Jeff Buckley’s former home at 93 North Rembert St in Memphis, Tennessee is already a regular stop on the Memphis musical tourist trail with many stopping by for selfies and video as they pay their respects to the singer-songwriter who passed too soon.
But now – thanks to a full renovation by its current owners – fans will soon be able to enter the house and call it home via an imminent AirBnB listing.
The tiny wooden house, where Buckley lived while working on songs for his second album and immediately prior to his death, was bought by property developer Eric Goode in March of this year for $143,000.
Goode estimates that the house should be ready for its first guests by Thanksgiving 2024.
“Nobody in Memphis was paying attention to the house,” said estate agent David Lorrison to Commercial Appeal. “But when you look online, you see people are coming here from all over. They drive for miles to make videos of the house and trace Jeff’s steps in Memphis.”
Describing Buckley’s tenancy there Memphis music writer Andria Lisle told Commercial Appeal: “He just kind of camped out in there. The house was really spare. It was a tiny, wonky, midtown house, typical for that neighbourhood. He borrowed a gorgeous Victorian couch but other than that he kind of just had a phone, an answering machine, and a mattress. He always had a pile of books and CDs. He moved from room to room, following the sunlight."
According to biographer Robert Gordon in his 2018 book Memphis Rent Party, Buckley came to Memphis “to be free” from the “heat” of music industry pressure. “Jeff Buckley had fame and came here to lose it,” wrote Gordon, who befriended the musician.
Turning rock stars' homes into holiday destinations is becoming an up-and-coming trend. Prince fans are already able to check into the star’s home from the Purple Rain movie or stay at one of (AirBn)B52’s star Kate Pierson’s ‘Love Shack’ Airstream caravans in the Joshua Tree National Park.
And should you choose to take a holiday in Jeff Buckley’s home you’ll find that it's an ideal spot from which to continue your Memphis musical journey.
It’s a short walk to the Overton Park Shell, the still-active outdoor stage where a young Elvis made his debut public performance in 1954 and is even closer to Ardent Studios on Madison Avenue which has played host to recordings by artists as diverse as Led Zeppelin, BB King, and Bob Dylan through to contemporaries such as The White Stripes seeking to achieve the same Memphis magic.
Buckley was the son of folk singer Tim Buckley who tragically died too young, in a drugs overdose in 1975 at the age of 28. Buckley died aged 30 in a swimming accident in 1997.
The timing of his former home’s restoration and the launch of the new venture couldn’t be more fortuitous as his year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Buckley’s only – and hugely revered – album, Grace.
