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Profile
Jeff Healey
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1999 KBA Award Winner
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by the Blues Foundation
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Jeff Healey has been ripping apart stages world-wide for more than a decade with his unorthodox technique and absolutely astounding guitar playing. With a boundless supply of energy, Healey's guitar style ranges from amazingly complex picking to raucously wild bursts of power. One of Canada's most celebrated and accomplished musicians, Jeff Healey (born March 25, 1966 in Toronto) lost his sight at the age of one after developing eye cancer. He began playing guitar when he was three years old and was recognized as a "musical prodigy" by the age of six, when he was playing and singing in public. Once he reached his teens, the guitarist had already played in several bands, and experimented with numerous musical genres. At the age of fourteen, Healey had become the principal music specialist at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, routinely airing vintage selections from his now 25,000-strong collection of 78 rpm recordings for his weekly radio broadcast. "I progressed through so many different styles of music through my teen years, both as a player and a vocalist, particularly the jazz and pop of the early 20th Century," Healey says. "I always knew, that in some way, I'd be connected to, and involved in, the music business." At the age of 15 he formed his first band, Blues Direction and four years later, in 1985, he formed the Jeff Healey trio with bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen (who are still with him today). After signing with Arista Records they released their hugely successful 1988 debut album, See The Light, featuring the hit singles "Angel Eyes," and "Confidence Man." The band also gained additional exposure when they appeared in the 1989 Patrick Swayze film, Road House, where they were called the Double Deuce Band. Jeff Healey is a remarkable guitar player with a unique style of playing his guitar flat on his lap. He has honed to a fine edge this revolutionary technique that has become a trademark of his performance. He will either sit with his guitar resting on his lap or stand with his guitar resting on a platform in front of him. Then using his left hand, like he is playing the piano, he forms his chords and picks out his solos. This over-the-top style allows him to reach more notes at one time and gives him tremendous power for his wicked string bending technique. Healey is a naturally gifted musician who is equally adept at playing jazz and rock as well as the blues. He also is an accomplished trumpet player with his own jazz radio show. Talking about his love of jazz music and playing the trumpet he said, "If I had to do it over again, I would probably try to excel on the trumpet. The guitar was what I had the most natural feel for, what I excelled at the fastest." He added that he loves music in general and is happy making music on any instrument. This year fans also celebrated the release of Healey's first studio album in more than 5 years, titled "Get Me Some." Jeff Healey's performance will be a spectacular way to close out this year's festival.
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