About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 30. Chapters: Aaron James Sorensen, Amos Garrett, Bernie LaBarge, Chan Kinchla, Colin James, Colin Linden, David Gogo, David Wilcox (Canadian musician), Doug Cox, Drew Nelson (musician), Dutch Mason, Garrett Mason, Jackie Washington, Jack de Keyzer, James Anthony (musician), Jeff Healey, Jesse Rivest, Jimmy Bowskill, Jim Byrnes (actor), JW-Jones, Kelly Hoppe, Lester Quitzau, Madagascar Slim, Marshall Lawrence, Matt Andersen, Mel Brown (guitarist), Mendelson Joe, Michael Pickett, Orin Isaacs, Paul James (Canadian musician), Roxanne Potvin, Shane Simpson (musician), Steve Strongman, Sue Foley, Suzie Vinnick, Tom Lavin, Tony Springer, Wolf Krakowski, Wolf Mail. Excerpt: 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 one year 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. 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
