Today in Music History: Remembering Jeff Buckley
November 17, 2015
History Highlight:
Today in 1966, singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley was born in Anaheim, Calif.; Rolling Stone magazine considers him one of the greatest singers of all time. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by playing cover songs at venues in Manhattan's East Village, gradually focusing more on his own material. Eventually Buckley signed with Columbia Records, recruited a band, and recorded what would be his only studio album, Grace, in 1994. On May 29, 1997, Buckley was in Memphis and drowned during a spontaneous evening swim in the Mississippi River when he was caught in the wake of a passing boat. Buckley's chart success came posthumously, particularly his cover — often considered the definitive version — of Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah," which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs in March 2008. An album of previously unheard Buckley demo tracks is expected to release in March 2016.
Also, Today In:
1962 - The Four Seasons started a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Big Girls Don't Cry," the group's second No. 1 of the year.
1967 - The Who began their second tour of North America in Kansas City, Mo.; they were opening for The Buckinghams.
1979 - The Commodores went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Still," their second No. 1 single.
1985 - Wham! were at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go." George Michael's inspiration for the song was a scribbled note left by his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley for Andrew's parents, originally intended to read "wake me up before you go" but with "up" accidentally written twice, so Ridgeley wrote "go" twice on purpose.
1990 - David Crosby from Crosby Stills Nash & Young was hospitalized after breaking a leg, shoulder and ankle after crashing his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
1999 - Mariah Carey was forced to abandon a performance on Rome's historic Spanish Steps after crowds of tourists swamped her. She took shelter in a local shop before she was given a police escort to safety.
2010 - Patti Smith won the National Book Award for her memoir, Just Kids.
Birthdays:
Gordon Lightfoot is 77.
Gene Clark of the The Byrds was born today in 1944.
Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre is 69.
Guitarist Jim Babjak of the Smithereens is 58.
RuPaul is 55.
Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, and Wikipedia.