22 of 100 Best Albums of the 90’s.

2011: Rolling Stone named Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah #264 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

2010: #39 Rolling Stone 100 greatest singers of all time.

NME lists Mystery White Boy as #22 of the 50 Greatest Live Albums Ever.

2010: Morrissey listed Grace as one of his 13 favorite albums of all time.

2010: Buckley’s Live at Siné was listed as #37 on Spin Magazine’s list of 100 Moments that Rocked Our World.

2009: On the Triple J Radio (UK) Hottest 100 of All Time, Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” was voted in 3rd place, “Last Goodbye” was 7th, “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” was 56th and “Grace” came in 69th.

2008: Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Buckley #39 in its list: The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

2004: Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah” was ranked #259 of the 500 Greatest Songs by Rolling Stone Magazine

2004: Mojo Magazine Ranked Buckley #71 on its list of Icons: The Greatest Music Stars of All Time

2003: “Grace” was ranked #303 of the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums by Rolling Stone Magazine

1998: Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for “Everybody Here Wants You”

1995: Triple J Radio (UK) Hottest 100 awarded #14 best song of the year in the world’s largest voting competition for “Last Goodbye”

1995: Rolling Stone Magazine nomination for Best New Artist

1995: MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best New Artist in a Video for “Last Goodbye”

1995: L’Académie Charles Cros awarded Buckley the “Grand Prix International Du Disque” on April 13, 1995 in honor of his debut album Grace

1994: Rolling Stone Magazine Ranked Jeff Buckley #49 on its list: Generation Next: The Future Of Rock

https://jeffbuckley.com/awards-and-nominations/

And with that, this blog has come to an abrupt close. I don’t think any blog could sum up my love for Scottie my beloved, and how much he’s done in my life. But I hope this sliver of information does justice.