Tim Buckley

Tim Buckley was known more for voice-as-instrument than for songwriting. His musical stylings were as intriguing as his sprawling octave range, and he never failed to enchant, surprise and bewilder with each new album. Buckley emerged from Orange County, California as a folk musician but his work eventually grew towards the sun of his first music love: jazz. Buckley's albums were more about taking musical risks than pleasing fans and ranged from the conventional folk-feel of Goodbye and Hello (1967) to the electric, sexy lyrical bliss of Greetings From L.A. (1972). Buckley's life came to an abrupt end in '75 when he died of a heroin overdose, but his ability to breath emotion into his songs was a trait he passed on to Jeff Buckley, the musical son he barely knew. Jeff went on to a music career of his own which, like his father's, was cut short by his tragic death in '97.