So easy to go and forget with this kiss
I'm not afraid to go but it goes so slow...
- Grace by Jeff Buckley
On this day in 1966 an amazing musician entered the world. Jeff Buckley, one of my music idols, was a talented guitarist and singer-songwriter with a beautiful voice and remarkable vocal range. He passed away long before his time, in a drowning accident on the evening of May 27, 1997. He had been swimming in the Wolf River (off of the Mississipi), singing 'Whole Lotta Love' by Led Zepellin, while one of his roadies remained on shore. The roadie turned to move their radio out of reach of the water, and when he looked back Jeff was gone. A couple of days later his body was found. The autopsy showed no signs of drug or alcohol use - it was merely a tragic accident. What a way to go.
He had only released one complete studio album, Grace, and at the time of his death he was working on a new record titled My Sweetheart the Drunk . Grace was a critical success and highly regarded by other musicians, and this legacy continues today. I stumbled across this album because my brother's drum teacher had given it to him to listen to, and once I started listening I was completely blown away. It is one of my all-time favourite albums, and I would definitely include this in my 'desert-island' collection...it is so brilliant that I would say that if I had to choose only one album that I could listen to for the rest of my life, this might just be it (although Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer would be close...).
Ok, I could go on and on describing how much I love him and how beautiful his lyrics and music are (maybe one day I'll write a much longer post about him...), but instead I'll let you check out this video of Jeff and his band performing 'So Real' and 'Last Goodbye', two tracks from Grace. This live and acoustic version is really stripped down, showcasing just how versatile and beautiful his voice is, especially when he yells passionately at the end of 'So Real' (around 3:47 and after). Here it is:
