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Canadian jazz guitarist, Jeff Healey, dies at 41


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Canadian jazz guitarist Jeff Healey, known for his blues-based rock and his distinctive playing style, died in hospital on Sunday after a life-long battle with cancer. He was 41.

 

Healey, stricken with retino blastoma, a rare form of cancer that robbed him of his eyesight as a baby, first picked up the guitar when he was three years old.

 

With his trademark style of holding the instrument across his lap, Healey formed his first band at 17 and later gained fame for his trio, The Jeff Healey Band.

 

Discovered by the legendary jazz guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan in a Toronto bar in 1982, Healey released a string of albums over the next 20 years, including the 1988 Grammy-nominated "See the light," with the hit single "Angel Eyes."

 

He performed with a host of legends over his three-decade career, including B.B. King, George Harrison and Vaughan.

 

Healey was also the host of a long-running jazz radio show and owned the funky "Jeff Healey's Roadhouse," a Toronto-based bar in which he frequently recorded.

 

At the time of his death, he was about to release his first rock and blues recording in eight years, "Mess of Blues."

 

Healey leaves his wife Cristie and two children.

 

 

Truly sad to lose such a great musician. Seen this guy live once. He has more talent in his little finger then most musicians have in the whole being. Jeff you will be truly missed.

 

 

Read about it HERE

and HERE

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Discovered by the legendary jazz guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan in a Toronto bar in 1982,

WTF? jazz guitarist?! SRV had some jazzy tunes (Lenny and his version of Little wing come to mind) but I have never heard of anyone classifying him with jazz. I never really considered Healey a jazz guy either. but regardless a real talent has been lost.

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