Editing Jeff Buckley (section)

==Career==
In Los Angeles, Buckley spent six years working in a hotel and playing guitar in various bands, playing in styles from jazz, [[reggae]], and [[roots rock]] to [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]].{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=99–103}} He toured with the [[dancehall]] reggae artist [[Shinehead]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Kane|first=Rebecca|title=What was his musical history?|website=jeffbuckley.com|date=May 25, 1998| url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/05musihist.html|access-date=June 13, 2008| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509063540/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/05musihist.html|archive-date=May 9, 2008}}</ref> and played occasional [[funk]] and [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] studio [[session musician|sessions]], collaborating with the fledgling producer [[Michael J. Clouse]] to form X-Factor Productions.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=98–99}} From 1988 to 1989, Buckley played in a band, the Wild Blue Yonder, that included [[John Humphrey (bass player)|John Humphrey]] and future [[Tool (band)|Tool]] member [[Danny Carey]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Amos |first1=Rick |title=John Humphrey |url=https://www.johnhumphrey.com/yonder.html}}</ref> Buckley limited his singing to [[backing vocalist|backing vocals]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/jeff-buckley-grace-things-you-didnt-know-867539/|title=Jeff Buckley's 'Grace': 10 Things You Didn't Know|last=Runtagh|first=Jordan|date=August 23, 2019|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>

Buckley moved to New York City in February 1990{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=104}} but found few opportunities to work as a musician. He was introduced to [[Qawwali]], the Sufi devotional music of Pakistan, and [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]], one of its best-known singers.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=106–07}} Buckley was an impassioned fan of Khan,<ref>{{cite web|last=Young|first=Paul|title=Talking Music: Confessing to Strangers|website=Buzz Magazine|via=jeffbuckley.com| year=1994| url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/interviews/buzz.html|access-date=June 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509065629/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/interviews/buzz.html|archive-date=May 9, 2008}}</ref> and during what he called his "café days", he often covered Khan's songs. In January 1996, he interviewed Khan for ''[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]]'' and wrote liner notes for Khan's ''Supreme Collection, Vol. 1'' compilation. He also became interested in the blues musician [[Robert Johnson (musician)|Robert Johnson]] and the [[hardcore punk]] band [[Bad Brains]] during this time.<ref name="TheArrivalof"/>

Buckley moved back to Los Angeles in September when his father's former manager, [[Herb Cohen]], offered to help him record his first demo of original songs. Buckley completed ''Babylon Dungeon Sessions'', a four-song cassette that included the songs "[[Eternal Life (song)|Eternal Life]]", "[[Last Goodbye (Jeff Buckley song)|Last Goodbye]]", "Strawberry Street" and punk screamer "Radio".{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=205}} Cohen and Buckley hoped to attract industry attention with the demo tape.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=108–109}}

Buckley flew back to New York early the following year to make his public singing debut at a tribute concert for his father, Greetings from Tim Buckley.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=130–134}} The event, produced by [[Hal Willner]], was held at [[St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church|St. Ann's Church]] in [[Brooklyn]] on April 26, 1991.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=130–134}} Buckley rejected the idea of the concert as a springboard to his career, instead citing personal reasons regarding his decision to sing at the tribute.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kane|first=Rebecca|title=What was Jeff's public debut?|website=jeffbuckley.com|date=May 26, 1998|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/06debut.html|access-date=June 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510140953/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/06debut.html|archive-date=May 10, 2008}}</ref>

Accompanied by the experimental rock guitarist [[Gary Lucas]], Buckley performed "I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain", a song Tim Buckley wrote about the infant Jeff and his mother.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=136–137}} He returned to play "Sefronia&nbsp;– The King's Chain", "Phantasmagoria in Two", and concluded with "Once I Was" performed acoustically with an impromptu [[a cappella]] ending, due to a snapped guitar string.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=136–137}} Willner, the show's organizer, recalled that Buckley made a strong impression.<ref name="ManishBoy">{{cite magazine|last=Arcade|first=Penny|title=Mannish Boy, Setting Sun|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|via=pennyarcade.tv|date=June 1997|url=http://www.pennyarcade.tv/friends/jeff_buckley.html|access-date=June 20, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525103410/http://www.pennyarcade.tv/friends/jeff_buckley.html|archive-date=May 25, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Buckley's performance was counter to his desire to distance himself musically from his father; he later said: "It wasn't my work, it wasn't my life. But it bothered me that I hadn't been to his funeral, that I'd never been able to tell him anything. I used that show to pay my last respects."<ref name="TheSonAlsoRises" /> The concert proved to be Buckley's first step into the music industry that had eluded him for years.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=138}}

On subsequent trips to New York in mid-1991, Buckley began co-writing with Gary Lucas, resulting in the songs "[[Grace (Jeff Buckley song)|Grace]]" and "[[Mojo Pin]]".{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=140–141}} In late 1991, he began performing with Lucas's band [[Gods and Monsters (band)|Gods and Monsters]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kane|first=Rebecca|title=Jeff Buckley Tourography: 1991–1993| website=jeffbuckley.com|year=1999|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/tourography/kfaktourog1.html|access-date=June 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509055450/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/tourography/kfaktourog1.html|archive-date=May 9, 2008}}</ref> After being offered a development deal as a member of Gods and Monsters at Imago Records, Buckley moved to [[Lower East Side|the Lower East Side, Manhattan]], at the end of 1991.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=142}} The day after Gods and Monsters officially debuted in March 1992, he decided to leave the band.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=146}}

Buckley began performing at several clubs and cafés around [[Lower Manhattan]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Testa|first=Jim|title=Making It In New York: Jeff Buckley|website=Jersey Beat|via=jeffbuckley.com|date=1993|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/features/njbeat.html|access-date=June 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080810005217/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/features/njbeat.html|archive-date=August 10, 2008}}</ref> and [[Sin-é]] became his main venue.<ref name="TheArrivalof" /> He first appeared at Sin-é in April 1992{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=165}} and quickly earned a regular Monday night slot there.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=167}} His repertoire consisted of a diverse range of folk, rock, R&B, blues, and jazz cover songs, much of which he had newly learned. During this period, he discovered singers such as [[Nina Simone]], [[Billie Holiday]], [[Van Morrison]], and [[Judy Garland]].{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=166}} Buckley performed an eclectic selection of covers by artist including Led Zeppelin's ("Night Flight"), [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]]'s ("Ye Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hae"), [[Bob Dylan]]'s ("Mama, You've Been On My Mind"), [[Édith Piaf]]'s ("Je ne Connais Pas La Fin"), [[the Smiths]]' ("I Know It's Over"), [[Bad Brains]]' ("I Against I"),{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=205}}{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=167}}{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=166}} and [[Siouxsie Sioux]]'s ("Killing Time").<ref>[http://www.untiedundone.com/audio.html Untiedundone.com archives] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185657/http://www.untiedundone.com/audio.html|date=March 3, 2016}} His version of "Killing Time" performed at the radio WFMU Studios, [[East Orange, New Jersey]], 10.11.92 "Killing Time" is a Siouxsie/The Creatures song from the Creatures's ''Boomerang'' album</ref><ref>[http://old.jeffbuckley-fr.net/disco/Liste.html JeffBuckley-fr.net] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223033502/http://old.jeffbuckley-fr.net/disco/Liste.html|date=February 23, 2016}} list of songs covered by Jeff Buckley including "Killing Time" composed by Siouxsie for The Creatures.</ref> Original songs from the ''Babylon Dungeon Sessions'' and the songs he had written with Lucas were also included in his set lists.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=166}} He performed solo, accompanying himself on a [[Fender Telecaster]] he borrowed from his friend Janine Nichols.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=165}}<ref name="fender83">{{Cite web |title=Fender Telecaster 1983 Jeff Buckley |url=https://www.mattsguitar.shop/en/matts-collection/fender-telecaster-1983-jeff-buckley |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=www.mattsguitar.shop}}</ref> Buckley said he learned how to perform onstage by playing to small audiences.<ref name="TheUnmadeStar" />

Over the next few months, Buckley attracted admiring crowds and attention from [[record label]] executives,{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=170–171}} including industry maven [[Clive Davis]] dropping by to see him.<ref name="TheUnmadeStar" /> By mid-1992, limos from executives eager to sign him lined the street outside Sin-é.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=170–171}} Buckley signed with [[Columbia Records]], home of Bob Dylan and [[Bruce Springsteen]],{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=174}} for a three-album deal for nearly {{No break|$1 million}} in October 1992.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=173, 177–179}} He spent three days in February 1993 in a studio with the engineer [[Steve Addabbo]] and the Columbia [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]] representative Steve Berkowitz recording much of his solo repertoire. Buckley sang a cappella and accompanied himself on acoustic and electric guitars, [[Wurlitzer electric piano]], and harmonium. The tapes remain unreleased, but much of the material appeared on Buckley's debut album, ''[[Grace (Jeff Buckley album)|Grace]]''.{{sfn|Browne|2001}} Recording dates were set for July and August 1993 for what would become Buckley's recording debut, an EP of four songs, including a cover of Van Morrison's "[[The Way Young Lovers Do]]".{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=199–200}} The live EP ''[[Live at Sin-é]]'' was released on November 23, 1993.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=223}}

===''Grace''===
{{Main|Grace (Jeff Buckley album){{!}}''Grace'' (Jeff Buckley album)}}
In mid-1993, Buckley began working on his first album with record producer [[Andy Wallace (producer)|Andy Wallace]]. Buckley assembled a band, composed of bassist [[Mick Grøndahl]] and drummer [[Matt Johnson (drummer)|Matt Johnson]], and spent several weeks rehearsing.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=201–203}}<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Grace|others=Jeff Buckley|type=Liner notes|publisher=[[Sony Music]]|via=jeffbuckley.com|date=August 23, 1994|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/album.asp?SecID=2#info|access-date=June 13, 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020025449/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/album.asp?SecID=2|archive-date=October 20, 2007}}</ref>

In September, the trio headed to [[Bearsville Studios]] in [[Woodstock (town), New York|Woodstock, New York]], to spend six weeks recording basic tracks for what would become ''Grace''. Buckley invited ex-bandmate Lucas to play guitar on the songs "Grace" and "Mojo Pin", and Woodstock-based jazz musician [[Karl Berger]] wrote and conducted string arrangements with Buckley assisting at times.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=204–208}} Buckley returned home for [[overdubbing]] at studios in Manhattan and New Jersey, where he performed take after take to capture the perfect vocals and experimented with ideas for additional instruments and added textures to the songs.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=224–226}}

In January 1994, Buckley departed on his first solo North American tour in support of ''[[Live at Sin-é]],''{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=224–226}} followed by a 10-day European tour in March.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=230}} Buckley played clubs and coffeehouses and made in-store appearances.{{sfn|Browne|2001|pages=224–226}} After returning, Buckley invited guitarist Michael Tighe to join the band and a collaboration between the two resulted in "[[So Real (Jeff Buckley song)|So Real]]", a song recorded with producer/engineer [[Clif Norrell]] as a late addition to the album.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=227}}{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=228}} In June, Buckley began his first full band tour, called the "Peyote Radio Theatre Tour", which lasted into August.<ref name=JBcomBio>{{cite web|title=Jeff Buckley Biography|website=jeffbuckley.com|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/bio.asp|access-date=June 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017212001/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/bio.asp|archive-date=October 17, 2007}}</ref> [[The Pretenders]]' [[Chrissie Hynde]],{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=231}} [[Soundgarden]]'s [[Chris Cornell]], and [[the Edge]] from [[U2]]{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=251}} were among the attendees of these early shows.

''Grace'' was released on August 23, 1994. In addition to seven original songs, the album included three covers: "[[Lilac Wine]]", based on the version by Nina Simone{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=166}} and made famous by Elkie Brooks; "[[Corpus Christi Carol]]", from [[Benjamin Britten]]'s ''[[A Boy was Born]]'', Op.3, a composition that Buckley was introduced to in high school, based on a 15th-century hymn;{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=75}} and "[[Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen song)|Hallelujah]]"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jeff-buckley.ru/hallelujah.htm|title=Hallelujah – Текст и перевод песни Hallelujah|work=jeff-buckley.ru|access-date=March 18, 2017|language=ru|archive-date=May 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509173303/http://jeff-buckley.ru/hallelujah.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> by [[Leonard Cohen]], based on [[John Cale]]'s recording from the Cohen tribute album ''[[I'm Your Fan]]''.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=166}} His rendition of "Hallelujah" has been called "Buckley's best" and "one of the great songs"<ref name=TimeHallelujah>{{cite magazine|last=Tyrangiel|first=Josh|title=Keeping Up the Ghost|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=December 12, 2004|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1006590,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708212256/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1006590,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 8, 2007|access-date=June 13, 2008}}</ref> by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', and is included on ''Happy Mag''<nowiki/>'s list of "The 10 Best Covers Of All Time",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://happymag.tv/here-are-the-10-best-covers-of-all-time-from-here-to-eternity/|title=Here are the 10 best covers of all time from here to eternity|language=en-US|access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref> and ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s list of "[[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]".<ref name=RStoneHallelujah>{{cite magazine|title=The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=December 9, 2004| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/3| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323165506/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/3|archive-date=March 23, 2010|url-status=dead |access-date=June 13, 2008}}</ref>

Sales of ''Grace'' were slow, and it garnered little radio airplay despite critical acclaim.<ref>{{cite web|last=Irvin|first=Jim|title=It's Never Over: Jeff Buckley 1966–1997|website=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|via=jeffbuckley.com|date=August 1997|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/tributes/itsneverover.html|access-date=June 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502122736/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/tributes/itsneverover.html|archive-date=May 2, 2008}}</ref> ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' proclaimed it "a romantic masterpiece" and a "pivotal, defining work".<ref>{{cite web|last=Molitorisz|first=Sacha|title=Sounds Like Teen Spirit|website=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|via=jeffbuckley.com|date=November 1, 1997|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/articles/smh-1nov97.html|access-date=June 15, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215041342/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/articles/smh-1nov97.html|archive-date=December 15, 2008}}</ref> Despite slow initial sales, the album went [[Music recording sales certification|gold]] in France and Australia over the next two years,<ref name=JBcomBio/> achieved gold status in the U.S. in 2002,<ref>{{cite web|title=RIAA Gold and Platinum records|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Jeff%20Buckley&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|access-date=June 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115161046/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Jeff%20Buckley&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|archive-date=November 15, 2013}}</ref> and sold over six times [[ARIA certifications|platinum in Australia]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|title=ARIA Charts&nbsp;– Accreditations – 2006 Albums|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/ARIACharts-Accreditations-2006Albums.htm|access-date=June 13, 2008}}</ref>

''Grace'' won appreciation from a number of revered musicians and artists, including members of Buckley's biggest influence, Led Zeppelin.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=10}} [[Jimmy Page]] considered ''Grace'' close to being his "favorite album of the decade".<ref>{{cite AV media|people=Cross, Serena (Director)|title=Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You|medium=Television documentary|publisher=BBC|year=2002}}</ref> [[Robert Plant]] was also complimentary,<ref name="NOWmagazine">{{cite web|last=Hughes|first=Kim|title=Mother preserving Jeff Buckley's legacy|website=[[Now (1996–2019 magazine)|Now]]|via=jeffbuckley.com|date=May 28 – June 3, 1998|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/interviews/nowmag.html|access-date=June 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509083316/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/interviews/nowmag.html|archive-date=May 9, 2008}}</ref> as was [[Brad Pitt]], saying of Buckley's work, "There's an undercurrent to his music, there's something you can't pinpoint. Like the best of films, or the best of art, there's something going on underneath, and there's a truth there. And I find his stuff absolutely haunting. It just ... it's under my skin."<ref>{{cite web |title=Brad Pitt and Jimmy Page on Jeff Buckley |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PndSaitIBXk |via=YouTube| date=23 December 2017 }}</ref> Others who had influenced Buckley's music lauded him:<ref>{{cite web|last=Kane|first=Rebecca|title=Who were some of Jeff's influences?|website=jeffbuckley.com|date=August 1, 1998|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/09influen.html|access-date=June 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510142905/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/09influen.html|archive-date=May 10, 2008}}</ref> Bob Dylan named Buckley "one of the great songwriters of this decade",<ref name=NOWmagazine/> and, in an interview with ''[[The Village Voice]]'', [[David Bowie]] named ''Grace'' one of 10 albums he would bring with him to a desert island.<ref name="VillageVoice">{{cite web|last=Flanagan|first=Bill|title=Jeff Buckley Missing, Presumed Dead|website=[[The Village Voice]]|via=jeffbuckley.com|date=June 10, 1997|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/tributes/vv10jun97.html|access-date=June 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118134108/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/tributes/vv10jun97.html|archive-date=January 18, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2010, the Smiths singer [[Morrissey]], one of Buckley's influences, named ''Grace'' one of his favorite albums.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-08-13 |title=Morrissey Reveals His Favourite LPs Of All Time |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/04797-morrissey-s-supreme-13-favourite-albums?page=3 |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The Quietus |language=en }}</ref>

===Concert tours===
Buckley spent much of the next year and a half touring internationally to promote ''Grace''. Following Buckley's ''Peyote Radio Theater'' tour, the band began a European tour on August 23, 1994, starting with performances in the UK and Ireland. The tour continued in Scandinavia and, throughout September, numerous concerts in Germany were played. The tour ended on September 22 with a concert in Paris. A gig on September 24 in New York dovetailed with the end of the European tour and Buckley and band spent the next month relaxing and rehearsing.<ref name="PastTours">{{cite web|title=Past tour dates|website=jeffbuckley.com|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/news.asp?id=10|access-date=March 14, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409161821/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/news.asp?id=10|archive-date=April 9, 2008}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2024}}

A tour of Canada and the U.S. began on October 19, 1994, at [[CBGB]]. The tour was far reaching with concerts held on both East and West Coasts of the U.S. and a number of performances in central and southern states. The tour ended two months later on December 18 at [[Maxwell's]] in [[Hoboken, New Jersey]].<ref name="PastTours"/>{{Failed verification|date=September 2024}} After another month of rest and rehearsal, the band commenced a second European tour, this time mainly for promotion purposes. The band began the tour in [[Dublin]].<ref name="SoRealGrows">{{cite web|title=Jeff Buckley's ''So Real'' Grows Internationally |website=Legacy Recordings |date=June 12, 2007 |url=http://www.legacyrecordings.com/News/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsGuid=375c5bca-6900-44ee-872d-df5491f78e66 |access-date=June 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927203343/http://www.legacyrecordings.com/News/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsGuid=375c5bca-6900-44ee-872d-df5491f78e66 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref> The short tour largely consisted of promotional work in London and Paris.<ref name="PastTours"/>{{Failed verification|date=September 2024}}

In late January, the band did their first tour of Japan, playing concerts and appearing for promotion of the album and newly released Japanese single "Last Goodbye". The band returned to Europe on February 6. He toured various Western European countries before returning to the U.S. on March 6. Among the gigs performed during this period, Buckley and his band performed at a 19th-century-built French venue, the [[Bataclan (theatre)|Bataclan]], and material from the concert was recorded and later released in October of that year as a four track [[Extended play|EP]], ''[[Live from the Bataclan]]''. Songs from a performance on February 25, at the venue Nighttown in [[Rotterdam]], were released as a promotional-only CD, ''[[The Grace EPs|So Real]]''.<ref name="PastTours"/>{{Failed verification|date=September 2024}}

Touring recommenced in April with dates across the U.S. and Canada. During this period, Buckley and the band notably played [[Metro Chicago|Metro]] in Chicago, which was recorded on video and later released as ''[[Live in Chicago (Jeff Buckley)|Live in Chicago]]'' on [[VHS]] and later on [[DVD]]. In addition, on June 4 they played at [[Sony Music Studios]] for the Sony Music radio hour. Following this was a month-long European tour between June 20 and July 18 in which they played many summer [[music festivals]], including the [[Glastonbury Festival]] and the 1995 [[Meltdown Festival]] (at which Buckley sang [[Henry Purcell]]'s "[[Dido's Lament]]"<ref>{{cite episode|title=Dido's Lament|series=Soul Music|network=[[BBC]]|station=[[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]]|air-date=March 9, 2010}}</ref> at the invitation of [[Elvis Costello]]).{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=266}} During the tour, Buckley played two concerts at the [[Paris Olympia]], a venue made famous by the French vocalist [[Édith Piaf]]. Although he had failed to fill out smaller American venues at that point of his career, both nights at the large Paris Olympia venue were sold out.<ref>Liner notes, ''Live à L'Olympia''. Jeff Buckley (2001).</ref> Shortly after this Buckley attended the Festival de la Musique Sacrée (Festival of Sacred Music), also held in France, and performed "What Will You Say" as a duet with [[Alim Qasimov]], an [[Azerbaijan]]i [[mugham]] singer. [[Sony BMG]] has since released a live album, 2001's [[Live a L'Olympia|Live à L'Olympia]], which has a selection of songs from both Olympia performances and the collaboration with Qasimov.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shiel| first=Christopher|date=October 1, 2001|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/993-live-a-lolympia/ |title=Jeff Buckley – Live a L'Olympia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318053904/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/993-live-a-lolympia/ |archive-date=March 18, 2009|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=February 12, 2012}}</ref>

Buckley's ''Mystery White Boy'' tour, playing concerts in both Sydney and [[Melbourne]], Australia, lasted between August 28 and September 6 and recordings of these performances were compiled and released on the live album ''[[Mystery White Boy]]''. Buckley was so well received during these concerts that his album ''Grace'' went [[Gold album|gold]] in Australia, selling over 35,000 copies, and taking this into account he decided a longer tour was needed and returned for a tour of [[New Zealand]] and [[Australia]] in February the following year.<ref name=JBcomBio/>

Between the two [[Oceania]]n tours, Buckley and the band took a break from touring. Buckley played solo in the meantime with concerts at [[Sin-é]] and a New Year's Eve concert at [[Mercury Lounge]] in New York.<ref name="PastTours"/>{{Failed verification|date=September 2024}} After the break, the band spent the majority of February on the ''Hard Luck Tour'' in Australia and New Zealand, but tensions had risen between the group and drummer [[Matt Johnson (drummer)|Matt Johnson]]. The concert on March 1, 1996, was the last gig he played with Buckley and his band.<ref name=JBcomBio/>

Much of the material from the tours of 1995 and 1996 was recorded and released on either promotional EPs, such as the ''[[The Grace EPs|Grace EP]]'', or posthumously on albums, such as ''Mystery White Boy'' (a reference to Buckley not using his real name) and ''Live à L'Olympia''. Many of the other concerts Buckley played during this period have surfaced on [[bootleg recordings]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Kane |first=Rebecca |title=The Jeff Buckley Discography: Bootlegs |website=jeffbuckley.com |url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/discography/bootlegs.html |access-date=June 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509154858/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/discography/bootlegs.html |archive-date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2024}}

Following Johnson's departure, the band, now without a drummer, was put on hold and did not perform live again until February 12, 1997.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kane |first=Rebecca |title=Jeff Buckley Tourography |website=jeffbuckley.com |url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/tourography/kfaktourog6.html |access-date=June 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706131956/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/tourography/kfaktourog6.html |archive-date=July 6, 2008 }}</ref> Due to the pressure from extensive touring, Buckley spent the majority of the year away from the stage. However, from May 2 to 5, he played a short stint as bass guitarist with Mind Science of the Mind, with friend [[Nathan Larson (musician)|Nathan Larson]], then guitarist of [[Shudder to Think]].<ref name=JBcomBio/> Buckley returned to playing live concerts when he went on his "phantom solo tour" of cafés in the northeast U.S. in December 1996, appearing under a series of aliases: the Crackrobats, Possessed by Elves, Father Demo, Smackrobiotic, the Halfspeeds, Crit-Club, Topless America, Martha & the Nicotines, and A Puppet Show Named Julio.<ref name="PastTours"/> By way of justification, Buckley posted a note stating he missed the anonymity of playing in cafés and local bars:

{{blockquote|There was a time in my life not too long ago when I could show up in a café and simply do what I do, make music, learn from performing my music, explore what it means to me, i.e., have fun while I irritate and/or entertain an audience who don't know me or what I am about. In this situation I have that precious and irreplaceable luxury of failure, of risk, of surrender. I worked very hard to get this kind of thing together, this work forum. I loved it and then I missed it when it disappeared. All I am doing is reclaiming it.<ref>{{cite web|last=Van De Kamp|first=Bert|title=Jeff Buckley 1966–1997|website=[[OOR]]|date=June 14, 1997|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/tributes/oor14jun97.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102024108/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/tributes/oor14jun97.html|archive-date=January 2, 2008|access-date=June 13, 2008|via=jeffbuckley.com}}</ref>}}

=== ''My Sweetheart the Drunk'' ===
{{Main|Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk}}

In 1996, Buckley started writing a new album with the working title ''My Sweetheart the Drunk''. While working with [[Patti Smith]] on her 1996 album ''[[Gone Again]]'', he met collaborator [[Tom Verlaine]], lead singer of the seminal punk-[[New wave music|new wave]] band [[Television (band)|Television]]. Buckley asked Verlaine to be producer on the new album and he agreed.<ref name="TheJBFAQ:Sketches">{{cite web|last=Kane |first=Rebecca |title=Sketches |website=jeffbuckley.com |date=July 20, 1998 |url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/17sketches.html |access-date=June 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509154730/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/17sketches.html |archive-date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref> In mid-1996, Buckley and his band began recording sessions in Manhattan with Verlaine, recording "Sky Is a Landfill", "Vancouver", "Morning Theft", and "You and I".{{sfn|Lory|Irvin|2018|loc=chapter 9}} [[Eric Eidel]] played the drums through these sessions as a stop-gap after Matt Johnson's departure, before [[Parker Kindred]] joined as full-time drummer.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kane|first=Rebecca|title=Who were the members of Jeff's band?|website=jeffbuckley.com|date=May 17, 1999|url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/08band.html|access-date=May 5, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029064639/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/08band.html|archive-date=October 29, 2013}}</ref> Around this time, Buckley met [[Inger Lorre]] of [[the Nymphs]] in an East Village bar{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=283}} and struck up a fast and close friendship.  Together, they contributed a track to ''[[Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness]]'', a [[Jack Kerouac]] tribute album.<ref name="TheJBFAQ:Sketches" /> After Lorre's backup guitarist for an [[Transcendental Medication|upcoming album]] quit the project, Buckley offered to fill in.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=296}} He became attached to one of the songs from the album, "[[Yard of Blonde Girls]]" and recorded a cover.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=315}} Another recording session in Manhattan followed in early 1997, but Buckley and the band were unsatisfied with the material.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/sketches-for-my-sweetheart-the-drunk-105779/|title=Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk|last=Fricke|first=David|date=May 7, 1998|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>

On February 4, 1997, Buckley played a short set at [[the Knitting Factory]]'s tenth anniversary concert featuring a selection of his new songs: "Jewel Box", "Morning Theft", "Everybody Here Wants You", "The Sky is a Landfill" and "Yard of Blonde Girls".{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=299}} [[Lou Reed]] was in attendance{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=299}} and expressed interest in working with Buckley.<ref name="VillageVoice" /> The band played their first gig with [[Parker Kindred]], their new drummer, at [[Arlene's Grocery]] in New York on February 9. The set featured much of Buckley's new material that would appear on ''Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk'' and a recording has become one of Buckley's most widely distributed bootlegs.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kane |first=Rebecca |title=What Is Arlene's? |website=jeffbuckley.com |date=April 19, 1999 |url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/20arlenes.html |access-date=June 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509154845/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/20arlenes.html |archive-date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref> Later that month, Buckley recorded a [[spoken word]] reading of the [[Edgar Allan Poe]] poem "[[Ulalume]]" for the album ''[[Closed on Account of Rabies]]''.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |last=Willner |first=Hal |author-link=Hal Willner |title=Closed on Account of Rabies |others=Various artists, [[Edgar Allan Poe]]|type=Liner notes |publisher=Paris Records |date=August 1997 |url=http://www.parisrecords.net/t-closedonaccountofrabies.aspx |access-date=June 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513221106/http://www.parisrecords.net/t-closedonaccountofrabies.aspx |archive-date=May 13, 2008 }}</ref> It was his last recording in New York; shortly after, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee.<ref name="JBcomBio" />

Buckley became interested in recording at [[Easley McCain Recording]] in Memphis, at the suggestion of friend Dave Shouse from the [[Grifters (band)|Grifters]].{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=294}} He rented a [[shotgun house]] there, of which he was so fond he contacted the owner about purchasing it.{{sfn|Browne|2001|page=1}} From February 12 to May 26, 1997, Buckley played at Barristers', a bar located in [[Downtown Memphis, Tennessee|downtown Memphis]], underneath a parking garage. He played there numerous times in order to work through the new material in a live atmosphere, at first with the band, then solo as part of a Monday night residency.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kane |first=Rebecca |title=Why is Barristers' Significant? |website=jeffbuckley.com |date=June 1, 1998 |url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/23barristers.html |access-date=June 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509055458/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/23barristers.html |archive-date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref> In early February, Buckley and the band did a third recording session with Verlaine in Memphis, where they recorded "Everybody Here Wants You", "Nightmares by the Sea", "Witches' Rave" and "Opened Once",{{sfn|Lory|Irvin|2018|loc=chapter 9}} but Buckley expressed his dissatisfaction with the sessions and contacted ''Grace'' producer [[Andy Wallace (producer)|Andy Wallace]] to step in as Verlaine's replacement.<ref name="TheJBFAQ:Sketches" /> Buckley started recording demos on his own 4-track recorder in preparation for a forthcoming session with Wallace;<ref name="TheJBFAQ:Sketches" />{{sfn|Lory|Irvin|2018|loc=chapter 9}} some of the demos were sent to his band in New York, who listened to them enthusiastically and were excited to resume work on the album. However, Buckley was not entirely happy with the results and sent his band back to New York while he stayed behind to work on the songs. The band was scheduled to return to Memphis for rehearsals and recording on May 29.{{sfn|Lory|Irvin|2018|loc=chapter 9}}<ref name="JBcomBio" /> After Buckley's death, the Verlaine-produced recordings and Buckley's demos were released as ''Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk'' in May 1998.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Forde|first=Eamonn|date=2021-08-31|title='These are his true remains': the fight over Jeff Buckley's final recordings|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/31/jeff-buckley-final-recordings|access-date=2021-11-07|website=[[The Guardian]]|language=en}}</ref>