Having been brought up in a home around music, Jeff Buckley developed an interest in music from a very young age. He performed in several cover bands throughout his school years and then attended the Los Angeles Musicians Institute to get a formal education in music. He soon realized that he didn’t want to be a part of a group and decided to continue his way as a solo artist. The singer began performing at various clubs and coffee houses.
He quickly built a dedicated audience, and it didn’t take long for him to sign a record deal with Columbia Records. Buckley’s recording debut, an EP of four songs, arrived in 1993. It received good reviews and was followed by his first full-length studio album, ‘Grace,‘ in 1994. He went on tour with his band to promote the album for almost three years. It was the only album that was released while he was alive. Unfortunately, the singer left the world with a tragic death, and let’s look at his passing and the interesting detail of Led Zeppelin related to it.
What Was The Led Zeppelin Related Detail In Jeff Buckley’s Tragic Death?
By the summer of 1996, Jeff Buckley had started to work on his second studio album, ‘Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk,’ which was posthumously released in 1998. He continued the album’s recording sessions in New York City and Memphis, Tennessee. A tragic incident happened on the night of May 29, 1997 while Buckley was waiting with a friend for the arrival of his bandmates to continue recording in Memphis, Tennessee.
Jeff Buckley decided to go for a swim, fully dressed in the Mississippi River. However, his friend realized after a while that Buckley had vanished. He got caught up in the passing boat’s wake and drowned. The rescue team immediately started to look for his body but failed to find him. His body was discovered six days later by a riverboat passenger. His sudden and tragic death shocked the music world.
There was an interesting Led Zeppelin-related detail regarding his passing, though. When Buckley began swimming in the Mississippi River, he was singing the chorus of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love.’ It is known that Led Zeppelin had a massive influence on him in his childhood years. They were one of the first bands his father introduced to him.
Also, the band’s ‘Physical Graffiti’ was the first album he owned. He would perform covers from Led Zeppelin while taking the stage in various clubs and coffee houses. Apparently, there was a mutual influence since Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant highly praised Buckley’s album, ‘Grace’ in later years.
