“I was a little uncomfortable, to be honest”: Why Myles Kennedy felt uneasy using Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster to play Hallelujah

In 2019, Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy played Jeff Buckley’s iconic Telecaster for a special performance of Hallelujah in Paris – but the guitarist says he didn’t feel worthy of the honor.

Originally released by Leonard Cohen in 1982, Buckley made the tender ballad his own years later when he released it as part of his Grace record in 1994. Indeed, his version regularly sits high in lists of the greatest songs of all time.

Tragically, Buckley died at the age of 30 in 1997. Kennedy was afforded the chance to honor the underrated guitar hero during a performance in the French capital, and for the occasion, he became one of just a few big names to have played Buckley's Tele since his passing.

“Grace is an album that gave me the same feeling as hearing [Van Halen's] Eruption, with my brain wondering. 'Whoa, what's happening here?!'” Kennedy tells Guitarist of Buckley’s sole album. Carrying the mantel for his late hero, however, was no small task. Imposter syndrome loomed large.

“Playing Jeff's guitar was amazing, though I truly didn't feel worthy of it,” he confesses. “I was a little uncomfortable, to be honest. I gradually convinced myself that it was okay. It's just a guitar that's part of this incredible history. All I had to do was not taint that history!”

The guitar was, for a long time, in the possession of Matt’s Guitar Shop – the Parisian vintage guitar emporium that has been loaning out Jeff Beck’s Yardburst Les Paul, and Steve Jones’ punk-defining Gibson to worthy players. As Kennedy says, Buckley's Tele is a guitar that holds a lot of weight and majesty.

“It's just an early-to-mid ‘80s Tele, but there's something weird about how the pickup was wired,” he reveals. “Apparently, there's something technically wrong with it, at least from what [Matt's Guitar Shop owner] Matt Lucas explained to me. That's what gives it that beautiful shimmery sound. It's all down to this imperfection, which makes it even cooler. When you plug it in, you think, 'Oh yeah, there's that sound!’”

A year after that performance, Muse guitarist and Manson Guitar Works’ owner Matt Bellamy purchased the Tele and has since recorded with it to honor his legacy in his own way. But he, too, understands the size of the task at hand.

Myles Kennedy performs "Hallelujah" with Jeff Buckley's Fender Telecaster. - YouTube

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“It’s amazing to have a bit of history like that, and to just feel a little bit of his greatness,” Bellamy told Guitar World. “The only problem is I don’t think I’ve written any songs good enough to play on yet! [laughs]. So the pressure’s now on.”

In related news, Buckley was recently nominated for a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Grammy-winning guitarist Ella Feingold believes he's more than worthy of the honor.

Myles Kennedy’s full interview features in the new print issue of Guitarist. Head to Magazines Direct to pick up a copy.