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What makes Jeff Healey different from other
blues-rockers is also what keeps some listeners from accepting
him as anything other than a novelty — the fact that the blind
guitarist plays his Fender Stratocaster on his lap, not standing
up. With the guitar in his lap, Healey can make unique bends and
hammer-ons, making his licks different and more elastic than most
of the competition. Unfortunately, his material leans toward standard
AOR blues-rock, which rarely lets him cut loose, but when he does,
his instrumental prowess can be shocking.
Healey lost his sight at the age of one, after developing eye
cancer. He began playing guitar when he was three years old and
began performing with his band Blues Direction at the age of 17.
Healey formed the Jeff Healey Trio in 1985, adding bassist Joe
Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen. The trio released one single
on their own Forte record label, which led to a contract with
Arista Records. The Jeff Healey Trio released their debut album,
See the Light, in 1988 and the guitarist immediately developed
a devoted following in blues-rock circles. Featuring the hit single
"Angel Eyes," the record went platinum in the U.S. While the Jeff
Healey Trio's subsequent records have been popular, none have
been as successful as the debut.
As the 21st century dawned, Healey began to change his direction.
He taught himself to play the trumpet and began to lean to the
kind of traditional 1920s and 1930s jazz that had always fascinated
him. He released two classic jazz albums, 2002's Among Friends
and 2004's Adventures in Jazzland, on his own HealeyOphonic label,
and while he continued to do some shows in his old blues-rock
style, he increasingly gigged with his jazz combo the Jazz Wizards.
His first album of jazz to see wide release was It's Tight Like
That, which appeared on Stony Plain in 2006.
This bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
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