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
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 band 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 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, The Iguanas, Tom Russell, Christy McWilson, The Lonesome Strangers, and Billy Bacon.
In 2009, a tribute album to Gaffney was released, A 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
1989 – Chris Gaffney & the Cold Hard Facts
1992 – Mi Vida Loca
1994 – Man of Somebody's Dreams (Live, Zurich, Switzerland, April 22, 1994)
