Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

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".

Early life

Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Ontario, Canada, Healey was raised in the city's west end. He was adopted as an infant; his adoptive father was a firefighter. When he was almost one year old, Healey lost his sight due to

retinoblastoma Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a rare form of cancer that rapidly develops from the immature cells of a retina, the light-detecting tissue of the eye. It is the most common primary malignant intraocular cancer in children, and it is almost exclusively fo ...

, a rare cancer of the eyes. His eyes had to be surgically removed, and he was given ocular prostheses.

Early career and success

Healey began playing guitar when he was three, developing his unique style of playing the instrument flat on his lap. At nine years old, his musical talents were showcased in an interview on the TVOntario children's programme '' Cucumber''. When he was 15, Healey formed the band Blue Direction, a four-piece that primarily played bar-band cover tunes and featured bassist Jeremy Littler, drummer Graydon Chapman, and schoolmate Rob Quail on second guitar. The band played at clubs in Toronto, including the

Colonial Tavern The Colonial Tavern was one of the most famous jazz venues in Canada from the 1950s till its closure in the late 1970s. It was located at 201–203 Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontario (now an open lot between 197 Yonge Street and 205 Yonge Street) wh ...

. Healey began hosting a jazz and blues show on radio station

CIUT-FM CIUT-FM is a campus and community radio station owned and operated by the University of Toronto. The station broadcasts live and continuously from Toronto on the 89.5 FM frequency. Programming can also be heard nationally via channel 826 on Shaw ...

, where he was known for playing from his massive collection of vintage 78 rpm gramophone records. Shortly thereafter he was introduced to bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen, with whom he formed a trio, the Jeff Healey Band. The band made their first public appearance at the Birds Nest, located upstairs at Chicago's Diner on

Queen Street West Queen Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original east ...

in Toronto. They received a write-up in Toronto's ''

NOW Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' magazine, and soon were playing almost nightly in local clubs, such as Grossman's Tavern and the famed blues club Albert's Hall (where Jeff Healey was discovered by guitarists Stevie Ray Vaughan and

Albert Collins Albert Gene Drewery, known as Albert Collins and the Ice Man (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993),Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. ...

). After being signed to Arista Records in 1988, the band released the album '' See the Light'', which appeared on the RPM Top 100 chart in 1989. It featured the hit single " Angel Eyes" and the song "Hideaway", which was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. While the band was recording ''See the Light'', they were also filming (and recording for the soundtrack of) the

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

film ''Road House''. Healey had numerous acting scenes in the movie with Swayze, as his band was the house cover band for the bar featured in the movie. In 1990, the band won the Juno Award for Canadian Entertainer of the Year. The albums '' Hell to Pay'' and '' Feel This'' gave Healey 10 charting singles in Canada between 1990 and 1994, including a cover of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

' "

While My Guitar Gently Weeps "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album '' The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist. Harrison wrote "While ...

", which featured George Harrison and

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, he has cont ...

on backing vocals and acoustic guitar.

Later work and life

By the release of the 2000 album '' Get Me Some,'' Healey began to concentrate on

. He went on to release three CDs of music of traditional American jazz from the 1920s and 1930s. He had been sitting in with these types of bands around Toronto since the beginning of his music career. Though known primarily as a guitarist, Healey also played trumpet during live performances. His main jazz group for touring and recording was Jeff Healey's Jazz Wizards. Healey was an avid

record collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

and amassed a collection of well over 30,000

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

records. Starting in 1990 he hosted a radio program of very early jazz on CIUT at the University of Toronto with Colin Bray. Later he went national on CBC Radio's program entitled ''My Kind of Jazz'', in which he played records from his vast vintage jazz collection. He moved the show two years later to Jazz FM - CJRT; as a part of ongoing celebrations for what would have been Healey's 50th birthday in 2016, the latter program began to air in repeats Wednesdays 9pm on jazz.fm. For many years, Healey toured throughout North America and Europe and performed at his club, "Healey's" on Bathurst Street in Toronto, where he played with his blues band on Thursday nights and also with his jazz group on Saturday afternoons. The club moved to a larger location at 56 Blue Jays Way and was rechristened "Jeff Healey's Roadhouse." Though he had lent his name to the club and often played there, Jeff Healey did not own or manage the bar. (The name came from the 1989 film, '' Road House,'' in which Healey appeared.) At the time of his death, he had been planning to perform a series of shows in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands, with his other band, the Jeff Healey Blues Band (aka the "Healey's House Band") in April 2008. Over the years, Healey toured and sat in with many well-known performers, including

The Allman Brothers The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guitar ...

, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan,

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...

BB King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shim ...

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sou ...

, Steve Lukather, Eric Clapton and many more. In 2006, Healey appeared on Deep Purple vocalist

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

's CD/DVD ''

Gillan's Inn ''Gillan's Inn'' is an album by Ian Gillan in celebration of his 40 years as a singer. The first release was a DualDisc composed of both a CD and a DVD side. The CD featured re-recorded tracks from all eras of Ian Gillan's singing career. In ...

.'' Healey discovered and helped develop the careers of other musical artists, including

Terra Hazelton Terra Hazelton is a Canadian jazz musician, broadcaster and actress. Raised in Calgary, Hazelton began studying theatre with the Loose Moose Theatre Company as a teenager. She later moved to Toronto to pursue opportunities in theatre, discovering ...

, Amanda Marshall, Shannon Curfman, and Philip Sayce In early 2009, Healey's album '' Mess of Blues'' won in The 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Blues Album. In 2009, Healey was inducted into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame. In June 2011, Woodford Park in Toronto was renamed Jeff Healey Park in his honour. In 2014, Healey was inducted into

Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame (french: link=no, Allée des célébrités canadiennes) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a ...

. In September 2016, Jeff Healey was inducted into the Mississauga Music Walk of Fame. In March 2016 the posthumous album ''Heal My Soul'' was released, followed by the companion album ''Holding On'' in December of the same year. Both records were compiled by Roger Costa from unreleased recordings. The 12 track ''Heal My Soul'' featured six covers and a number of collaborations with Marti Frederiksen, Arnold Lanni and Stevie Salas. The 15 track ''Holding On'' album contains ten live tracks recorded in 1999 at the Rockefeller Music Hall in Norway and five studio tracks.

Personal life

Healey married Krista Miller in 1992; they had a daughter and were divorced in 1998. He married Cristie Hall in 2004 and had a son with her.

Illness and death

On January 11, 2007, Healey underwent surgery to remove

metastatic Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

cancer tissue from both lungs. In the previous 18 months, he had two

sarcoma A sarcoma is a malignant tumor, a type of cancer that arises from transformed cells of mesenchymal ( connective tissue) origin. Connective tissue is a broad term that includes bone, cartilage, fat, vascular, or hematopoietic tissues, and sar ...

s removed from his legs. On March 2, 2008, Healey died of sarcoma in his home town of Toronto at the age of 41. He was buried at

Park Lawn Cemetery Park Lawn Cemetery is a large cemetery in the Etobicoke district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It currently has around 22,000 graves. It is managed by the Park Lawn Limited Partnership, which also runs five other cemeteries in Toronto. The 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.

Discography

Jeff Healey Band

Jeff Healey solo and with The Jazz Wizards

Jeff Healey solo

*2002: ''Among Friends'' (Sensation; Stony Plain)Re-released 2006, Stony Plain. *2003: ''Live at Healey's'' (Bolder)Subtitled "The Thursday Night Recordings". *2004: ''Adventures in Jazzland'' (HealeyOphonic; Stony Plain) *2006: ''It's Tight Like That'' ( Stony Plain) *2008: '' Mess of Blues'' ( Ruf; Stony Plain) *2009: '' Songs From The Road'' (Ruf; Stony Plain) *2010: ''Last Call'' (Stony Plain) *2016: ''Heal My Soul'' (Convexe Entertainment; Provogue) *2016: ''Holding On: A 'Heal My Soul' Companion'' (Convexe Entertainment; Provogue) *2020: ''Heal My Soul: Deluxe Edition'' (Eagle Rock Entertainment)

Live albums

*1993: ''Live in Belgium'' (CD & DVD) (Eagle Vision) *2003: ''Live at Healey's'' (Bolder) *2005: ''Live at Montreux 1999'' (Eagle) *2011: ''Live at Grossman's 1994'' (Eagle Rock North/Convexe) *2013: ''As The Years Go Passing By: Live in Germany 1989-1995-2000'' (in-akustik) - note: the first release of archival material compiled with the participation and full approval of the Jeff Healey Estate. *2013: ''Live From NYC'' (Eagle Rock) *2014: ''Live at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, 1993'' (Eagle Rock)

Compilations

*1998: ''The Very Best of Jeff Healey'' (

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

) *1998: ''The Very Best of Jeff Healey'' (MSI Music Distribution) *1999: ''Master Hits'' (Arista) *2004: ''The Platinum and Gold Collection'' (Arista) *2008: ''Super Hits'' ( Sony BMG) *2008: ''Legacy: Volume One'' (Ear Music; Arbor Records Ltd) *2013: ''Playlist: The Very Best of the Jeff Healey Band'' (Arista) *2013: ''House on Fire – Demos & Rarities'' (Eagle Rock North) *2015: ''The Best of the Stony Plain Years'' (Stony Plain)

Appearances on other albums

*1988 ''The Promise'' by Matt Minglewood ( Savannah Music/WEA) *1995 ''Let It Rock! (The Rock 'n' Roll Album of the Decade)'' (

Quality Records Quality Records was a Canadian entertainment company which released music albums in Canada on behalf of American record labels. They also released recordings by Canadian artists. The company operated between 1950 and 1985 with offices in Toron ...

) -

Ronnie Hawkins Ronald Cornett Hawkins (January 10, 1935 – May 29, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, long based in Canada, whose career spanned more than half a century. His career began in Arkansas, United States, where he was born and raised. He ...

' 60th Birthday Bash, Live at Massey Hall, featuring The Band,

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

, Carl Perkins, Larry Gowan. *1999 ''Blues Blues Blues'' by

Jimmy Rogers Jimmy Rogers (June 3, 1924December 19, 1997) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters's band in the early 1950s. He also had a solo career and recorded several pop ...

All-Stars ( Atlantic Records) *2003 ''Live At Last'' by Matt Minglewood Band feat. Jeff Healey (

Norton Records Norton Records, is an independent record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller in 1986. The label concentrates on rock, rockabilly, primitive music, punk, garage rock and early rhythm and blues.Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

'' ( Versailles Records) *2006 ''Full Circle'' by

Walter Trout Walter Trout (born March 6, 1951 in Ocean City, New Jersey, United States) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Biography Trout's career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then decided to rel ...

( Ruf Records)

Compilation inclusions

*1997 ''Hits of the 80's'' *2002 ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps'' *2006 '' Saturday Night Blues: 20 Years'' ( CBC)

Singles

Filmography

*1989: '' Road House'' as Cody *1999: ''Live at Montreux'' *2004: ''See The Light'' ( BMG) *2013: ''As The Years Go Passing By: Live in Germany 1989-1995-2000'' (in-akustik)The first release of archival material compiled with the participation and full approval of the Jeff Healey Estate. (3CD/2DVD deluxe ed. – also available as 3 CD set) www.jeffhealey.com

References

External links

*
Official Facebook PageOfficial Youtube ChannelOfficial Jeff Healey BiographyOfficial Jeff Healey Discography
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Healey, Jeff 1966 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Canadian guitarists 20th-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian guitarists 21st-century Canadian male singers Arista Records artists Blind musicians Blind people from Canada Blues rock musicians Canadian adoptees Canadian blues guitarists Canadian male guitarists Canadian radio personalities Canadian rock guitarists Deaths from cancer in Ontario Electric blues musicians Independent Music Awards winners Jazz radio presenters Juno Award winners Lead guitarists Musicians from Toronto People from Etobicoke Rhythm guitarists RCA Records artists Canadian Disability Hall of Fame Stony Plain Records artists Provogue Records artists