Chris Gaffney (musician)
American musician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christopher F. Gaffney (October 3, 1950 – April 17, 2008)[1] was an American singer and songwriter from the Southwest. His career, both as a solo musician and as a member of several bands, was as eclectic as his musical tastes. Although he never achieved widespread fame, Gaffney, who died at the age of 57 from liver cancer,[2] left his mark on country, rock, soul, and other forms of American music. In its obituary, the Los Angeles Times described Gaffney as "a peer of [Dave] Alvin, Los Lobos, X and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in chronicling the life of Southern California."[3]
Chris Gaffney | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Christopher F. Gaffney |
| Born | October 3, 1950 Vienna, Austria |
| Origin | Arizona and California, United States |
| Died | April 17, 2008 (aged 57) |
| Genres | Country, alt-country, rock, rockabilly, Bakersfield sound, blues, soul, Norteño |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, accordion |
Career
Summarize
Perspective
A self-described "army brat," Christopher F. Gaffney was born in Vienna, Austria,[1] he then moved to Livorno, Italy and New York City as a young child. But Gaffney grew up primarily in southern California and Arizona.[4] In addition to music, Gaffney loved sports, especially boxing, and earned an LA Golden Gloves championship in 1967 and even trained with boxing hall-of-famer Jackie McCoy.[5]
As a child, he learned to play the accordion and listened to norteno, country, and rock & roll.[6] As a teenager, Gaffney played in various house bands and eventually released his first solo album, Road to Indio, in 1986. Produced by friend Wyman Reese, his debut album demonstrated his "genre-bending"[7] tastes by showcasing forays into honky tonk, soul, and Bakersfield country.[6]
His next album was as Chris Gaffney & the Cold Hard Facts. Released in 1990, this album revealed Latino influences and dealt with issues of poverty and working-class life. Two years later, Gaffney released Mi Vida Loca which has been described as a "cross between Merle Haggard and The Blasters."[8] His next solo album, Loser's Paradise (1995), was produced by Gaffney's friend Dave Alvin[9] and featured contributions from Lucinda Williams and Jim Lauderdale.
In 2002, Gaffney formed the Hacienda Brothers with guitarist/songwriter Dave Gonzalez, a founding member of The Paladins. They recorded their third studio album Arizona Motel shortly before Gaffney's death in early 2008. He died from liver cancer in Newport, California.[1]
In addition to his solo and band work, Gaffney has also toured as a member of Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men[9] and contributed to albums by Lucinda Williams, Tom Russell, Christy McWilson, Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs, the Iguanas, and the Lonesome Strangers.
In 2009, a tribute album to Gaffney was released, Man of Somebody's Dreams: A Tribute to the Songs of Chris Gaffney, which included songs played by fellow Hacienda Brothers as well as others such as Dave Alvin and Los Lobos.[10]
In 2011, Dave Alvin included a song about Gaffney, "Run Conejo Run", in his album Eleven Eleven.
Discography
Solo
- 1986 – Road to Indio
- 1990 – Chris Gaffney & the Cold Hard Facts
- 1992 – Mi Vida Loca
- 1994 – Man of Somebody's Dreams (Live, Zurich, Switzerland, April 22, 1994)
- 1995 – Loser's Paradise
- 1999 – Live and Then Some [2-CD set: (Disc 1 – live, San Juan Capistrano, California, March 27/28, 1999; Disc 2 – reissue of the Road to Indio album)]
With Hacienda Brothers
- 2005 – Hacienda Brothers
- 2006 – What's Wrong with Right
- 2007 – Music for Ranch & Town: Hacienda Brothers Live (Live, Oslo, Norway, October 8, 2005)
- 2008 – Arizona Motel
- 2019 – Western Soul (compilation of the original demo sessions from March 2003; rough mixes for the debut album from November 2003; unreleased studio tracks from January 2005; plus a couple of alternate takes from November 2006 and December 2007)
Tribute album
- 2009 – Man of Somebody's Dreams: A Tribute to the Songs of Chris Gaffney
References
External links
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