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Being blind at the age of one and been dynamic from his early stage to the end of his life ,
must have lived a remarkable and an exponential life not just as a musician or instrumentalist in jazz and blues music but he must have been and impact in others' lives.
What made Jeff Healey different from other blues-rockers was also what kept some listeners from accepting him as anything other than a novelty: the fact that the blind guitarist played his Fender Stratocaster on his lap, not standing up. With the guitar in his lap, Healey could make unique bends and hammer-ons, making his licks different and more elastic than most of the competition. Unfortunately, his material leaned toward standard AOR blues-rock, which rarely let him cut loose, but when he did, his instrumental prowess could be shocking.
EARLY LIFE/CAREER SUCCESS RECORDED
Healey was raised by his adoptive father who was a firefighter, he was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At the age of one, Healey lost his sight due to rare cancer of the eyes called Retinoblastoma. He began to play the guitar and developed his own unique sensation of playing the instrument right at his lap at the age three. At nine, his musical talent was showed in an interview"The TV Ontarion Children's Programme-Cucumber.
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Healey began hosting a jazz and blues shows on radio station, where he was known for playing from his collections of vintage 78RPM Gramophone Record, He was later introduced to bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen which he formed a trio; The Jeff Healey Band. They made their first appearance at the Bird Nest at Chicago's dinner on Queen street west in Toronto;played almost every night in local clubs such as Grossman's Tavern and the Famed Blues club. He was alter discovered by a guitarist by name Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins, signed to Artista Record in 1988. The band released the album "See the Light"
which topped 100 chart on the RPM in 1989, it featured the hit single "Angel Eyes" and Hideway which was nominated for Grammy A ward for the Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
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The band had also recorded soundtrack for Swayzee flim "RoadHouse. He had numerous acting scenes and his band was the cover band for the bar featured in the movie. In1990, the band won the Juno Award for Canadian Entertainer of the year, the albums "Hell to Pay" and "Feel this Gave" top the 10 charting singles in Canada between 1990 and 1994, including a cover of the Beatles, While my Guitar Weep and so much more.
PERSONAL LIFE AND HIS DEATH
Healey married Krista Miller in 1992; they had a daughter and were divorced in 1998. He married Cristie Hall in 2003 and had a son with her.
On January 11, 2007, Healey underwent surgery to remove metastatic tissue from both lungs. In the previous 18 months, he had two sarcomas removed from his legs. On March 2, 2008, Healey died of sarcoma in his hometown of Toronto at the age of 41. He was buried at Park Lawn Cemetery, Mausoleum & Cremation Centre in Etobicoke, Ontario. Healey's death came a month before the release of Mess of Blues, which was his first rock/blues album in eight years.
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SUMMARY
Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz singer, guitarist, and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Angel Eyes" and reached the Top 10 in Canada with the songs "I Think I Love You Too Much" and "How Long Can a Man Be Strong".
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