Healy, Jeff (Jeff HEALEY)

Born March 25, 1966, the capital of Canada, Toronto, Norman Jeffrey Healey, our guitar genius since childhood, apparently, knew that not only will go down in the history of blues and rock legend, but to do it during his lifetime.

Jeff lost his sight at the age of one year, and received his first guitar for Christmas when he was about three years. Even then he realized that to fully play by the 'standard' guitar techniques that use other, he was not destined. Healy began to experiment and quickly realized that it's best to play it turns out, putting the guitar case on his knees. In six years, Jeff began to compose and sing. We can say that all his childhood he spent listening to how people are playing, and learning to play myself.

From the beginning stylistically range of interests was very broad: jazz, reggae rhythms and blues, hard rock, and, of course, blues.

After graduating from the school for the blind in the town of Branford (Branford), Healy in 15 years, organized his first group, known by the name of Blue (s) Direction (s). But the real point of beginning a musical career, Jeff is still considered in 1985, when legendary guitarist Albert Collins asked him to play along with nineteen Healy during a speech at a club in Toronto. Collins was so impressed by a young blind guitarist, that he asked again to play with him and another blues legend, Stevie Ray Vaughan (tragically crashed helicopter Eric Clapton in 1990). And in 1986 he B.B. King asked Healy to speak with him Vankuverovskom Music Festival. Stevie Ray Vaughan, who became by the time a true friend Jeff said as much, but that "Healy will revolutionize the technique of guitar playing".

So, Jeff was recognized by monsters genre. It remains to conquer the audience. Strictly The Jeff Healey Band was founded in 1985, in Torontovskom club Grossman's Tavern, where Healy met bassist Joe Rokmena (Joe Rockman) and drummer Tom Stephen (Tom Stephen). Group toured across Canada for two years, as a consequence the work on a few singles and the organization of his own label, Forte Records. Soon the musicians have made a contract with a major label Arista Records, a distributor of products of which deals with BMG Music Canada Inc.

It's time to record their first album, produced by Jimmy Ayovin. The first-born was called "See the Light" and left in 1987. Album was accompanied by the single "Angel Eyes", and will soon debut work of young Canadians received platinum status in the U.S..

At the "See the light" the audience was presented a feisty blues-rock, alternating with soft, almost ballad tracks. Each song from the album presents the gems and enchanted openness and sensuality of white blind musician, who has found the key to the traditional "black" music.

In 1989 there was another significant event in the life of the group: participation in the shooting and the creation of the soundtrack for the movie "Road House" (Road House). Main hero of the film has played a popular actor Patrick Swayze, and our heroes performed as themselves, that is, a group that plays at night in the club with questionable public. Admittedly, . that the heavy blues, . very emotional and filled drayvovo Jeff and Co. (such, . more 'tasty' versions of classic blues standard "Hoochie Coochie Man" I just heard!), . is the best fit to the spectacular "disassembly", . with enviable regularity occurring in the institution,
.

In 1990, The Jeff Healey Band released their second studio album, "Hell To Pay". Guests of the disc are such cult musicians like George Harrison and a great guitarist Mark Knopfler. Harrison "lit up" on the cover versions of songs the Beatles "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", which the result was quite heavy, but did not lose a drop of the original emotion and tenderness. I think we can recognize that the Beatles original look at the background of cover versions rather pale. Generally, a stunning songwriter Healy fully manifested in the treatment of foreign songs, but more on that below. Apart from a few "covers" on the disc many own excellent songs, including such "fighters" as the "Highway of dreams" and "Full Circle", played with a truly captivating energy.

With all the obvious advantages, this album turned out much less bluesy than the debut "See the light", and reached "only" up to 27 seats in the charts. Released a year later "Feel This" has already reached only 174 seats. But if "Hell to pay" was certainly a strong drive, yielding the first-born quite a bit, then on "Feel This" group quite frankly gave the audience feel that she was tired. And not to place a guest rapper, whom Healy performed the one thing that will ruin the impression from the plate.

However, in 1995 a group led by the blind guitar genius, completely out of the crisis, returning almost his best album consisting of cover versions of foreign songs. Masterpiece (and this is the case) was named simply, but tastefully, "Cover to cover". The disc musicians presented exclusively handling other people's compositions, among which are the stuff of cult artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Willie Dixon, Randy California, Robert Johnson, John Fogerty and many others. Album turned out very diverse ranging from acoustic blues to heavy blues and hard rock. The real diamonds, undoubtedly, are such things as "Shapes of things", "Angel", "Stuck in the middle with you" and "Communication Breakdown" Led Zeppelin themselves.

Interestingly, the European edition of the CD-ROM contains four things more than the U.S.: usually the opposite. Sami musicians called this album "a return to their roots, and have nothing to say against it. "Cover to cover" made the band several awards, including nomination and two Grammy: pleased that still sometimes awards are given to those who deserve them.

On top of it is worth noting that the CD sounds just fine. It is sincerely advise you to buy "Cover to cover": fun guaranteed!

After that, most probably, a successful album, The Jeff Healey Band once again disappear for a few years. Fans have finally lost all patience, when, finally, in 2000, the independent label Eagle Records released the group's fifth studio disc, "Get me some". In this release, the musicians continued stylistic line drive "Hell to pay", playing hard and bright guitar music, barely touching at the same time for the blues. Album sounds very modern, well produced and recorded. "Get me some" almost entirely devoted to the love theme, a great deal of lovely ballads, which is very well suited juicy and quite a deep voice Jeff. Of course, but there are ballads and trade "hole" arrangement, which can hear that in recent years, Healy, a lot of experimenting not only with the sound, but with his own guitar technique. The general impression from the plate just great!

One can only hope that the next disc Jeff Healey, we do not hear in 2005, but much earlier.

Discography:

"See the light" 1987
"Hell to pay" 1990
"Feel This" 1992
"Cover to cover" 1995
"Get me some" 2000