Jeff Healey

Norman Jeffrey "Jeff" Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a blind Canadian jazz and blues-rock vocalist and guitarist who attained musical and personal popularity, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s.

 

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Healey was raised in the city's west end. He was adopted as an infant; his adoptive father was a firefighter. When he was eight months old, Healey lost his sight to retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes. His eyes had to be surgically removed, and he was given artificial replacements.

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Healey began playing guitar when he was three, developing his unique style of playing the instrument flat on his lap. When he was 17, he formed the band Blue Direction, a four-piece band which primarily played bar-band cover tunes. Among the other musicians were bassist Jeremy Littler, drummer Graydon Chapman, and a schoolmate, Rob Quail on second guitar. This band played various local clubs in Toronto, including the Colonial Tavern.

Healey began hosting a jazz and blues show on radio station CIUT-FM where he became known for playing from his massive collection of vintage 78 rpm gramophone records.

Shortly thereafter he was introduced to two musicians, bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen, with whom he formed a trio, "The Jeff Healey Band". This band made their first public appearance at the Birds Nest, located upstairs at Chicago's Diner on Queen Street West in Toronto. They received a write-up in Toronto's 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).

After being signed to Arista Records in 1988, the band released the album See the Light, featuring the hit single "Angel Eyes" and the song "Hideaway", which was nominated for a Grammy Award 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 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' While My Guitar Gently Weeps which featured George Harrison and Jeff Lynne on backing vocals and acoustic guitar.

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By the release of the 2000 album Get Me Some, Healey began to concentrate his talent in another direction closer to his heart, which was the appreciation for another original American music form, jazz.

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.

Healey was an avid record collector and amassed a collection of well over 30,000 78 rpm records. He had, from time to time, hosted a CBC Radio program entitled My Kind of Jazz, in which he played records from his vast vintage jazz collection. He hosted a program with a similar name on Toronto jazz station CJRT-FM; as of 2010, the latter program continues to air in repeats.

He had also been touring with his other group, The Jazz Wizards, playing American hot jazz. (At the time of his death, they had been planning to perform a series of shows in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands in April 2008.)

For many years, Healey toured throughout North America, Europe & performed at his club, "Healey's" on Bathurst Street in Toronto, where he played as "The Jeff Healey Blues Band" with Alec Fraser (bass), Al Webster (drums) & Pat Rush on guitar a.k.a "The Healey's House Band" on Thursday nights and also with his jazz group on Saturday afternoons. The club moved to a bigger 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.)

Over the years, Healey toured and sat-in with many legendary performers, including Dire Straits, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, BB King, ZZ Top, Steve Lukather, Eric Clapton and many more. In 2006, Healey appeared on Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan's CD/DVD Gillan's Inn.

Healey discovered and helped develop the careers of other musical artists, including Terra Hazelton and Amanda Marshall.

In early 2009, Healey's album Mess of Blues won in The 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Blues Album.

 

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On January 11, 2007, Healey underwent surgery to remove metastatic tissue from both lungs. In the previous eighteen months, he had two sarcomas removed from his legs.

On March 2, 2008, Healey died of cancer at St. Joseph's Health Centre in his home town of Toronto. He was 41 years old. His death came a month before the release of Mess of Blues, which was his first rock/blues album in eight years.

Healey is survived by his wife, Cristie, and two children. A tribute concert was held on May 3, 2008, to benefit Daisy's Eye Cancer Fund, which, according to Cristie Healey, had helped make major strides in research and future advances for people born with the same genetically inherited retinoblastoma which had plagued her husband since he was one year of age. Cristie and Jeff Healey's son was also born with the same disability.

In 2009, he was inducted into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame.

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Jeff Healey was an incredible musician and guitarist, a remarkable individual who was blind but did not accept that as a handicap. He lived each day to it’s fullest and wrote some fabulous music, recognized in the musical community for its stand alone brilliance, without regard for the handicap; blindness, of its author.  This should be an inspiration for all musicians, that we give our all whenever we play and that we devote our lives to our music as he did, no matter where it takes us.

Until next time ~

Musician By Night . . .

Bonnie Lynn Raitt

Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially accessible recordings in the 1990s including "Nick of Time", "Something to Talk About", "Love Sneakin' Up on You", and the slow ballad "I Can't Make You Love Me". Raitt has received nine Grammy Awards in her career and is a lifelong political activist.

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In March 2000, Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Silver Lining was released in 2002 while Souls Alike was released in September 2005.

Australian Country Music Artist Graeme Connors has said, "Bonnie Raitt does something with a lyric no one else can do; she bends it and twists it right into your heart." (ABC Radio NSW Australia interview with Interviewer Chris Coleman on 18 January 2007)

In 2007, she accepted an invitation to contribute to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino. With Jon Cleary, she sang a medley of "I'm in Love Again" and "All by Myself".

Raitt appeared on the June 7, 2008 broadcast of Garrison Keillor's radio program "A Prairie Home Companion". She performed two blues songs with Kevin "Keb' Mo'" Moore: "No Getting Over You" and "There Ain't Nothin' in Ramblin'." Raitt also sang Dimming of the Day with Richard Thompson. This show, along with another on which Raitt with her band in October 2006, is archived on the Prairie Home Companion web site.

In the spring of 2012, Raitt will release her first studio album since "Souls Alike" in 2005

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Political Activism

Raitt's political involvement goes back to the early seventies. Her 1972 album "Give it up" had a dedication "to the people of North Vietnam ..." printed on the back.

Bonnie Raitt Performing at an Abalone Alliance Concert, in the early 1980s.

Raitt's web site urges fans to learn more about preserving the environment. She was a founding member of Musicians United for Safe Energy in 1979 and a catalyst for the larger anti-nuclear movement, becoming involved with groups like the Abalone Alliance and Alliance for Survival.

In 1994 at the urging of Dick Waterman, Raitt funded the replacement of a headstone for one of her mentors, Fred McDowell through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund. Raitt would later finance memorial headstones in Mississippi for Memphis Minnie, Sam Chatmon, and Tommy Johnson again with the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund.

At the Stockholm Jazz Festival in July 2004, she dedicated a classic to sitting (and later re-elected) U.S. President George W. Bush. She was quoted as saying, "We're gonna sing this for George Bush because he's out of here, people!" before she launched into the opening licks of "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)", a cover that was featured on her 1979 album The Glow. In 2002, she signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and free lessons to children in public schools throughout the U.S.A. She has visited children in the program and sits on the organization's board of directors as an honorary member.

Raitt worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for her 2005 Fall/Winter and 2006 Spring/Summer/Fall tours.

Raitt is part of the No Nukes group which is against the expansion of nuclear power. In 2007 the group recorded a music video of a new version of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".

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Bonnie Raitt is one of the icons of the Blues, Blues-Rock, Country and Folk-Rock Genre and her music will live on like Nancy Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar and Joan Jett.  Until next time ~

Happy Holidays to you and your families; so until next time;

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas !

Musician By Night . . .

Ana Popovic

This is Ana Popovic; Just recently I was introduced to her music and she blew me away. I am a huge Blues and Blues rock fan with a flair for Jazz and she is all of that and then some.

I took some time to gather some pertinent data about her life and career to learn more about her for myself, so I thought I‘d share it with you.

         

1976 - 1981

13 May 1976 - Ana Popovic is born in the old town of Belgrade, formerly Yugoslavia, the first daughter of Milutin and Vesna Popovic. Five years later their second daughter, Maja, is born. Ana grows up in a warm and loving family where music is very important. Her father Milutin is a creditable guitar / bass player, always inviting friends for nightly jam sessions. In this atmosphere Ana grows up, often listening to her father’s impressive blues and soul record collection. Finally, at 15, Ana picks up her father’s guitar.

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1981 - 1991

At school Ana is a good student. Not completely bitten by the guitar bug yet, she learns easily and likes to impress. Against the stormy political backdrop of Belgrade she receives good news: she is selected to attend one of the most prominent Schools in Belgrade. Despite her adolescent rebel years tempting her away from the classroom, and a volatile political situation under the Milosovic nationalist regime in Belgrade, she passes her exams without problems.

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1991 - 1994

Inevitably, Ana falls for the charms of the guitar. Her father continues to help her but realizes that his daughter’s natural gift for playing the instrument goes beyond his own abilities. Although the family isn’t rich Milutin and Vesna make it possible for Ana to take private guitar lessons and Ana puts her soul into them – surprising her teacher with her progress and rapidly developing a style of her own. Finally, on finishing her Grammar School education in 1994, Ana makes the decision to follow in her father’s footsteps by studying Graphic Design at the University of Belgrade.

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1995 – 1998

Music now begins to take up more time as Ana forms her very first band ‘Hush’ with friend and guitar player Rade Popovic. She rehearses frequently in a small garage in New Belgrade and live shows soon follow. Initially being a girl means Ana having to take second place, but that soon changes. Over the next three years Ana's band plays all the major club venues - by 1998 doing a hundred shows annually and making regular appearances on Yugoslavian television. The end of Communism means musicians are finally free to travel and Ana now plays blues festivals in Greece & Hungary. With her band Hush she records her first album "Hometown" as a limited pressing and, in 1998 successfully applies to study Graphic Design in Utrecht. Just a few weeks before her new Graphic Design course starts however, Ana decides to send in a tape to Utrecht’s Conservatory. Ana’s tape is selected right away, leaving her with a choice to make … feeling more a musician than a designer the decision is easily made.

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1999

Although now studying in the Netherlands; both a need to put the newly acquired music theory into practice, and a need to pay the tuition fees, leads to Ana forming a Dutch band. The band quickly becomes a popular fixture on the Dutch and German blues scenes. Inevitably, with increasing concert obligations, Ana decides to terminate her studies at The Conservatory and with a background of increasing unrest and bombing in her hometown of Belgrade Ana signs a record deal at Ruf records in Germany.

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2000 - 2001

In October of 2000, Ana travels to Memphis to record her first release for Ruf Records. Titled ‘Hush’! after her first band, the release is produced by Jim Gaines (whose production credits include Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughan). ‘Hush!’ is released at the beginning of 2001. It is a period with many highlights as Ana’s younger sister, Maja, enrols at the higher Professional school of Art in Utrecht. Ana joins various artists including Bernard Allison, Eric Burdon, Walter Trout, Popa Chubby, Jimmy Thackery, Taj Mahal and Buddy Miles on a Jimi Hendrix tribute CD: ‘Blue Haze’. Her contribution is a version of Hendrix’ ‘Belly Button Window’. In 2001 Ana appears as ‘special guest’ on tour with Bernard Allison, who also joins her on one track of her CD ‘HUSH!’

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2002

Ana is part of the European ‘Jimi Hendrix Tribute tour’ with Walter Trout. Ana also takes her European band on tour to the US for the first time. She receives three nominations for the 2002 blues Awards in France: ‘Best Singer’, ‘Best Guitarist’ and Best Album’.

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2003

Ana returns to Memphis and records her second album for Ruf Records. Titled ‘Comfort to the Soul’; Half of the album was produced/mixed by Jim Gains in February, with the remainder produced and mixed by David Z (Prinz, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang) in April. Praised for its diverse package of blues, rock, soul and jazz the album leads to Ana receiving a nomination at the prestigious WC Handy Awards in Memphis for Best New Artist of 2003 (the only continental European artist ever nominated in this category). Ana also becomes the first European artist to perform at the Show. The year also sees Ana endorsing ‘Fender’ guitars and ‘DR handmade’ strings for the first time. During the ‘Rhythm & Blues Fest’ in Peer, Belgium, Ana is invited on stage by ‘The King of Soul’, Solomon Burke, who immediately invites her to join him as a special guest for the rest of his tour.

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2004

With great live shows, Ana’s international demand continues to grow. She returns to the USA – this time touring three times – and plays concerts in Canada and throughout Europe. Together with her band she wins the prestigious jazz award ‘Jazz a Juan-Revelation 2004’ in Juan Le Pins, France. The award shows recognition of Ana’s abilities in the jazz genre - another strong influence on her music. Ana begins an endorsement contract for Mesa Boogie amplifiers. She is also particularly proud to join many of the world’s top guitarists as she begins endorsement for Ovation Guitars.

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2005

Ana releases her third Ruf Album jointly as a live DVD. Recorded at the ‘Melkweg’ in Amsterdam and Titled ‘Ana! Live in Amsterdam' The DVD/CD is released in April in Europe and August in the USA. Ana tours throughout Europe and even plays in Dubai as part of Ruf’s ‘Blues Caravan - Ladies Night’ with Sue Foley and Candy Cane.

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2006

Ana is invited for the legendary ‘Blues Cruise 2006’ - She’s the first European artist ever called upon to play this prestigious cruise with their original band. In February Ana is nominated as 'Blues Artist of the Year' by the readers of 'BluesWax Magazine'. Other nominees are Tab Beniot and Joe Bonamassa. In July Ana receives a 6-time nomination for the 'Living blues awards 2006'. She's selected in categories as; 'Best blues DVD of 2005', 'Best Live Performer', 'Best Female Blues Artist' and 'Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)'. In November, after a 13-week summer-tour throughout the USA, Ana signs a record deal at Eclecto Groove records (a division of Delta Groove Music) and travels to Los Angeles to record her first Eclecto Groove release.

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2007

Ana makes appearance at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Her performance -together with Mike Finnigan and Lenny Castro- is followed the screening of BigSky Motion Pictures release 'What Love Is' starring Cuba Gooding Jr. Ana's record 'Still Making History' has it's worldwide release on June 19, 2007. The Eclecto Groove / Delta Groove Music, Inc. recording is produced by David Z. and Grammy Award winning producer John Porter (Los Lonely Boys, Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, etc.)
Ana does an impressive total of 152 concerts; seven intensive tours in the US, sharing the stage with many famous artists including blues legend Buddy Guy. Next to touring Europe and the US she even plays Russia and Mexico. In October Ana is invited for a Dutch combi-tour with Dutch 'guitar-hero' Jan Akkerman (Focus). Also in October Ana stars in Hollywood's production Springbreak '83 shot in New Orleans. That very same month her record makes its debut on the Billboard Blues Chart at #8 sharing the chart with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan. In November SMH makes it to #7 and in the beginning of December even to #4.

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2008

Ana travels to Los Angeles to remix her album 'Still Making History' with platinum selling producer, Rudy 'Mayru' Maya.
On May 5 Ana gives birth to a healthy baby-boy; Luuk. He weights 3.925 Kilo (almost 8 pound) and is born with lots of dark hair and big blue eyes.
in June Ana, her band and baby Luuk gear up for a 5 week tour travelling all throughout the United States and Canada sharing the stage with Jonny Lang, Ronnie Earl, Los Lobos and many others.
In July 'SMH' makes it's way to #3 at the US Billboard chart, bringing the number of weeks on the chart up to a total of 19.

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2009

For the second time Ana and her European band are invited to play at the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Ana jams on the high seas with Susan Tedeschi, Larry McCray, Bob Margolin and many others.
Ana is part of Robert Radler's guitar documentary 'Turn it up¡¦ aka TONE, about the world¡¦s best guitars and guitar players.

In March and April Ana records her second Eclecto Groove album 'BLIND FOR LOVE' (BFL) at Castle Oaks Studio in Los Angeles with producers David Z (Prince, Jonny Lang) and Mark Dearnley (AC/DC, Paul McCartney).
BFL is released in July, the same month that Ana has the great honour to share the stage with BB King. In October BFL is #1 played album at the blues radio airplay charts at independent 'Roots Music Report'.

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2010

Fender Musical Instruments invites Ana for showcases at the NAMM show in LA in January and the Frankfurter Music Fair (Musikmesse) in March.
Ana is nominated for The British Blues Awards in the 'Best Overseas Artist' category alongside BB King and Joe Bonamassa.
During a 5 week tour in the US and Canada Ana performes at Montreal Jazz fest, worlds biggest jazz festival, for an audience of 13000 persons. She jams with Blues Traveler, Gary Clark Jr and Hot Tuna. The band opens up for Robert Gray.
At her hometown Belgrade, Serbia she performs before an over enthusiasts 75000 people audience.
Ana is invited for a festival-tour in Indonesia playing shows in Jakarta, Bandung and the Island Bali.
Her new live DVD 'An evening at Trasimeno Lake' is pre-released on July 28 during Trasimeno blues festival 2010 followed by the official European release in September and the US release in December.

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2011

From January till March Ana moves to New Orleans to record her 6th studio album, and 3rd Eclecto Groove release. The back to the roots & blues album ‘UNCONDITIONAL’ is produced by Ana Popovic and Grammy Award winning John Porter. The record features New Orleans very best musicians like Ana’s slide idol Sonny Landreth and Jon Cleary on B3 and piano. Also incredible harp player Jason Ricci makes a guest appearance.
In July Ana is honored to appear as a special guest at BB-King's German shows. During the summer The Ana Popovic band is scheduled for an impressive 35 summer festivals all over Europe and the USA. The song 'One Room Country Shack' recorded at Unconditional, is the Pick-Of-The-Week in US today, American's biggest national newspaper. Unconditional makes it to Billboard Blues Charts for 9 weeks peeking at #7. The album is at # 70 at Amazon's all music bestsellers list and # 1 at Amazon's contemporary Blues bestsellers list. Ana jams with Buddy Guy, Sonny Landreth , John Popper (Blues Traveler) Walter Trout and many others.

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The way that the European families provide the support necessary for their youth to get started in their chosen careers certainly impresses me. Coming from an old town of Belgrade, formerly Yugoslavia, Ana had the full support of her family to get her started on her dream of becoming a musician, and her father actually helped teach her until she was beyond where he could teach her further.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed learning more about Ana Popovic and her music. She will be one of the key Blues Artists that I follow going forward, that’s a given. I need to get my hands on some of her albums (CD’s) right away.

Until next time ~

Musician By Night . . .