In memory of Jeff Healey on his birthday!
Mar. 25, 1966 / Mar. 2, 2008
A native of Toronto, he is best remembered as the lead singer and guitarist of The Jeff Healey Band. Formed in 1985, with bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen, the trio had numerous hit songs and albums during the 1980s, 1990s, and into the 2000s. Some of their best known recordings include, "Angel Eyes" and Jeff covered George Harrison`s "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," with a guest appearance by none other than George Harrison himself.
They were also nominated for the "Best Instrumental" Grammy Award for the single "Hideaway", and in 1990 they won the "Entertainer of the Year" Juno Award. Blind since the age of one because of cancer, he taught himself how to play the guitar while having the instrument lay across his lap. He was not only known for his mean playing style of the guitar as a blues and rock musician, but he also played the clarinet and trumpet during live jazz performances. His music career also led him to play with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Harrison, B.B. King, Deep Purple. Besides being a recording artist, Healey was also a sometime actor appearing in episodes of the television series, "Due South", and the film, "Road House" (1989, with Patrick Swayze). Healey was also widely known for his vast collection of over 30,000 78 rpm records which he played regularly on his CBC radio program, "My Kind Of Jazz", and again when he moved his show to CJRT-FM (later JAZZ FM91). For many years, he also ran his own music-based club Healey's on Bathurst Street in Toronto, before moving to a larger location and renaming it Jeff Healey's Roadhouse.
Source:
http://www.jeffhealey.com/
