Editing Jeff Healey (section)

==Early career and success==
[[File:JeffHealeyAug312002.jpg|thumb|left|Healey performing on August 31, 2002]]

Healey began playing guitar when he was three, developing his unique style of playing the instrument flat on his lap.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> At nine years old, his musical talents were showcased in an interview on the TVOntario children's programme ''[[Cucumber (Canadian TV series)|Cucumber]]''. When he was 15, Healey formed the band Blue Direction,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jeffhealey.com/2020/10/tale-of-blue-direction/|title=The Tale of Blue Direction|last=Rog|date=October 22, 2020|website=Jeffhealey.com|access-date=October 28, 2020}}</ref> a four-piece that primarily played bar-band cover tunes and featured bassist Jeremy Littler, drummer Graydon Chapman, and schoolmate Rob Quail on second guitar. The band played at clubs in Toronto,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> including the [[Colonial Tavern]].

Healey began hosting a jazz and blues show on radio station [[CIUT-FM]], where he was known for playing from his massive collection of vintage 78 rpm [[phonograph|gramophone]] records.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/blog/2008/03/03/jeff_healey_1.html | title=Jeff Healey | website=Cbc.ca |date=March 3, 2008| access-date=May 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307034206/https://www.cbc.ca/radio2/blog/2008/03/03/jeff_healey_1.html|archive-date=March 7, 2008}}</ref>

Shortly thereafter he was introduced to bassist Joe Rockman (born January 1, 1957, Toronto) and drummer Tom Stephen (born February 2, 1955, New Brunswick – died February 20, 2023), with whom he formed a trio, the Jeff Healey Band. The 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 (newspaper)|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]]).<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

After being signed to [[Arista Records]] in 1988, the band released the album ''[[See the Light (Jeff Healey album)|See the Light]]'', which appeared on the RPM Top 100 chart in 1989.<ref>[http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=4952& "RPM Top 100 Albums"]. ''RPM Magazine'' Volume 50, No. 24 October 14, 1989.</ref> It featured the hit single "[[Angel Eyes (The Jeff Healey Band song)|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 (1989 film)|Road House]]''.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> 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.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> In 1990, the band won the [[Juno Award]] for [[Juno Award for Entertainer of the Year|Canadian Entertainer of the Year]]. The albums ''[[Hell to Pay (Jeff Healey album)|Hell to Pay]]'' and ''[[Feel This (album)|Feel This]]'' gave Healey 10 charting singles in Canada between 1990 and 1994, including a [[cover version|cover]] of [[the Beatles]]' "[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]", which featured [[George Harrison]] and [[Jeff Lynne]] on backing vocals and acoustic guitar.<ref>Arista Records LP AL-8632, 1990.</ref>