Died On This Date (June 29, 1975) Tim Buckley / Influential Singer-Songwriter

Tim Buckley
February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975

Tim Buckley was a much respected singer-songwriter who, through his career that spanned the late ’60s to mid ’70s dazzled fans with his keen ability to seamlessly cohabit multiple genres like jazz, folk, soul psychedelia and avant-garde.  Growing up in Southern California, Buckley taught himself to play the banjo at the age of 11.  Bu the time Buckley was a senior in high school, he had formed his own band and was a married father-to-be.  His son was future indie-folk legend Jeff Buckley, who like his father,  died tragically too soon.  Buckley was soon signed to the legendary Elektra Records who released Buckley’s now cult classic albums.  By the early ’70s however, Buckley’s demons took to form of drugs and alcohol and seriously derailed his career.  In 1975, Buckley attempted to clean up and mount a “comeback” but his addiction to heroin was too strong, causing him to die of an overdose at the age of 28.

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Tim Buckley

 

Died On This Date (May 29, 1997) Jeff Buckley / Popular Singer-Songwriter

Jeff Buckley
November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997

Jeff Buckley was the son of Tim Buckley, an American avant-garde rock musician who also died at a young age in 1975. Jeff Buckley followed in his father’s professional footsteps by becoming an accomplished singer-songwriter in his own right. Buckley’s career started to develop in the mid-’90s when as he started making a name for himself gigging around New York’s East Village. Record companies began to take notice with Columbia Records ultimately signing him and releasing Grace, his 1994 debut. The album contained his cover of Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah,” which landed at number 259 on Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.” The album would eventually go gold in the US, no doubt with the help of some very famous fans. Jimmy Page called it his favorite album of the ’90s, and David Bowie claimed it as one of his ten “Desert Island Discs.” But sadly, Buckley’s career would be cut much too short. After spending the next couple of years touring and promoting Grace as well as participating in a few other recordings, Buckley settled into a life in Memphis where he began working up new material for his second album. On the evening of May 29, 1997, Buckley drowned while swimming in the Wolf River Harbor, just off the Mississippi River. According to band roadie, Keith Foti, Buckley went into the water fully clothed, including his boots. At one point while on shore, Foti got up to move their gear out of the way of an oncoming wake, and when he looked back out to the water, Buckley was nowhere to be found. Despite attempts to find him, Buckley remained missing until his body was discovered and brought ashore almost a week later. An autopsy revealed he had no illegal drugs in his body and his death was ruled an accidental drowning.

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Grace (Legacy Edition) [Audio Version] - Jeff Buckley

Died On This Date (March 22, 1991) Dave Guard / The Kingston Trio

Donald “Dave” Guard
November 19, 1934 – March 22, 1991

dave-guardDave Guard was an influential American folk singer, best remembered as a founding member of the Kingston Trio.  Formed in 1957, the group helped launch the folk revival of the ’60s while becoming one of the first groups to enjoy big sales on the LP format.  Their first hit single, “Tom Dooley” is considered one of the most important songs of the era.  Artists like Brian Wilson, Joan Baez, Lindsey Buckingham, Jimmy Buffet, and Tim Buckley have all been cited as having been influenced by the Kingston Trio.  Guard left the group in 1961 and formed the Whiskeyhill Singers who released one album and sang a handful of songs on the soundtrack for How The West Was One.  After the Whiskeyhill Singers, Guard kept busy working with other artists while writing and recording music.  He all but retired from the public eye during the final two decades of his life, making only a few local public appearances and Kingston Trio semi-reunions.  On March 22, 1991, Dave Guard died of lymphoma.  He was 56 years old.

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The Kingston Trio