Jeff Buckley

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Lore & Background

Buckley was born in Anaheim, California, the only son of Mary Guibert and singer-songwriter Tim Buckley. He was raised by his mother and stepfather, Ron Moorhead, in Southern California, and was known as Scott "Scottie" Moorhead as a child. He met his biological father only once, when he was eight; after Tim died of a drug overdose in 1975, Jeff chose to go by Buckley and his given name, Jeff. He grew up around music—his mother was a classically trained pianist and cellist, and his stepfather introduced him to Led Zeppelin, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and Pink Floyd at an early age. Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti was the first album he owned, and he said the hard rock band Kiss was an early favorite. He began playing guitar at age five after discovering an acoustic guitar in his grandmother's closet. At age 12, he decided to become a musician and received his first electric guitar, a black Memphis Les Paul copy, at age 13. He attended Loara High School and played in the school jazz band; during this time, he developed an affinity for progressive rock bands Rush, Genesis, and Yes, and the jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola. He was a fan of Joni Mitchell, the Smiths and Siouxsie and the Banshees. After graduating, he moved to Hollywood to attend the Musicians Institute, completing a one-year course at age 19. Buckley later said the school was "the biggest waste of time", but said in another interview that he had appreciated studying music theory: "I was attracted to really interesting harmonies, stuff that I would hear in Ravel, Ellington, Bartók."

In Los Angeles, Buckley spent six years working in a hotel and playing guitar in various bands, playing in styles from jazz, reggae, and roots rock to heavy metal. He toured with the dancehall reggae artist Shinehead and played occasional funk and R&B studio sessions. From 1988 to 1989, he played in a band, the Wild Blue Yonder, that included John Humphrey and future Tool member Danny Carey. Buckley limited his singing to backing vocals. He moved to New York City in February 1990 but found few opportunities to work as a musician. He was introduced to Qawwali, the Sufi devotional music of Pakistan, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, one of its best-known singers. Buckley was an impassioned fan of Khan, and during what he called his "café days", he often covered Khan's songs. In January 1996, he interviewed Khan for Interview and wrote liner notes for Khan's Supreme Collection, Vol. 1 compilation. He also became interested in the blues musician Robert Johnson and the hardcore punk band Bad Brains during this time. Buckley moved back to Los Angeles in September when his father's former manager, Herb Cohen, offered to help him record his first demo of original songs. Buckley completed Babylon Dungeon Sessions, a four-song cassette that included the songs "Eternal Life", "Last Goodbye", "Strawberry Street" and punk screamer "Radio". Cohen and Buckley hoped to attract industry attention with the demo tape. Buckley flew back to New York City early in 1991 to make his public singing debut at a tribute concert for his father, Greetings from Tim Buckley. The event, produced by Hal Willner, was held at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn on April 26, 1991. Accompanied by the experimental rock guitarist Gary Lucas, Buckley performed "I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain", a song Tim Buckley wrote about the infant Jeff and his mother. He returned to play "Sefronia – The King's Chain", "Phantasmagoria in Two", and concluded with "Once I Was" performed acoustically with an impromptu a cappella ending, due to a snapped guitar string. Willner, the show's organizer, recalled that Buckley made a strong impression. Buckley later said: "It wasn't my work, it wasn't my life. But it bothered me that I hadn't been to his funeral, that I'd never been able to tell him anything. I used that show to pay my last respects."

On subsequent trips to New York in mid-1991, Buckley began co-writing with Gary Lucas, resulting in the songs "Grace" and "Mojo Pin". In late 1991, he began performing with Lucas's band Gods and Monsters in New York City. After being offered a development deal as a member of Gods and Monsters at Imago Records, Buckley moved to the Lower East Side, Manhattan, at the end of 1991. The day after Gods and Monsters officially debuted in March 1992, he decided to leave the band. Buckley began performing at several clubs and cafés around Lower Manhattan, and Sin-é became his main venue. He first appeared at Sin-é in April 1992 and quickly earned a regular Monday night slot. His repertoire consisted of a diverse range of folk, rock, R&B, blues, and jazz cover songs, much of which he had newly learned. During this period, he discovered singers such as Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Van Morrison, and Judy Garland. Buckley performed an eclectic selection of covers by artists including Led Zeppelin ("Night Flight"), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ("Ye Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hae"), Bob Dylan ("Mama, You've Been On My Mind"), Édith Piaf ("Je n'en connais pas la fin"), the Smiths ("I Know It's Over"), Bad Brains ("I Against I"), and Siouxsie Sioux ("Killing Time"). Original songs from the Babylon Dungeon Sessions and the songs he had written with Lucas were also included in his set lists. He performed solo, accompanying himself on a Fender Telecaster he borrowed from his friend Janine Nichols. Buckley said he learned how to perform onstage by playing to small audiences. Over the next few months, Buckley attracted admiring crowds and attention from record label executives, including Clive Davis. By mid-1992, limos from executives eager to sign him lined the street outside Sin-é. Buckley signed with Columbia Records, home of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, for a three-album deal for nearly $1 million in October 1992. He spent three days in February 1993 in a studio with the engineer Steve Addabbo and the Columbia A&R representative Steve Berkowitz recording much of his solo repertoire. Buckley sang a cappella and accompanied himself on acoustic and electric guitars, Wurlitzer electric piano, and harmonium. The tapes were released on the posthumous compilation album You and I, and some of the material appeared on Buckley's debut album, Grace. Recording dates were set for July and August 1993 for what would become Buckley's recording debut, an EP of four songs, including a cover of Van Morrison's "The Way Young Lovers Do". The live EP Live at Sin-é was released on November 23, 1993. In mid-1993, Buckley began working on his first album, Grace, with the producer Andy Wallace. Buckley assembled a band, composed of the bassist Mick Grøndahl and the drummer Matt Johnson, and spent several weeks rehearsing. In September, the trio headed to Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, to spend six weeks recording basic tracks. Buckley invited ex-bandmate Lucas to play guitar on the songs "Grace" and "Mojo Pin", and the Woodstock-based jazz musician Karl Berger wrote and conducted string arrangements with Buckley assisting at times. Buckley returned home for overdubbing at studios in Manhattan and New Jersey, where he performed take after take to capture the perfect vocals and experimented with ideas for additional instruments and added textures to the songs. In January 1994, Buckley departed on tour to promote Grace, with concerts in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Australia. In 1996, Buckley worked on his second album with the working title My Sweetheart the Drunk in New York City with Tom Verlaine as the producer. In February 1997, he resumed work after moving to Memphis, Tennessee. On May 29, while awaiting the arrival of his band from New York, Buckley drowned while swimming in the Wolf River, a tributary of the Mississippi. Posthumous releases include a collection of four-track demos and studio recordings for My Sweetheart the Drunk, and reissues of Grace and the Live at Sin-é EP.

Reader's Guide

Jeff Buckley's significance rests largely on his sole studio album, Grace (1994), and his posthumously elevated reputation. After his death, his critical standing grew, and he has been cited as an influence by singers such as Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Matt Bellamy of Muse. Rolling Stone included Grace in three of its lists of the 500 greatest albums and named Buckley's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" one of the 500 greatest songs. In 2014, Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" was inducted into the American Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. In 2026, Buckley was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Posthumous releases include a collection of four-track demos and studio recordings for My Sweetheart the Drunk, as well as reissues of Grace and the Live at Sin-é EP. His legacy is that of a musician who, despite a short career and only one completed studio album, achieved lasting recognition and influence.

Did You Know?

• Buckley was raised as Scott "Scottie" Moorhead and only discovered his birth name Jeff on his birth certificate after his father's death.
• He first met his biological father, Tim Buckley, only once, when he was eight years old.
• Buckley's public singing debut was at a tribute concert for his father, Greetings from Tim Buckley, at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn on April 26, 1991.
• He signed with Columbia Records for a three-album deal worth nearly $1 million in October 1992.
• Buckley's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" was inducted into the American Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2014.