Garland Jeffreys From "Next Big Thing" to Vanishing Act?

Article Heading: Garland Jeffreys Was One of Rock’s Most Essential Voices. Where Did He Go?

In the vibrant landscape of late 1970s rock, one name resonated with unparalleled promise: Garland Jeffreys. Music industry insiders and tastemakers alike were convinced he was on the cusp of superstardom. Rolling Stone hailed him as the **"most promising artist" of 1977**, while PBS's esteemed program Soundstage boldly predicted he would become "the next performer to lay claim to superstardom." Major radio stations, like New York's WNEW-FM, kept his iconic tracks, **“35 Millimeter Dreams” and “Wild in the Streets,”** in constant rotation.

Jeffreys' unique sound, a blend of sardonic vocals reminiscent of his friend Lou Reed and a theatrical rock energy akin to a Brooklyn-infused Bruce Springsteen, captivated audiences. But somewhere along the way, the trajectory shifted. What happened to this once-heralded icon?

An anecdote perfectly encapsulates Jeffreys’ peculiar journey. Years after his initial burst of fame, his song title appeared as an answer on Jeopardy. Sadly, none of the contestants recognized it. "That tells you everything," says Claire Jeffreys, his wife and manager of over 30 years. "Garland was hot enough to have his song mentioned by Jeopardy’s writers, but not known by enough of the general public to get a single response."

This sense of unrealized potential is at the heart of a new documentary, **"Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between."** The title alludes to both his genre-bending musical style – a fusion of rock, reggae, and soul – and his mixed-race identity. As the son of a Black father and a Puerto Rican mother, Jeffreys often navigated the complexities of finding his place in the predominantly white rock scene of the '70s and '80s.

His exploration of racial identity became a defining theme in his music. Bruce Springsteen himself acknowledges in the documentary, "I don’t know of anybody who has written about race as directly as Garland has."

The documentary, premiering at New York’s IFC Center before expanding to select theaters and streaming platforms, delves into the multifaceted layers of Jeffreys' life and career. You can find it on:

• Amazon Prime
• iTunes
• Google Play
• Tubi (starting in August)

However, in the nine years since the documentary began filming, Jeffreys' life has taken a poignant turn. In 2018, at the age of 81, he began displaying signs of dementia, a condition that has since progressed significantly. He now requires constant care, primarily provided by his wife at their Manhattan apartment.

Claire Jeffreys made the difficult decision to exclude his dementia from the film. "I felt it would overwhelm the music and everything else about his life," she explained. She chose to share this information with Rolling Stone to provide complete context to his story.

What makes Garland Jeffreys' songwriting so enduring is his unflinching autobiographical approach. Guitarist Vernon Reid, who collaborated with Jeffreys in the '90s, notes, "Garland has been incredibly courageous in the particular way he has written about race. He writes about it in a very intimate way so that what you hear in his songs isn’t like the work of anyone else."

His debut album in 1973, aptly titled "Garland Jeffreys," introduced this approach with the opening track, "Ballad of Me," where he describes himself as "Black and white as can be … a freak in the family/Like a newborn child/With a frozen smile."

Jeffreys' early life was marked by challenges. His father left when he was two, and his mother remarried a man who subjected him to physical discipline. Despite these hardships, his childhood in Sheepshead Bay also held moments of joy, singing doo-wop on street corners and later attending jazz clubs in Greenwich Village.

A pivotal moment was his time at Syracuse University, where he met and befriended Lou Reed. Reed's songwriting inspired Jeffreys to embrace his own musical talent. Their shared connection to New York City deeply influenced their music. Laurie Anderson, Reed's widow, observes, "You can hear New York talking in both of those guys. They’re both connected to the language of the streets."

After a brief stint at the Institute of Fine Arts, Jeffreys dedicated himself to music. He played guitar on John Cale’s debut album and formed Grinder’s Switch, showcasing his early promise.

Despite facing setbacks, including label disputes and albums that didn't achieve commercial success, Jeffreys persevered. He released notable albums like "American Boy & Girl" and the racially charged concept album "Don’t Call Me Buckwheat," confronting issues of race and identity head-on.

One particularly poignant incident inspired "Don't Call Me Buckwheat": at a Mets game, someone yelled, “Hey Buckwheat, get the fuck out of here." This painful experience fueled his creative fire.

The lack of mainstream success in the U.S. led to a 20-year recording hiatus in his home country. His 2011 comeback album, "The King of In Between," garnered critical acclaim but failed to resonate widely with audiences. He continued creating until his retirement in 2019.

Bruce Springsteen aptly summarized Jeffreys' impact: "He’s in the great singer-songwriter tradition of Dylan and Neil Young, one of the American greats."

Claire Jeffreys hopes the documentary will shed light on her husband's remarkable career. Despite his declining health, she believes his story is one of perseverance and acceptance.

"Ultimately, this is a story about perseverance," she concludes. "When each of us gets older, we realize that certain dreams of ours haven’t been fulfilled. I hope this film helps people to accept what they have achieved, as Garland eventually did. Despite all that he faced, his has been a life well lived."

Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/garland-jeffreys-bruce-springsteen-lou-reed-documentary-1235352477/