Do we have any Jeff Healey fans here?

I would hope I’m not the only one.

For those of you who never heard of him….

Jeff Healey was a very talented and respected blues guitarist from Canada. Due to a rare form of eye cancer (retinoblastoma) Jeff lost his sight when he was nearly a year old. At the age of three he began learning the guitar by playing it flat on his lap. At the age of nine Healey’s musical skill earned him an interview on a children’s TV program. As a teenager Healey formed his first band and played local clubs in his hometown of Toronto.

Later he became the host of a jazz and blues radio show, broadcast by the University of Toronto, that made use of his extensive 78 rpm record collection. Some time after this he was met bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen and formed The Jeff Healey Band. The band was signed to Arista Records in 1988 and released their first album See The Light  later that year. The album featured the hit song Angel Eyes  as well as a Grammy nominated cover of the Freddie King classic Hideaway. In addition to his guitar skills this album also helped showcase Healey’s ability as a songwriter. Two standout examples of this are the tracks Don’t let Your Chance Go By and That’s What They Say. While making this album the band also appeared in the Patrick Swayze film Road House as well as providing music for the soundtrack.

(I still remember seeing the band perform on The Tonight Show while promoting this album. I was blown away by Jeff’s talent, technical skill and playing style. He was just 22 at the time. Its on YT if you want to see it. I tried posting the link but can’t make it work.)

See The Light  was an excellent debut album that firmly established Healey’s ability as a blue musician. His follow up album Hell To Pay  brought a little more of a rock edge to his sound without ditching his blues base. The album features strong tracks like Full Circle, How Long Can A Man Be Strong  and Let It All Go. The most notable track on the album though has to be Healey’s collaboration with George Harrison on a cover of The Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

The bands fourth album was Cover To Cover. As you might guess from the title its a collection of cover tunes by various artists. Don’t let that stop you from giving it a listen though. Featuring songs written by the likes of Big Joe Williams, Robert Johnson and Willie Dixon, this album’s blues fingerprint is on full display for all to see. It also features covers of well known songs by Jimi Hendrix, Stealers Wheel, The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin that you owe it to yourself to hear.

Though internal tensions limited the band to only five albums it would not the end of Healey’s recording career. He channeled his energy into his love of jazz and recorded albums as both a solo artist and with Jeff Healey’s Jazz Wizards. Healey also opened a club where he performed Jazz on Saturday afternoons and Blues on Thursday nights.

Healey was stricken with cancer again later in life. After battling sarcoma cancer for three years, Healey sadly passed away in 2008. He was only 41.

In addition to numerous television appearances, compilation albums, and several live albums and concerts Jeff left a lot of great music that I hope future generations will come to know. He left us far too early and his many fans can now only imagine the music he would be making today.

• This topic was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Artemus_Welles.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Artemus_Welles.