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ALMAH
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3/3/2008 3:58:22 PM
IN MEMORY OF - JEFF HEALEY
Guitarist and bandleader Jeff Healey dies in Toronto hospital
Following a lengthy struggle with cancer,Healey passes away on the eve of the release of a new blues rock album
Jeff Healey, arguably one of the most distinctive guitar players of our time, died today (Sunday March 2) in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Toronto. He was 41, and leaves his wife, Cristie, daughter Rachel (13) and son Derek (three), as well as his father and step-mother, Bud and Rose Healey, and sisters Laura and Linda.
Funeral and memorial arrangements are pending.
Robbed of his sight as a baby due to a rare form of cancer, retino blastoma,and he started to play guitar when he was three, holding the instrument unconventionally across his lap. He formed his first band at 17, but soon formed a trio which was named the Jeff Healey Band.
After his appearance in the movie Road House, he was signed to Arista records, and in 1988 released the Grammy-nominated album See the Light,which included a major hit single, Angel Eyes. He earned a Juno Award in
1990 as Entertainer of the Year.
Two more albums emerged on Arista, with lessening success as the ’90s passed. Various “best-of” and live packages were released, and he recorded
two more rock albums, before turning to his real love, classic American jazz from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s.
By then, however, Healey was an internationally-known star who had played with dozens of musicians, including B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and recorded with George Harrison. Mark Knopfler and the late blues legend,
Jimmy Rogers.
A family man with a three-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter he preferred to stay close to home. “I’ve traveled widely before — been there and done that,” he told friends, determined to avoid the lengthy, exhausting
tours that marked his life in his twenties and early thirties.
A long-running CBC Radio series saw him in the role of disc jockey — My Kinda Jazz was a staple for a while, but in recent years he had hosted a programme with a similar name on Jazz-FM in Toronto. A highlight of his
broadcasts was always the use of rare — and rarely heard — music from his
30,000-plus collection of 78-rpm records.
As his rock career wound down as the millennium came, he recorded a series of three album of early jazz, playing trumpet as well as acoustic guitar in a band he called Jeff Healey’s Jazz Wizards. The most recent was It’s Tight
Like That, recorded live at Hugh’s Room in Toronto in 2005, with British
jazz legend Chris Barber as guest star.
At the time of his death he was about to see the release of his first rock/blues album in eight years, Mess of Blues, which is being released in Europe on March 20, and in Canada and the U.S. on April 22. The album was
the result of a joint agreement between the German label, Ruf Records, and Stony Plain, the independent Edmonton-based label that has released his three jazz CDs.
Mess of Blues was recorded in studios in Toronto, with two cuts recorded at the Jeff Healey’s Roadhouse in Toronto and two at a concert in London England. The backup group on the upcoming CD — the Healey’s House Band — played with him regularly at the downtown Roadhouse, and at a previous club bearing his name in the Queen-Bathurst area.
Early last year, Healey underwent surgery to remove cancerous tissue from his legs, and later from both lungs; aggressive radiation treatments and chemotherapy, however, failed to halt the spread of the disease.
Despite his battle with cancer, he undertook frequent tours across Canada with both his blues-based band and his jazz group; he was set for a major tour in Germany and the U.K. and was to be a guest on the BBC’s famed
Jools Holland Show in April.
Remembered by his musicians — and his audiences — for his wry sense of humour as well as his musical playfulness, Healey was a unique musician who bridged different genres with ease and assurance.
http://www.jeffhealey.com
SolMusic Management, Canada
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the kozy king
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3/3/2008 4:21:48 PM
Thanks so much for posting this obituary Almah. I saw Jeff Healey perform with the Jazz Wizards in Thunder Bay, Ontario a few years ago.
Few people realize that Jeff was also an accomplished trumpet player. He demonstrated his talent on the horn quite remarkably that night.
In my opinion, as well as the opinions of B.B. and Stevie Ray, a blues guitarist without equal as his lap style gave him a super reach with his thumb. BB King told him that his execution on the instrument was "the best I've ever seen."
Thanks for bringing out his other great accomplishment: his national, weekly radio show in which he shared his massive 30,000+ 78 rpm record collection.
"I like them better when they're a little scratched'" he used to say.
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Larry Migliore
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3/3/2008 4:41:53 PM
41 years old and battled cancer since he was one year old. A true hero for the afflicted. I will miss his inspired rock, blues and jazz. He gave me joy. RIP Jeff Healey
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3/3/2008 4:46:47 PM
Sad news indeed...I want to add my thanks to Almah for posting this obituary..I never had the luck to see Jeff Healey play live but he first came to my attention on the Jules Holland show a few years back and he was a stunning player and he sure could sing the blues..he will be greatly missed...RIP
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SILVERWOODSTUDIO
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3/3/2008 5:09:18 PM
Thanks Almah!
A true legend---yet humble, and a fighter for all his life!
kia ora!
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Tony Vani and Debbie Hoskin
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3/3/2008 5:14:47 PM
I heard the very sad news earlier today.
Thanks for the post. deb
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Larz Boah
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3/3/2008 10:41:24 PM
So sad to hear this news. Jeff Healy was astounding and I fist heard of him on
the Chicago radio station WXRT, a station which Healy was a darling of and
played quite frequently there. I immediately liked him but didn't find out of his
blindness till much later. Truly a gifted player who rose above his affliction and
an inspiration to everyone to overcome that which may seem to be a set-back.
I've heard fine cover versions of "Stop Breakin Down" but Healy's version has
got to be one of the best and the way he plays with such abandon and sheer
joy of the blues may be unequaled. R.I.P. Jeff Healy...you truly played life and
music with the same magic....your heart!
The Jeff Healy Band_Stop Breakin Down (live)
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srm
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3/3/2008 11:34:37 PM
Thanks for posting the obit, A. I remember seeing him on some TV show, right before "Road House" came out, and being knocked out by his playing. An excellent musician and singer.
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No Rhythm
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3/4/2008 5:49:10 AM
A truly gifted musician, , I've been a fan for over 20 years, he will be sadly missed.
R.I.P Jeff
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the kozy king
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3/4/2008 10:41:15 AM
Boink...
Anyone else like to pay their respects?
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Red Roses Black
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3/4/2008 10:44:55 AM
He'll be greatly missed.
RIP Mate.
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HunkaFunk
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3/4/2008 6:08:01 PM
May he rest in peace,
For a certainty, Jeff Healey was an inspiration to all of us, and an inspired Artist. He must be in a better place, hopefully being rewarded for his positive contribution to the World, and encouragement to other Artists with challenges to overcome, and triumph over.
HunkaFunk
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