Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III (born February 14, 1947 in Washington, DC - † June 29, 1975 ) was a singer-songwriter from the United States . He started out as a folk singer , but developed his singing and music more and more towards jazz and experimental music . He was the father of Jeff Buckley, who also died early .
Life
He had his first encounter with modern jazz at the age of five, as his mother was a Miles Davis fan. In 1952 the family moved to Bell Gardens , California . He started learning banjo at the age of 13 and played in a group with his friend Dan Gordon. In the course of time he switched to the guitar , which remained “his” instrument throughout his life.
In 1962 he entered Buena Vista High School and tried to make a name for himself in football as a quarterback . After some injuries, he decided in 1964 to leave football. In the same year he joined the group Princess Ramona & the Cherokee Riders , a country band. Soon he founded the bands The Bohemians and Harlequins 3 with his friends Larry Beckett and Jim Fielder and played in clubs around Los Angeles .
In 1965 the Buckley family moved to Anaheim and his parents separated. After graduating from high school, he tried college but left after two weeks. In November, he married his former high school classmate, Mary Guibert. He worked during the day and played as a musician in various clubs in the Orange County area .
In 1966, Jimmy Carl Black , the drummer of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention , discovered him when Buckley was playing in his club. Black introduced him to Herb Cohen , the manager of the "Mothers". The engagement that followed brought him in contact with Lee Underwood (henceforth to be heard on all Buckley's studio albums as guitarist) and the founder of Elektra Records , Jac Holzman. This brokered his first record deal. Tim Buckley appeared in December of that year.
His son Jeffrey Scott, later known as Jeff Buckley , was born in the same year . Tim was now divorced from Mary Guibert.
In 1967 he returned to New York, where he shared the stage with the Mothers Of Invention, Nico , Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix . In Los Angeles he recorded his second LP Goodbye and Hello , which was made big by the record company. There were several television appearances.
In 1968 he toured Europe, where he a. a. also appeared on John Peel's Top Gear Show . In his private life he was engaged in jazz, which was also reflected in his music. His songs became more complex, he used his expressive voice more versatile. In December he recorded his third album, Happy / Sad , which would be his most successful from a commercial point of view.
In 1969 he released two more albums: Blue Afternoon and Lorca . In addition to numerous concerts, he also began recording his sixth LP: Starsailor . He completed it the following year and it received the highest praise from critics, especially Down Beat . However, commercially it was a fiasco. It contained, among other things, the song Song to the Siren . His music now finally became experimental and his original fans, who appreciated the folk singer, turned away. The record disappeared from the market and became an expensive cult object.
Commercial failure plunged him into a serious crisis. He began to drink and use other drugs, at the same time the record company gave him the ultimatum “play rock'n'roll or nothing”. He tried to keep his head above water for a while, but after two years he gave up and took up Greetings from LA in 1972 . This platter also includes Sweet Surrender .
In 1974 he recorded Look at the Fool . Bad sales led to the separation from the record company. He saw his then eight-year-old son Jeffrey for the first and last time that year .
At 9:42 a.m. on June 29, 1975, Tim Buckley died in the emergency room at Santa Monica Hospital. The night before, he and his wife had visited university assistant Richard Keeling, who offered ex-junkie Buckley a white powder for a cold. Believing it was cocaine, Buckley's wife said, Buckley took a pinch. But it was unblended heroin. On the way to his own apartment, Tim Buckley collapsed and an ambulance could not help either. A manslaughter case has been initiated against Keeling.
Discography
- 1966: Tim Buckley
- 1967: Goodbye and Hello
- 1969: Happy / Sad
- 1970: Blue Afternoon
- 1970: Lorca
- 1970: Starsailor
- 1972: Greetings from LA
- 1973: Sefronia
- 1974: Look at the Fool
posthumously:
- 1990: Dream Letter - Live In London 1968
- 1991: The Peel Sessions - Recorded For The John Peel Show 1968
- 1994: Live At The Troubador 1969 - Los Angeles
- 1995: Morning Glory - Old Gray Whistle Test 1974 / John Peel Show 1968
- 1995: Honeyman - Live 1973
- 1999: Once I Was - Old Gray Whistle Test 1974 / John Peel Show 1968 / Copenhagen 1968
- 2000: The Copenhagen Tapes - Copenhagen 1968
- 2009: Live at the Folklore Center 1967
- 2001: Morning Glory: The Tim Buckley Anthology
- 2011: Tim Buckley (stereo / mono) with accompanying CD Previously Unreleased (demos from 1965 and 1966)
- 2011: Starsailor: The Anthology
- 2017: Greetings from West Hollywood
- 2017: Venice Mating Call
Movie
- Greetings from Tim Buckley (2012) IMDb http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823125/
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Buckley, Tim |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Buckley, Timothy Charles III |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer-songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 14, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Washington, DC |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 29, 1975 |
| Place of death | los Angeles |