Jeff Healey, the blind guitarist whose band was showcased in the Patrick Swayze movie “Roadhouse,” died Sunday, March 2, of lung cancer. Healey was 41.
His single, “Angel Eyes,” hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 list the same year “Roadhouse” was released, 1989. His laptop style of playing guitar would become his trademark. He and his band would soon be touring stadiums, electrifying audiences with the blues-rock sound that would dominate much of his recorded career. See The Light,” Healey’s first album (on which “Angel Eyes” appears), went platinum in the United States. “Hell To Pay” would soon follow, increasing Healey’s growing fan base. In 1990, Healey was named best new talent and best blues guitarist by Guitar Player magazine. His band also won the Juno Award (Canada’s Grammy Awards) for Entertainer of the Year.
In all, Jeff Healey would record ten studio albums, nine with original material. He had just put the finishing touches on “Mess Of Blues,.” which is due to be released in Canada and the United States on April 22 (it has already been released in Europe). “Mess Of Blues” will be a return to the blues-rock style Healey was famous for but had not recorded in eight years. In the meantime, Healey had recorded three traditional jazz albums with his other band, the Jazz Wizards.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Jeff Healey was the son of a fireman. He lost his vision to retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer, when he was one year old. He began playing guitar when he was three. Although he was taught in the traditional manner, Healey soon found that playing the guitar across his lap was more comfortable. It also helped produce his distinctive style.
A dedicated performer, Healey and his band, the Jeff Healey Band, would perform up to 300 shows a year. He opened up for noted performers like Bon Jovi and the Rolling Stones. The list of musical greats he recorded and played with include George Harrison, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B.King, ZZ Top, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Lynne, just to name a few.
Healey was also an avid record collector. He would often play rare cuts from his collection of more than 30,000 albums on his radio show, “My Kind Of Jazz,” on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
There will be two tribute concerts for Jeff Healey in May, 2008. Both of his bands will perform. His family — he is survived by his wife, Cristie, daughter, Rachel, and son, Derek — asks that fans wishing to pay tribute to Jeff donate to the Daisy’s Eye Cancer Research Fund, a cause the guitarist had supported for years.
Sources:
Douglas Martin, “Jeff Healey, Guitarist and Singer, Dies at 41,” NYTimes.com
www.jeffhealey.com
Donations:
http://www.daisyseyecancerfund.ca
