Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008[1]), known professionally as Jeff Healey, was a blind Canadian jazz and blues-rock guitarist and vocalist. + Life and Career Born in Toronto, Ontario, Healey was raised in the city's west end. His father was a firefighter. Healey lost his sight when he was eight months old, due to retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes which he suffered from throughout his life and which ultimately killed him.[1][2] His eyes had to be surgically removed, and he was given artificial replacements. He 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 ba... Leia mais