After rebuffing interest from record labels [ 2 ] and Herb Cohen βthe manager of his father, singer Tim Buckley [ 3 ] βhe signed with Columbia , recruited a band, and released his only studio album, Grace , in Buckley toured extensively to promote Grace , including concerts in the U.
In , Buckley resumed work after moving to Memphis, Tennessee , recording four-track demos and playing weekly solo shows in downtown Memphis. 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. Rolling Stone included Grace in its list of the Greatest Albums of All Time [ 4 ] and included Buckley in its list of the greatest singers. His mother was a Zonian of Greek, English, French and Panamanian descent, [ 6 ] while his father was the son of an Irish American father and an Italian American mother.
Buckley's biological father, Tim Buckley, released a series of folk and jazz albums in the late s and early s. Jeff said they met only once, when he was eight. Buckley was brought up around music; his mother was a classically trained pianist and cellist, [ 15 ] and his stepfather introduced him to Led Zeppelin , Queen , Jimi Hendrix , the Who , and Pink Floyd at an early age.
That turns me on completely". After graduating from high school, Buckley moved to Hollywood to attend the Musicians Institute , [ 27 ] completing a one-year course at age 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.
Clouse to form X-Factor Productions. Buckley moved to New York City in February [ 35 ] but found few opportunities to work as a musician. 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 flew back to New York early the following year to make his public singing debut at a tribute concert for his father, Greetings from Tim Buckley.
