Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Jeff Healy Band: Angel Eyes

The Jeff Healey Band produced only one Top 40 hit, “Angel Eyes,” which was released in 1989 and headed up the Hot 100 to the number five slot. The song also charted at #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart and 24 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

The song also was re-released in 2008 following Healy’s death and charted at 28 in his native Canada on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart. Healy’s live performance also in the 1989 release of “Road House” didn’t hurt the chart performance of “Angel Eyes.” The song was written by John Hiatt.

While this was Healy’s only Top 40 hit, several of his songs charted on the Mainstream Rock chart. They include the following: “I Think I Love You Too Much” at #5, “Full Circle” at #16, “Heart of an Angel” at #20, “I See the Light” at #33, and “How Can a Man Be Strong” at #34. Healy’s only other song to chart in the Hot 100 was “Lost in Your Eyes,” which peaked at 91. Additionally, his interpretation of Freddie King’s “Hideaway” was nominated for best instrumental performance.

Plagued with gentic rentinoblastoma at 8 months of age, Healy was blind before the end of his first year. From early childhood, Jeff learned to play guitar but with it across his lap. He was later discovered by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. At just shy of 23 days from his forty-second birthday, Jeff Healy died of cancer on March 2, 2008.


Live Version from 2006



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