Garland Jeffreys

{{Short description|American musician (born 1943)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}} {{Infobox musical artist  | name = Garland Jeffreys | image = Garland-jeffreys-1338111867.jpg | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1943|6|29}} | birth_place = [[Brooklyn, New York|Brooklyn]], New York City | genre = [[Rock and roll]], [[Americana (music)|Americana]], [[reggae]], [[blues]], [[Soul music|soul]] | occupation = Musician, songwriter, record producer | instrument = Vocals, guitar | years_active = 1966–2019 | label = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]], [[A&M Records|A&M]], [[Epic Records|Epic]], [[RCA Records|RCA]]/[[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]], [[Universal Music Group|Universal]], Luna Park | spouse = Claire Jeffreys | website = {{URL|garlandjeffreys.com}} }} '''Garland Jeffreys''' (born 1943) is an American musician, singer and songwriter.<ref name="Farber25">Farber, Jim. [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/garland-jeffreys-bruce-springsteen-lou-reed-documentary-1235352477/ "Garland Jeffreys Was One of Rock's Most Essential Voices. Where Did He Go?,"] ''Rolling Stone'', June 5, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref><ref name="Cocks81">Cocks, Jay. [https://time.com/archive/6882317/music-anthems-for-the-mystery-kids/ "Music: Anthems for the Mystery Kids,"] ''Time'', June 15, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref> He emerged as part of a distinct, mid-1970s New York rock sound that included artists like [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[Southside Johnny]] and [[Willie Nile]].<ref name="Fricke11">Fricke, David. [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-best-under-the-radar-albums-of-2011-245394/ "The Best Under-the-Radar Albums of 2011,"] ''Rolling Stone'', December 23, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref><ref name="Baird17">Baird, Robert. [https://www.stereophile.com/content/garland-jeffreys-new-album "Garland Jeffreys' New Album,"] ''Stereophile'', May 19, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Farber11">Farber, Jim. [https://www.nydailynews.com/2011/06/05/hail-to-the-king-rock-soul-vet-garland-jeffreys-returns-with-first-new-work-in-14-years/ "Hail to the 'King': Rock & soul vet Garland Jeffreys returns with first new work in 14 years,"] ''New York Daily News'', June 5, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref> Hallmarks of Jeffreys's music are autobiographical songwriting and an eclectic, hard-to-categorize style that embraces [[rock and roll|rock-and-roll]], [[reggae]], [[soul music|soul]], [[doo-wop]], [[blues]], [[jazz]] and [[Folk music|folk]].<ref name="Steinfeld07">Steinfeld, Dave. "Garland Jeffreys: Beyond Race" ''Beyond Race Magazine'', Music Issue 2007, cover, p. 28–31.</ref><ref name="Greenman11">Greenman, Ben. [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/06/13/wild-borough "Wild Borough,"] ''The New Yorker'', June 6, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Farber11"/><ref name="Baird17"/> His songs revolve around signature themes: race and inclusivity, New York City and urban life, romance and family.<ref name="Palmer81">Palmer, Robert. [https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/29/arts/pop-life.html "From Sheepshead Bay to Success in New York, By Way of Europe,"] ''The New York Times'', April 29, 1981. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Hammer83">Hammer, Mike. "The Black and White World of Garland Jeffreys," ''Rock Bill'', April 1983, p. 29–31.</ref><ref name="Hochman92">Hochman, Steve. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-06-21-ca-1153-story.html "Garland Jeffreys: A Singer-Songwriter Resolves Cultural Conflicts in His Life,"] ''Los Angeles Times'', June 21, 1992. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Farber11"/> Critics contend that Jeffreys's category-defying music and multiracial identity often perplexed American record labels, radio stations and audiences, hampering the marketing and reach of his work.<ref name="Robins76">Robins, Wayne. "A powerful outsider," ''Newsday'', Nassau, April 28, 1976, p. 124.</ref><ref name="Goldstein81">Goldstein, Toby. "Houdini in Dreadlocks: Garland Jeffreys' Latest Sleight-of-Sound," ''Creem'', July 1981, p. 24, 59–60.</ref><ref name="Steinfeld09">Steinfeld, Dave. "Rock and Race: Does the Music Industry Encourage Segregation?" ''Elmore'', July/August 2009, p. 22–25.</ref><ref name="Palmer79">Palmer, Robert. [https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/18/archives/rock-garland-jeffreys.html "Garland Jeffreys,"] ''The New York Times'', November 18, 1979. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> Rock writer [[Kurt Loder]] described Jeffreys as "a unique voice in American music—a racial and cultural outsider with a first-hand, hard-knocks knowledge of all the various Big City scenes and scams, and a striking ability to render even the grittiest incidents concisely into songs."<ref name="Loder78">Loder, Kurt. "Playing the One-Eyed Jack," ''Circus'', 1978.</ref>

Jeffreys sustained a following in New York from the 1970s forward,<ref name="Harrington81">Harrington, Richard. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/04/28/cult-rocker-rising/2a2497b8-14c4-4e04-b6a8-ab413b7d9c23/ "Cult Rocker Rising,"] ''The Washington Post'', April 27, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref><ref name="Palmer79"/><ref name="Emerson79">Emerson, Ken. "Garland Jeffreys to Play Bottom Line," ''The New York Times'', November 16, 1979, p. C29.</ref> however his broader fan base grew more strongly in Europe than in the United States.<ref name="McShane23">McShane, Larry. [https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/12/03/new-documentary-looks-at-underappreciated-nyc-rocker-garland-jeffreys/ "New documentary looks at underappreciated NYC rocker Garland Jeffreys,"] ''New York Daily News'', December 23, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref><ref name="Farber11"/> In the US, he is best known for the albums ''[[Ghost Writer (album)|Ghost Writer]]'' (1977), ''[[Escape Artist (Garland Jeffreys album)|Escape Artist]]'' (1981) and ''[[The King of In Between]]'' (2011), and the widely covered underground single, "Wild in the Streets";<ref name="Holden77">Holden, Stephen. "Garland Jeffreys Makes His Own Break," ''The Village Voice'', March 21, 1977.</ref><ref name="Hilburn77">Hilburn, Robert. "Garland Jeffreys: A New York City Son," ''Los Angeles Times'', April 10, 1977. P. 70.</ref><ref name="Bentley81">Bentley, Bill. "A Fan Meets the Ghostwriter, Garland Jeffreys," ''LA Weekly'', May 21, 1981, p. 14.</ref><ref name="Tucker11">Tucker, Ken. [https://www.npr.org/2011/06/23/137112172/garland-jeffreys-new-yorks-king-of-in-between "Garland Jeffreys: New York's 'King Of In Between,'"] ''NPR'', June 23, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> in Europe, he is also known for the album ''[[American Boy & Girl]]'' (1979) and hit single "Matador."<ref name="Palmer81"/><ref name="Deming">Deming, Mark. [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/garland-jeffreys-mn0000164750#biography Garland Jeffreys Biography], ''Allmusic''. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref> In 2023, a documentary on Jeffreys's life and career came out, ''Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between''.<ref name="McShane23"/><ref name="Naves23">Naves, Mario. "Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between," ''The New York Sun'', November 19, 2023.</ref><ref name="Duffy25">Duffy, Thom. [https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/garland-jeffreys-new-documentary-film-bruce-springsteen-feature-1235465295/ "Newly Streaming Documentary Confirms Garland Jeffreys' Legacy as ‘'One of the American Greats,'"] ''Billboard'', August 26, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Gibson25">Gibson, Bradley. [https://filmthreat.com/reviews/garland-jeffreys-the-king-of-in-between/ "Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between,"] ''Film Threat'', June 24, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref>

==Early life and career== Jeffreys was born William Garland Jeffreys in 1943 and grew up in [[Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn]], a child of black, white and Puerto Rican heritage.<ref name="Deming"/><ref name="Leglise17">Leglise, Agnes. "Garland Jeffreys," ''RocknFolk'', July 2017.</ref><ref name="Steinfeld09"/> A difficult childhood included his father leaving when Jeffreys was two, an abusive stepfather, and a neighborhood that was intolerant of racial diversity.<ref name="Harrington81"/><ref name="Steinfeld07"/><ref name="Cocks81"/> He was involved in music from an early age, taking piano lessons at seven, singing doo-wop on street corners, and sneaking into Greenwich Village jazz clubs in his early teens.<ref name="Palmer81"/><ref name="Farber11"/><ref name="Farber25"/> In the early 1960s, his stepfather worked two jobs to send him to [[Syracuse University]], where he majored in art history.<ref name="Palmer81"/><ref name="Snider17">Snider, Mike. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/03/19/garland-jeffreys-man-musical-mission/99324108/ "Garland Jeffreys, a man on a musical mission"] ''USA Today'', March 19, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> While there he befriended fellow students and music fans [[Lou Reed]] and [[Felix Cavaliere]]<ref name="Cocks81"/><ref name="Deming"/> and received a scholarship to study art in Florence—a formative experience.<ref name="Loder78"/><ref name="Futrell78">Futrell, Jon. "A Garland for Jeffreys," ''Black Echoes'', April 15, 1978, p. 3.</ref><ref name="Goldstein81"/>

After completing his studies in 1966, Jeffreys began playing at [[Manhattan]] nightclubs like [[Gerde's Folk City]] and [[The Bitter End]], sometimes partnering with Reed and [[John Cale]].<ref name="Futrell78"/><ref name="Loder78"/><ref name="Rockwell77">Rockwell, John. "Why Garland Jeffreys Says He Now Knows the Score," ''The New York Times'', March 25, 1977, p. 66.</ref> His performances then—and later at [[Reno Sweeney]]<ref name="Wilson76">Wilson, John. "A Concert 'Salute' by Eight Vocalists to Reno Sweeney," ''The New York Times'', June 13, 1976.</ref><ref name="Leogrande76">Leogrande, Ernest. "They sing it to Sweeney," ''The New York Times'', June 14, 1976.</ref>—often combined cabaret with racial themes, employing props, makeup, blackface masks and a rag doll persona he called "Ramon."<ref name="Christgau76">Christgau, Robert. " Garland Jeffreys Deserves a Break. David Amram Doesn't," ''The Village Voice'', March 8, 1976, p. 75.</ref><ref name="Rockwell76">Rockwell, John. "Strong Singing by Jeffreys," ''The New York Times'', April 30, 1976.</ref><ref name="Boone79">Boone, Mike. "Jeffreys hits home with a loud bang," ''The Gazette'', Montreal, December 3, 1979.</ref>

In 1969, Jeffreys played guitar and contributed the song "Fairweather Friend" to [[John Cale]]'s 1969 debut solo album, ''[[Vintage Violence]]''.<ref name="AMCale">''Allmusic''. [https://www.allmusic.com/song/fairweather-friend-mt0011912726 "Fairweather Friend," John Cale]. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Farber25"/> He also founded the band [[Grinder's Switch Featuring Garland Jeffreys|Grinder's Switch]] with pianist Stan Szelest, guitarist Ernie Corallo and percussionist Sandy Konikoff.<ref name="Loder78"/><ref name="Deming"/> Before dissolving in 1970, they released a self-titled album overseen by ''[[Astral Weeks]]''-producer [[Lewis Merenstein]], which [[Robert Christgau]] and others noted for Jeffreys's songwriting and a sound reminiscent of [[The Band]].<ref name="Christgau70">Christgau, Robert. "Rock & Roll &," ''The Village Voice'', June 18, 1970.</ref><ref name="Ruhlmann70">Ruhlman, William. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000088658#review "Garland Jeffreys & Grinder's Switch,"] ''AllMusic''. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Christgau81">Christgau, Robert. [https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=G&bk=70 ''Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies''], Ticknor & Fields, 1981. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref>

==Solo musical career== Jeffreys's solo music fuses diverse styles, personal songwriting and lyrics that can be confrontational, observational or elliptical, within albums often focused around a topic.<ref name="Steinfeld07"/><ref name="Greenman11"/><ref name="Farber11"/><ref name="Horowitz17">Horowitz, Hal. [https://americansongwriter.com/garland-jeffreys-14-steps-harlem/ "Garland Jeffreys: 14 Steps To Harlem,"] ''American Songwriter'', August 2, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> Recurrent subjects include race, identity, his struggle to find a place in the white world of 1970s–1980s rock, troubled youth, and in later work, hard-won wisdom and mortality.<ref name="Palmer81"/><ref name="Hammer83"/><ref name="Hochman92"/><ref name="Baird17"/> His work also serves as a long-running chronicle of the appeal, struggle and danger of urban life across New York City's five boroughs.<ref name="Kincaid77">Kincaid, Jamaica. [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1977/07/11/garland-jeffreys "Garland Jeffreys,"] ''The New Yorker'', July 4, 1977. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Hilburn77"/><ref name="Loder78"/><ref name="Himes81">Himes, Geoffrey. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/04/28/garland-jeffreys/6230b9ff-4763-4f06-bb5b-c2d47cae8070/ "Garland Jeffreys,"] ''The Washington Post'', April 27, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref> Rock critic [[Jay Cocks]] wrote: "A Jeffreys record is like a fast cruise across the radio band. Reggae, jazz and full-tilt rock all blend with casual finesse. This is big-city soul music born of tough beginnings and hard realities. Soul music for sole survivors."<ref name="Cocks81"/>

Jeffreys's musical eclecticism is matched by vocal versatility that critics suggest can range from swagger to cool intimacy.<ref name="Edwards86">Edwards, Jane. "Garland Jeffreys holds court," ''The Gazette'', Montreal, December 22, 1986.</ref><ref name="Rockwell76"/><ref name="Farber11"/><ref name="Himes81"/> ''Rolling Stone'''s Jim Farber wrote that Jeffreys blended "the sardonic cadence of Lou Reed" and the "theatrical blast" of Bruce Springsteen;<ref name="Farber25"/> others note a relaxed register recalling [[Johnny Nash]] or [[Bill Withers]].<ref name="Futrell78"/> ''New York Times'' rock critic [[Robert Palmer (American writer)|Robert Palmer]] contended that performance lay at the heart of Jeffreys's music: an energetic style "compounded of reggae influences, basic guitar rock, [[Mick Jagger]]ish self‐delectation, New York City street references, and a willingness to parade his private humiliations and victories before an audience in a potentially self-lacerating way."<ref name="Palmer79"/><ref name="Palmer81"/> In addition to Jagger, Jeffrey's stage presence has been likened to the prowling authority of [[Arthur Lee (musician)|Arthur Lee]] of [[Love (band)|Love]].<ref name="Holden77"/><ref name="Browning81">Browning, Boo. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/04/10/escape-artist/ab581c7d-44b8-49e0-990e-53f30390b83b/ "Escape Artist,"] ''The Washington Post'', April 9, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref><ref name="Nooger73">Nooger, Dan. "Riffs," ''The Village Voice'', April 5, 1973.</ref><ref name="Davis77">Davis, Michael. "Garland Jeffreys, Ghost Writer," ''Creem'', July 1977, p. 70–71.</ref>

===Solo career, 1973–1983=== [[File:Garland Jeffreys.png|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Garland Jeffreys, circa 1980]] Despite the commercial failure of the Grinder's Switch record, Jeffreys landed a solo contract with [[Atlantic Records]], which yielded the folk- and jazz-flavored album ''[[Garland Jeffreys (album)|Garland Jeffreys]]'' (1973), with guests [[Dr. John]], [[David Bromberg]] and David Newman.<ref name="Hilburn77"/><ref name="Ruhlmann73">Ruhlman, William. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/garland-jeffreys-mw0000456906#review "Garland Jeffreys,"] ''AllMusic''. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> It more fully introduced his writing in songs that critics characterized as witty, mordant observations of urban blight and bittersweet experience—among them, "Harlem Bound," the identity-themed "Ballad of Me," and the early reggae tune, "Bound to Get Ahead Someday!"<ref name="Edwards73">Edwards, Henry. "Enjoy—It's Fun Rock: Garland Jeffreys," ''The New York Times'', February 25, 1973.</ref><ref name="Nooger73"/><ref name="Ruhlmann73"/><ref name="Bentley81"/> Shortly after, he released the single, "Wild in the Streets". Both album and single received positive critical attention but were commercially unsuccessful; four years later the track would become his best-known and most-played song.<ref name="Rockwell77"/><ref name="Hilburn77"/>

After a stint on the Arista label produced only a failed single, Jeffreys signed with [[A&M Records]].<ref name="Hilburn77"/> With the release of ''[[Ghost Writer (album)|Ghost Writer]]'' (1977), the mainstream music press—''Rolling Stone'' ("most promising artist" of 1977), ''The Village Voice'' ("top ten"),<ref name="VV">''The Village Voice''. [https://www.villagevoice.com/the-village-voices-pazz-jop-critics-poll-top-10-albums-by-year-1971-2013/ "The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop Critics’ Poll: Top 10 Albums By Year, 1971-2013," 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> [[PBS]] ''Soundstage''—declared Jeffreys poised for breakout stardom.<ref name="Holden77"/><ref name="Hilburn77"/><ref name="Farber11"/><ref name="Cocks81"/> The album was a harder-rocking mixture paralleling his heritage, with confident reggae cut with explorations of flamenco ("Spanish Town") and soul (the hometown ode "New York Skyline"),<ref name="Rockwell77"/><ref name="Davis77"/><ref name="Nesin79">Nesin, Jeff. "Garland Jeffreys, American Boy & Girl," ''Creem'', December 1979, p. 57.</ref><ref name="Steinfeld07"/> and the FM staples "Wild in the Streets" and "Rough and Ready".<ref name="Cocks81"/><ref name="Bentley81"/><ref name="McShane23"/> Critics identified an overriding theme of determination that united the collection's strongly autobiographical subjects: coming of age and making it in the city ("Ghost Writer"), racial separatism ("Why-O"), interracial romance ("I May Not Be Your Kind"), and the pain of urban childhood ("Cool Down Boy").<ref name="Hilburn77"/><ref name="Holden77"/><ref name="Mieses77">Mieses, Stan. "Child in the Streets Grows Up," ''Philadelphia Daily News'', April 7, 1977, p. 20.</ref> [[Robert Hilburn]] likened the album "to a cross-town bus ride" with "social dissection reminiscent at times to James Baldwin's ''Another Country'' or Martin Scorsese's ''Mean Streets''"; [[Stephen Holden]] called it possibly "the quintessential New York rock record."<ref name="Holden77"/><ref name="Hilburn77"/>

Jeffrey's follow-up, ''[[One-Eyed Jack (Garland Jeffreys album)|One-Eyed Jack]]'' (1978) struggled to live up to the expectations set by ''Ghost Writer'', receiving mixed reviews.<ref name="Sullivan79">Sullivan, Jim. "The rock star who cares about kids" ''Bangor Daily News'', November 24, 1979.</ref><ref name="Christgau81"/><ref name="Ruhlmann79">Ruhlman, William. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/one-eyed-jack-mw0000854847#review "One-Eyed Jack,"] ''AllMusic''. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> Dedicated to his boyhood idol, Jackie Robinson, the album presented a tonal contrast. Side one offered brighter, optimistic pop-oriented tracks focused on the search for love, like the soul-disco-flavored "She Didn't Lie."<ref name="Futrell78"/><ref name="Loder78"/><ref name="Nesin79"/> Side two included personal, urban songs with biting lyrics (e.g., "Been There and Back") that tapped into 1960s rock ("Oh My Soul"), funk ("Scream in the Night") and reggae.<ref name="Loder78"/><ref name="DN78">''New York Daily News''. "Garland Jeffreys," May 26, 1978, p. 8.</ref><ref name="Ruhlmann79"/> Critics regarded ''[[American Boy & Girl]]'' (1979) as a more energetic comeback album that updated the ''Ghost Writer'' theme of troubled children.<ref name="Emerson79"/><ref name="Boone79"/><ref name="Sullivan79"/> Songs like the title track, "City Kids" and "Night of the Living Dead" centered on tough portraits of teen runaways and outsiders taking refuge in drugs and crime in order to survive abuse, neglect and street life.<ref name="Emerson79"/><ref name="Nesin79"/><ref name="Pratt79">Pratt, Chuck. "Records: American Boy & Girl," ''Pittsburgh Press'', September 20, 1979, p. D–8.</ref><ref name="Campbell79">Campbell, Mary. "Jeffreys hits home with a loud bang," ''The Gazette'', Montreal, December 3, 1979.</ref> Jeffreys balanced those songs with soothing, emotive tunes of hope and inspiration, such as "Shoot the Moonlight Out" and "Matador,"<ref name="Sullivan79"/><ref name="Campbell79"/> a European hit that charted in several countries' top fives and spurred a successful tour.<ref name="Palmer81"/><ref name="Deming"/><ref name="Leglise17"/> Jeff Nesin of ''Creem'' characterized the album as "urban and urbane," difficult, and slow to reveal.<ref name="Nesin79"/>

''Escape Artist'' (1981, Epic Records), yielded Jeffreys's first U.S. commercial success, making the top forty chart,<ref name="Harrington81"/> garnering FM airplay for the songs "Modern Lovers," "R.O.C.K." and a cover of the garage-rock classic "[[96 Tears]]" (#5 on the [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|US rock chart]]), and landing on [[Time Magazine]]'s list of the year's 10 best pop albums.<ref name="MusicVF">''MusicVF''. [https://musicvf.com/song.php?title=96+Tears+by+Garland+Jeffreys&id=16876#google_vignette "96 Tears," Garland Jeffreys]. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Marsh81">Marsh, Dave. "There's No Escaping Jeffreys' Artistry," ''Philadelphia Daily News'', April 25, 1981, p. 12.</ref><ref name="Steinfeld07"/><ref name="Time82">''Time''. [https://time.com/archive/6698996/music-best-of-1981-music/ "Music: Best of 1981,"] January 4, 1982.</ref> With backing by the UK group [[The Rumour]], [[Roy Bittan]] and [[Danny Federici]] of the [[E Street Band]], and guests including [[David Johansen]], Lou Reed, [[G.E. Smith]], [[Adrian Belew]] and [[Nona Hendryx]], the album was a harder rocking set.<ref name="Harrington81"/><ref name="Marsh81"/> Its songs explored growing up in a tough community ("Mystery Kids," "Miami Beach"), music as an escape ("R.O.C.K.," "Graveyard Rock"), and failed romance (the soul-baring "True Confessions" and rueful "Ghost of a Chance").<ref name="Browning81"/><ref name="Palmer81"/><ref name="Goldstein81"/> Jay Cocks called them anthems for "hard, hopeless downtown orphans whose hustle along the thin edge becomes a musical metaphor for political desperation and spiritual desolation"; he described their sound as "buttressed by a flair for elegant concert showmanship and a voice that sounds like [[Frankie Lymon]] with a college education."<ref name="Cocks81"/> Jeffreys supported the album with a tour backed by The Rumour that was captured on an album released the same year, ''[[Rock 'n' Roll Adult]]''.<ref name="Himes81"/><ref name="Bentley81b">Bentley, Bill. "Scoring the Clubs," ''LA Weekly'', November 20, 1981, p. 66.</ref><ref name="Deming81">Deming, Mark. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/rock-n-roll-adult-mw0000856415#review ''Rock & Roll Adult''], ''Allmusic''. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref>

With expectations high, Jeffreys put out ''[[Guts for Love]]'' (1983), a departure album with its more polished sound and thematic shift from social concern to love (e.g., the title track, "Fidelity," "Loneliness" and "Real Man").<ref name="Wong83">Wong, Jo-Ann. "Garland Jeffreys turns to expressions of love," ''Deseret News'', March 11, 1983, p. 8W.</ref><ref name="Hammer83"/><ref name="Deming83">Deming, Mark. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/guts-for-love-mw0000504350#review ''Guts for Love''], ''Allmusic''. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> It received a mixed reception, with some reviewers deeming it a cohesive, personal effort with a "snappy, live feel"<ref name="Morse83">Morse, Steve. "Jeffreys, Poet of the Streets, Turns to Personal Statement," ''The Boston Globe'', February 6, 1983.</ref><ref name="Zebora83">Zebora, Jim. "Garland Jeffreys, Guts for Love," ''Record-Journal'', January 14, 1983, p. 21.</ref><ref name="Pinkston83">Pinkston IV, R.A. "Garland Jeffreys, Guts for Love," ''Creem'', April 1983, p. 52.</ref> and others finding the more radio-friendly production slick and less edgy than previous work.<ref name="Deming83"/><ref name="Christgau">Christgau, Robert. [https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Garland+Jeffreys "Guts for Love,"] ''Robert Christgau'', June 18, 1970.</ref>

===Solo career, 1990s=== After taking a hiatus from recording, Jeffreys released two new albums in the 1990s, ''[[Don't Call Me Buckwheat]]'' (1992) and ''[[Wildlife Dictionary]]'' (1997),{{efn|name=Europe|Only released in Europe}} and a collection of previous releases, ''Matador & More...'' (1992).

''[[Don't Call Me Buckwheat]]'' was a concept album that channeled reflections and frustrations about the complexities of race in America while also expressing a sense of inner satisfaction and acceptance.<ref name="Hochman92"/><ref name="Farber11"/><ref name="Farber25"/> The title was prompted by an incident at a baseball game at Shea Stadium during which, after standing to get a hotdog, Jeffreys was verbally accosted by a heckler who shouted, "Hey [[Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas|Buckwheat]], sit down!"<ref name="McShane23"/><ref name="Farber11"/><ref name="Duffy25"/> The racial epithet stuck with him, spurring several songs, including the title track, "Color Line," "I Was Afraid of Malcolm" and "Racial Repertoire," which examined [[code-switching]].<ref name="Farber25"/> ''New Yorker'' critic Ben Greenman described the album as an "essayistic and autobiographical" consideration of Jeffreys's "mixed-race upbringing in Brooklyn, the civil-rights era, and the integrationist power of popular music."<ref name="Greenman11"/> It included "Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll," a tribute to black rock 'n' roll pioneers that reached No. 11 in Germany and broke into the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="Steinfeld07"/><ref name="Leglise17"/><ref name="Roberts06">Roberts, David. ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' (19th ed.), London: Guinness World Records Limited, 2006, p. 281.</ref>

On ''Wildlife Dictionary'' (1997, released only in Europe), Jeffreys shifted back to love and sex in songs like "Afrodiziak," "Love Jones," "Original Lust" and "Temptation."<ref name="Deming"/><ref name="Browne97">Browne, Daniel. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/wildlife-dictionary-mw0000521333#review ''Wildlife Dictionary''], ''Allmusic''. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> The album featured a polished production with a 1970s soul influence in its beats, grooves and riffs. One of the tracks, "Sexuality," was featured in an [[Armani]] ad campaign.<ref name="Browne97"/> After the birth of his daughter Savannah in 1997, Jeffreys took time off from recording to be a full-time father.<ref name="Gonyea13">Gonyea, Don. [https://www.npr.org/2013/11/09/244113967/garland-jeffreys-applies-his-truth-serum "Garland Jeffreys Applies His Truth Serum,"] ''NPR'', November 9, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Deming"/>

===Solo career, 2000–19=== {{CSS image crop |Image = 123116Garland-26.jpg |bSize = 500 |cWidth = 310 |cHeight = 255 |oTop = 0 |oLeft = 95 |Location = right |Description = Garland Jeffreys in performance at Joe's Pub New York City, 2016 }} In the 2000s, Jeffreys staged occasional European and US tours, performed in various benefit concerts, and released four albums.<ref name="Deming"/><ref name="Christgau03">Christgau, Robert. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170204165912/http://www.villagevoice.com/news/listings-6409411 "Alejandro Escovedo Benefit,"] ''The Village Voice'', September 4, 2003. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017.</ref> ''I'm Alive''{{efn|name=Europe}} (2007) was an 18-song retrospective spanning three decades and multiple genres throughout his career. It featured three new songs: "Return of the Matador," "Proud Highway" and the anthemic title track.<ref name="Steinfeld07"/><ref name="Deming07">Deming, Mark. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/im-alive-mw0000549097#review ''I'm Alive''], ''Allmusic''. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Farber11"/>

In 2011, Jeffreys formed his own label, Luna Park Records, and released ''[[The King of In Between]]''.<ref name="Farber11"/> Widely regarded as on par with his best work, the album made "Best of" lists at [[NPR]],<ref name="Powers11">Powers, Ann. [https://www.npr.org/2011/06/14/137110453/discussion-the-years-best-music-so-far "All Songs Considered: The Year's Best Music (So Far),"] ''NPR'', June 14, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> ''Rolling Stone'',<ref name="Fricke11"/> as well as New York's [[WFUV]], for the tracks "Coney Island Winter" and "Roller Coaster Town".<ref name="Tucker11"/><ref name="TNY11">''The New Yorker''. [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/goings-on/music-pick-lord-jeffreys "Music Pick: Lord Jeffreys,"] May 31, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Kozik12">Kozik, KK. [https://brooklynrail.org/2012/09/music/time-and-materials/?search "Time and Materials,"] ''The Brooklyn Rail'', September 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="WFUV">'''WFUV''. [https://wfuv.org/content/tas-staffs-best-2011 "TAS Staff's Best Of 2011,"] December 13, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> Its songs paired serious, signature themes—New York City, autobiography and a new motif of mortality ("I'm Alive," "In God's Waiting Room")—with exuberant music ranging across roots rock, stripped-down soul, blues, and reggae/ska.<ref name="Farber11"/><ref name="Greenman11"/><ref name="TNY11"/><ref name="Horowitz17"/> [[David Fricke]] of ''Rolling Stone'' called it "a true comeback [whose] local geography and defiant vocal poise" recalled "the pavement pride and candor" of 1977's ''Ghost Writer''.<ref name="Fricke11"/> Noting songs like the funk-influenced "Streetwise," ''NPR'''s [[Ken Tucker]] called Jeffreys "a wary realist and an appreciator of the culture lurking amidst potential dangers," whose precisely observed songs made the "guitar-based, myth-making impulse work as intimate art."<ref name="Tucker11"/>

In 2013, at age 70, Jeffreys released ''Truth Serum'', a crowd-funded, ten-track set drawn from more than 50 songs that he wrote over the prior two years and recorded at home as demos on obsolete mini-cassette tapes.<ref name="Leahey13">Leahey, Andrew. [https://americansongwriter.com/stream-garland-jeffreys-new-album-truth-serum/ "Stream Garland Jeffreys' New Album Truth Serum,"] ''American Songwriter'', September 13, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Gonyea13"/><ref name="Mansfield13">Mansfield, Brian. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/08/09/garland-jeffreys-collide-the-generations-song-debut/2637067/ "Garland Jeffreys' 'Collide the Generations,'"] ''USA Today'', Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> For the album, he put together a band including guitarist [[Larry Campbell (musician)|Larry Campbell]], drummer [[Steve Jordan (drummer)|Steve Jordan]] and keyboardist [[Brian Mitchell (musician)|Brian Mitchell]] and recorded each song in one take.<ref name="Kornbluth13">Kornbluth, Jesse. [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/truth-serum-garland-jeffr_b_3938243 "Truth Serum? Garland Jeffreys Delivers It. And More: At 70, He's Still Wild In The Streets,"] ''HuffPost'', September 17, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Leahey13"/> They center on struggles with temptation (the title song, "It's What I Am"), relationships ("Ship of Fools," "Colorblind Love"), the emotional pull of family ("Collide the Generations") and the desire for a better world ("Revolution of the Mind," "Is This the Real World").<ref name="Deming13">Deming, Mark. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/truth-serum-mw0002562853#review ''Truth Serum''], ''Allmusic''. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Mansfield13"/><ref name="Kornbluth13"/> ''Allmusic'' called the album introspective "like a set of journal entries" with an unusually straightforward and tight focus (for Jeffreys) on music rooted in bluesy, simple arrangements.<ref name="Deming13"/> ''American Songwriter'' deemed it "urgent and immediate … filled with seven decades of gritty, street-smart attitude."<ref name="Leahey13"/>

Four years later, Jeffreys put out ''14 Steps To Harlem'' (2017), which reviewers noted, still found him in supple voice and "reveling in eclecticism and wide-ranging songwriting."<ref name="Horowitz17"/><ref name="Baird17"/><ref name="Snider17"/> Musically, its songs moved from rocking anthems like "When You Call My Name" to rockabilly blues ("Schoolyard Blues"), R&B and doo-wop ("Venus") to reggae and a wrenching, creatively arranged cover of the [[John Lennon]] song "Help."<ref name="Baird17"/><ref name="Horowitz17"/> In theme, the set returned to recurrent Jeffreys subjects: New York City, race and his past ("Colored Boy Said" and the title-track tribute to his parents' work ethic) and love ("Spanish Heart," "Venus").<ref name="Graff17">Graff, Gary. [https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/garland-jeffreys-premieres-14-steps-to-harlem-7702218/ "Garland Jeffreys Premieres ’14 Steps To Harlem’ Video,"] ''Billboard'', February 27, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref><ref name="Snider17"/><ref name="Baird17"/> The album includes a violin contribution by [[Laurie Anderson]] and singing from his daughter, Savannah, on "Time Goes Away."<ref name="Horowitz17"/><ref name="Snider17"/>

Notable appearances in the 2000s include a performance at Bruce Springsteen's Asbury Park Christmas show (2001) and a rendition of "96 Tears" with Springsteen at the [[Pinkpop Festival]] in Holland (2012), among others.<ref name="Kornbluth13"/><ref name="TNY15">''The New Yorker''. [https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/night-life/garland-jeffreys-8 "Garland Jeffreys,"] December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> Jeffreys also covered the song "Philadelphia" for the charity CD ''Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen''.<ref name="UD03">''The Union Democrat''. "Springsteen tribute discs will benefit two charities," October 2, 2003.</ref> He appeared in ''[[The Soul of a Man]]'' episode of [[Martin Scorsese]]'s documentary film series ''[[The Blues (film series)|The Blues]]'' (2003), which explored bluesmen [[Skip James]], [[Blind Willie Johnson]] and [[J. B. Lenoir]].<ref name="IFC">IFC Center. [https://www.ifccenter.com/films/the-soul-of-a-man/ "The Soul of a Man,"] 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> He was featured as a character performing "96 Tears" in blackface in season one of the HBO period drama, ''[[The Deuce (TV series)|The Deuce]]'' (2017).<ref name="JC">''Jump Cut''. [https://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc58.2018/TreonDeuce/2.html "Mayfield's ghetto imaginary and Sandra's tricks of the trade,"] 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref>

In 2016, Jeffreys was inducted into the [[Long Island Music Hall of Fame]].<ref name="LIMHF">Long Island Music Hall of Fame. [https://www.limusichalloffame.org/inductees/garland-jeffreys/ "Garland Jeffreys,"] 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2021.</ref> He announced his retirement from performing in 2019, opening for [[Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul]] at the Olympia in Montreal in his final concert in July 2019.<ref name="Duffy25"/><ref name="Farber25"/><ref name="Shaffer21">Shaffer, Claire. [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/little-steven-summer-of-sorcery-live-1172078/ "Little Steven Announces 'Summer of Sorcery' Concert Film, Live Album,"] ''Rolling Stone'', May 29, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2025.</ref>

==="Wild in the Streets"=== The rock-and-roll anthem "Wild in the Streets" is perhaps Jeffreys's best known song. It received significant airplay and underground hit status on progressive [[FM broadcasting|FM]] radio stations upon its release in 1977 and has been covered numerous times.<ref name="Farber25"/><ref name="Palmer81"/><ref name="Farber11"/><ref name="Baird17"/><ref name="AMWild">''Allmusic''. [https://www.allmusic.com/song/wild-in-the-streets-mt0008579813#alsoPerformedBy "Wild in the Streets," Garland Jeffreys]. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> Jeffreys wrote the song after hearing about a horrific rape and murder of a preteen girl in the Bronx by two teenage boys.<ref name="Farber25"/> [[Dr. John]] played [[clavinet]] on the song and helped arrange it, with backing from guitarist [[David Spinozza]], drummer [[Rick Marotta]], the [[Brecker Brothers]] (horns) and singer [[David Peel (musician)|David Peel]].<ref name="Duffy25"/><ref name="Discogs">''Discogs''. [https://www.discogs.com/master/384173-Garland-Jeffreys-Wild-In-The-Streets?srsltid=AfmBOoqQh9WUaQdFQCptZdZ_b9yFmiSXqSMnGe-ZnGzJKGRZLnGO9tM7 Garland Jeffreys, "Wild in the Streets,"]. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref>

A cover version of the song by [[The Circle Jerks]] that inverted the song's emotional tone was featured in the 1986 skateboarder film [[Thrashin']] and became a theme song for the California skate community.<ref name="Farber25"/> Other covers were recorded by: [[British Lions (band)|British Lions]], [[Chris Spedding]], The Circle Jerks, [[Electric Frankenstein]], [[Elliott Murphy]], [[Hot Water Music]], [[Hurriganes]], [[Leæther Strip]] and [[Mott the Hoople]].<ref name="AMWild"/> The song has been used in various media contexts, including episodes of the television shows ''[[Life on Mars (U.S. TV series)|Life on Mars]]'' and ''[[The Get Down]]'', the video game [[Max Payne 3]], and commercials for Vans sneakers and L'Oreal. <ref name="Leglise17"/>

==2023 documentary== In 2023, a documentary on Jeffreys's life, ''Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between'', premiered at the [[DOC NYC]] festival, where it won the event's audience award.<ref name="McShane23"/> Directed by Jeffreys's wife and manager, Claire Jeffreys, the eight-year project relates the ups and downs of a 50-year career over which commercial success never matched critical acclaim.<ref name="McShane23"/><ref name="Naves23"/><ref name="Duffy25"/><ref name="Gibson25"/> The film shares its title with Jeffreys's 2011 album and references his genre-stretching, eclectic style and multiracial identity.<ref name="Duffy25"/><ref name="Farber25"/>

''Rolling Stone'' critic Jim Farber describes the documentary as a story of perseverance with an emotional core centered on a "sense of missed opportunity."<ref name="Farber25"/> It features testimony from music critics Robert Christgau and [[David Hajdu]], musicians Bruce Springsteen, [[Vernon Reid]], [[Graham Parker]], [[Alejandro Escovedo]] and Laurie Anderson, and friend and actor [[Harvey Keitel]].<ref name="Duffy25"/><ref name="Gibson25"/> Springsteen says of Jeffreys, "He's in the great singer-songwriter tradition of Dylan and Neil Young … one of the American greats."<ref name="McShane23"/><ref name="Duffy25"/><ref name="Gibson25"/>

==Personal life== Jeffreys married his wife Claire in 1989.<ref name="Farber25"/> They have one child, Savannah, a singer-songwriter and video producer.<ref name="TNY15"/><ref name="Snider17"/><ref name="Farber25"/><ref name="SJeffreys">[ https://savannahjeffreys.com/ Savannah Jeffreys, producer]. Retrieved December 11, 2025.</ref> In 2018, Jeffreys began showing signs of dementia, a condition that has since progressed.<ref name="Farber25"/><ref name="McShane23"/>

==Discography==

===Solo=== * 1970: ''[[Grinder's Switch featuring Garland Jeffreys]]'' * 1973: ''[[Garland Jeffreys (album)|Garland Jeffreys]]'' * 1977: ''[[Ghost Writer (album)|Ghost Writer]]'' * 1978: ''[[One-Eyed Jack (Garland Jeffreys album)|One-Eyed Jack]]'' * 1979: ''[[American Boy & Girl]]'' * 1981: ''[[Escape Artist (Garland Jeffreys album)|Escape Artist]]'' * 1981: ''[[Rock 'n' Roll Adult]]'' * 1983: ''[[Guts For Love]]'' * 1992: ''[[Don't Call Me Buckwheat]]'' * 1992: ''Matador & More...'' * 1997: ''[[Wildlife Dictionary]]'' {{efn|name=Europe|Only released in Europe}} * 2007: ''I'm Alive'' {{efn|name=Europe}} * 2011: ''[[The King of In Between]]'' * 2013: ''Truth Serum'' * 2017: ''14 Steps To Harlem''

===Singles=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2" style="width:24em;"| Single ! colspan="8"| Peak positions ! rowspan="2"| Album |- ! width="35"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]] <ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/302590/garland-jeffreys/chart?f=379 |title=Garland Jeffreys – US Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=May 16, 2014}}</ref> ! width="35"| [[MegaCharts|NED]] ! width="35"| [[Ultratop|BEL (FLA)]] ! width="35"| [[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|FRA]] ! width="35"| [[Media Control Charts|GER]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.de/suche.asp?search=Garland+Jeffreys&x=4&y=17&country=de |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140707093254/http://www.officialcharts.de/suche.asp?search=Garland+Jeffreys&x=4&y=17&country=de |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 7, 2014 |title=Garland Jeffreys – German Chart |website=Charts.de |access-date=May 16, 2014}}</ref> ! width="35"| [[Ö3 Austria Top 40|AUT]] ! width="35"| [[Swiss Hitparade|SWI]] ! width="35"| [[UK Singles Chart|UK]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/garland%20jeffreys/|title=Official Charts Company: Garland Jeffreys |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=May 16, 2014}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1"|1970 ! scope="row"| "And Don't Be Late" | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="1"| ''Grinder's Switch'' |- | rowspan="2"|1973 ! scope="row"| "She Didn't Lie"{{efn|First release on Atlantic 45-2948 with "Lon Chaney" b-side.}} | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="1"| ''Garland Jeffreys''{{efn|Second version included on ''One-Eyed Jack''.}} |- ! scope="row"| "Wild in the Streets"{{efn|First release on Atlantic 45-2981 with "Lon Chaney" b-side.}} | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | rowspan="2" {{n/a|Non-album singles|align=left}}{{efn|"Wild in the Streets" was included on ''Ghost Writer'' in 1977.}} |- | rowspan="1"|1975 ! scope="row"| "The Disco Kid" | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | rowspan="3"|1977 ! scope="row"| "Cool Down Boy"{{efn|Extended version included on ''Rock & Roll Adult''.}} | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="3"| ''Ghost Writer'' |- ! scope="row"| "Wild in the Streets"{{efn|Second release on A&M 1934 with "Ghost Writer" b-side.}} | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "35 Millimeter Dreams" | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | rowspan="2"|1978 ! scope="row"| "Reelin'"{{efn|With [[Phoebe Snow]].}} | 108|| — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="2"| ''One-Eyed Jack'' |- ! scope="row"| "She Didn't Lie"{{efn|Second release on A&M 2074 with "Scream in the Night" b-side.}} | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | rowspan="3"|1979 ! scope="row"| "Livin' for Me" | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="3"| ''American Boy & Girl'' |- ! scope="row"| "Matador" | — || 4 || 1 || — || 2 || 2 || 6 || — |- ! scope="row"| "Bring Back the Love"{{efn|Only released in The Netherlands.}} | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | rowspan="1"|1980 ! scope="row"| "Bound to Get Ahead Someday"{{efn|Only released in Germany}} | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="1"| ''Garland Jeffreys'' |- | rowspan="5"|1981 ! scope="row"| "Modern Lovers" | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="4"| ''Escape Artist'' |- ! scope="row"| "[[96 Tears]]" | 66 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Christine" | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "R.O.C.K." | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Wild in the Streets (Live)" | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="1"| ''Rock & Roll Adult'' |- | rowspan="2"|1982 ! scope="row"| "Surrender"{{efn|Released only in Japan and Italy.}} | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="3"| ''Guts For Love'' |- ! scope="row"| "[[What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)]]" | 107 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | rowspan="1"|1983 ! scope="row"| "El Salvador"{{efn|Only released in Europe and Australia.}} | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | rowspan="3"|1991 ! scope="row"| "Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll"{{efn|Released in Europe as a 12" 4-song maxi-single.}} | — || 8 || 14 || 33 || 12 || — || 8 || 72 | align="left" rowspan="3"| ''Don't Call Me Buckwheat'' |- ! scope="row"| "The Answer" | — || 46 || — || — || 58 || — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Welcome to the World" | — || 72 || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | rowspan="2"|1997 ! scope="row"| "Sexuality" | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | align="left" rowspan="2"| ''Wildlife Dictionary'' |- ! scope="row"| "Original Lust" | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | align="center" colspan="13" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |}

===Appearances and contributions=== * 1970 [[John Cale]] ''[[Vintage Violence]]'' ([[Columbia Records|Columbia]]){{efn|Jeffreys wrote "[[Fairweather Friend]]".}} * 1976 [[Lou Reed]] ''[[Rock and Roll Heart]]'' ([[Arista Records|Arista]]){{efn|Jeffreys sang background vocals on "You Wear It So Well".}} * 1998 ''Diamond Cuts: Turning Two (Vol. II)'' ([[Hungry For Music]]){{efn|Jeffreys contributed his own "Color Line".}} * 2003 ''[[Johnny's Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash]]'' ([[Northern Blues Music|Northern Blues]]){{efn|Jeffreys contributed his cover version of "[[I Walk the Line]]".}} * 2003 ''Light of Day Tribute To Bruce Springsteen'' (Schoolhouse Records){{efn|Jeffreys contributed his cover version of "Streets of Philadelphia".}} * 2003 ''Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: The Soul Of A Man'' ([[Sony]]){{efn|Jeffreys contributed his cover version of "Washington DC Hospital Center Blues".}} * 2005 ''Elliott Murphy: Live Hot Point'' (Last Call Records){{efn|Jeffreys contributed his own "Ballad Of Me", "35 Millimeter Dreams" and "Wild In The Streets".}} * 2011 ''Occupy This Album: 99 Songs for the 99 Percent'' (Music for Occupy){{efn|Jeffreys contributed his own "Coney Island Winter".}}

;Discography notes {{notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://www.garlandjeffreys.com/ Garland Jeffreys official website] * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160624184344/https://podsodcast.com/2015/09/30/em10/ Career Retrospective Interview from September 2015 with Pods & Sods]}} * [https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_529-v11vd6qg58 Interview with Garland Jeffreys], 1983-12-01, [[In Black America]]; [[KUT|KUT Radio]], [[American Archive of Public Broadcasting]] ([[WGBH Educational Foundation|WGBH]] and the Library of Congress) *[https://www.npr.org/2013/11/09/244113967/garland-jeffreys-applies-his-truth-serum "Garland Jeffreys Applies His Truth Serum,"] ''NPR'' interview, November 2013 *Garland Jeffreys, [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/16/garland-jeffreys-hung-out-with-lou-reed-brush-with-greatness "The year I hung out with Lou Reed at university,"] ''The Guardian'', April 16, 2017 *[https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Artist/garland-jeffreys?orderBy=PublishedDate Garland Jeffreys], ''Rock's Back Pages'' * {{Discogs artist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffreys, Garland}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1943 births]] [[Category:American musicians of Puerto Rican descent]] [[Category:American male guitarists]] [[Category:Singer-songwriters from New York (state)]] [[Category:American rock guitarists]] [[Category:African-American male singers]] [[Category:American rock singers]] [[Category:American male singers]] [[Category:American acoustic guitarists]] [[Category:American blues guitarists]] [[Category:American rhythm and blues guitarists]] [[Category:American soul guitarists]] [[Category:American soul singers]] [[Category:American rhythm and blues singers]] [[Category:A&M Records artists]] [[Category:Atlantic Records artists]] [[Category:Epic Records artists]] [[Category:RCA Records artists]] [[Category:Guitarists from New York (state)]] [[Category:Musicians from Brooklyn]] [[Category:20th-century American guitarists]] [[Category:20th-century American male musicians]] [[Category:People from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn]] [[Category:African-American songwriters]] [[Category:African-American guitarists]] [[Category:Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn) alumni]]