Biography
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Years Active
1986 – 2000 (14 years)
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Founded In
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Members
- Jeff Healey
- Joe Rockman
- Tom Stephen
Jeff Healey (born Norman Jeffrey Healey on March 25, 1966 in Toronto, Canada, died March 2, 2008) was a blues-rock guitarist and vocalist that fronted The Jeff Healey Band in Toronto, ON in 1985. The original lineup consisted of Jeff Healey, Joe Rockman on bass, Tom Stephen on drums.
Although blinded by eye cancer at the tender age of one, Jeff picked up his first guitar when he was three years-old and defied the odds and became a gifted and successful artist. He developed his own unique style of playing the guitar while it lay flat on his lap. Jeff quickly became a local guitar legend in his own right with his virtuosity. The group played around small Toronto-area clubs for a few years before eventually signing with BMG Canada and Arista Records for the rest of the world, and releasing their debut album See The Light in 1988, which featured the top charting hits "Angel Eyes" and "See The Light".
The Jeff Healey Band played and recorded Blues/Blues Rock-infused music along with many original-flavored covers. The band officially released five studio albums and one live recording including the sophomore Hell To Pay (1990), Feel This (1992), Cover To Cover (1995), Get Me Some (2000), and Live At Montreux 1999 (2005). There have also been some recent unofficial compilation releases without the consent of the artists.
Jeff and his band also performed a cameo role in the Patrick Swayze movie "Roadhouse" and they are featured in its official soundtrack.
The group split up in the late 2000, but Jeff continued performing as a solo artist and would later front Jeff Healey & The Jazz Wizards playing trumpet. He died on March 2, 2008 after a long battle with lung cancer, and is survived by his wife, Cristie, and two children.
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