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Chris Gaffney (musician)

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Chris Gaffney
Birth nameChristopher F. Gaffney
BornOctober 3, 1950
Vienna, Austria
OriginArizona and California, United States
DiedApril 17, 2008(2008-04-17) (aged 57)
GenresCountry, alt-country, rock, rockabilly, Bakersfield sound, blues, soul, Norteño
Instrument(s)Guitar, accordion

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]

Career

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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

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Solo

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 2009 – Man of Somebody's Dreams: A Tribute to the Songs of Chris Gaffney

References

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  1. ^ a b c "The Dead Rock Stars Club 2008 January to June". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  2. ^ Owens, Kevin (August 2008). "Passing Notes: Chris Gaffney". Guitar Player. 42 (8): 60.
  3. ^ Mike Boehm, Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2008 Archived October 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "Gaffney's bio at haciendabrothers.com". Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  5. ^ "Remembering The Hacienda Bros. Chris Gaffney". Npr.org. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Gaffney's bio at Allmusic.com
  7. ^ "Obituary". Austin360.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  8. ^ Allmusic's review of Mi Vida Loca
  9. ^ a b "Hacienda Brothers' official website". Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  10. ^ "Alvin, Escovedo, Los Lobos, and More Unite for Gaffney Tribute". Vintage Guitar. January 13, 2009. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
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