Healey lost his sight at the age of one, after developing eye cancer. He began playing guitar when he was three years old and began performing with his band Blues Direction at the age of 17. Healey formed the Jeff Healey Trio in 1985, adding bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen. The trio released one single on their own Forte record label, which led to a contract with Arista Records. The Jeff Healey Trio released their debut album, See the Light, in 1988 and the guitarist immediately developed a devoted following in blues-rock circles. Featuring the hit single "Angel Eyes," the record went platinum in the U.S. While the Jeff Healey Trio's subsequent records have been popular, none have been as successful as the debut.

See The Light - 1988

Jeff Healey's debut album See the Light may be similar to Stevie Ray Vaughan's high-octane blues-rock, but in blues and blues-rock, it's often the little things that count, such as guitar styles, and there's no denying that Healey has a distinctive style. Healey plays his Stratocaster flat on his lap, allowing him to perform unusual long stretches that give his otherwise fairly predictable music real heart and unpredictability. Throughout the album, his guitar work keeps things interesting, even on slow ballads like "Angel Eyes" (one of two John Hiatt songs, by the way, along with the ripping "Confidence Man"). That's what keeps See the Light interesting, and it's what makes it an intriguing, promising debut. Unfortunately, Healey has never quite fulfilled that promise, but it's still exciting to hear the first flowerings of his talent. - Thom Owens

01 - (3:15) Confidence Man
02 - (3:12) My Little Girl
03 - (3:35) River Of No Return
04 - (3:22) Don't Let Your Chance Go By
05 - (4:25) Angel Eyes
06 - (4:53) Nice Problem To Have
07 - (3:31) Someday, Someway
08 - (3:45) I Need To Be Loved
09 - (5:41) Blue Jean Blues
10 - (4:29) That's What They Say
11 - (4:28) Hide Away
12 - (4:28) See The Light

Hell To Pay - 1990

A solid follow-up to Healey's impressive debut, Hell To Pay features some of the guitarist's hottest playing to date. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

01 - (4:15) Full Circle
02 - (6:29) I Think I Love You Too Much
03 - (3:44) I Can't Get My Hands On You
04 - (4:29) How Long Can A Man Be Strong
05 - (3:47) Let It All Go
06 - (3:57) Hell To Pay
07 - (5:18) While My Guitar Gently Weeps
08 - (4:00) Something To Hold On To
09 - (4:50) How Much
10 - (4:50) Highway Of Dreams
11 - (4:58) Life Beyond The Sky

Feel This - 1992

Third time up for sightless guitar wunderkid Jeff Healey and gang; Feel This offers the power trio's meatiest and most satisfying outing. JHB's brand of roadhouse rock can be somewhat bland on disc; here the group captures much more of its trademark live intensity than in the past. The unobtrusive addition of keyboards adds a more expansive dimension to several tracks. Boogie fans will want to check out the ZZ Top-like "Cruel Little Number"; blues-rockers will come away satisfied with the likes of "House That Love Built." Hip-hop connoisseurs, on the other hand, will likely want to avoid JHB's rap spoof on "If You Can't Feel Anything Else." - Roch Parisien

01 - (4:37) Cruel Little Number
02 - (4:25) Leave The Light On
03 - (4:13) Baby's Lookin' Hot
04 - (5:10) Lost In Your Eyes
05 - (4:53) House That Love Built
06 - (4:33) Evil And Here To Stay
07 - (5:02) My Kinda Lover
08 - (4:45) It Could All Get Blown Away
09 - (4:32) You're Coming Home
10 - (4:59) If You Can't Feel Anything Else
11 - (4:55) Heart Of An Angel
12 - (5:35) Dreams Of Love

Cover To Cover - 1995

Jeff Healey's collection of cover songs is fitfully entertaining, but his choice of material is predictable and when he does take a chance, such as on Stealer's Wheel's "Stuck in the Middle with You," he spends too much time trying to make it fit into his trademark stomping blues-rock style. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

01 - (4:37) Shape Of Things
02 - (4:21) Stop Breakin' Down
03 - (3:36) Highway 49
04 - (6:49) As The Years Go Passing By
05 - (3:34) I'm Ready
06 - (3:50) Evil
07 - (4:07) Stuck In The Middle With You
08 - (4:31) Angel
09 - (4:07) The Moon Is Full
10 - (4:32) Yer Blues
11 - (3:18) Communication Breakdown
12 - (2:50) Me And My Crazy Self

Master Hits - 1999

Arista celebrated its 30th anniversary by releasing The Heritage Series, spotlighting the most popular artists on the label. The Jeff Healey installment in The Heritage Series is pretty much a straight hits collection, featuring highlights from his stint at the label. While he was at Arista, he achieved the peak of his popularity with such radio hits as "Confidence Man," "Angel Eyes," "See the Light," "I Think I Love You Too Much" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." All those songs are here, along with some highlights from his albums, providing a nice retrospective of his time with Arista. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

01 - (3:17) Confidence Man
02 - (4:45) Angel Eyes
03 - (4:55) Nice Problem To Have
04 - (4:31) See The Light
05 - (4:51) House That Love Built
06 - (3:57) Hell To Pay
07 - (5:18) While My Guitar Gently Weeps
08 - (4:40) Cruel Little Number
09 - (5:11) Lost In Your Eyes
10 - (4:25) Stop Breakin' Down
11 - (3:16) Communication Breakdown

Get Me Some - 2000

01 - (3:59) Which One
02 - (4:38) Hey Hey
03 - (4:28) Love Is The Answer
04 - (3:29) My Life Story
05 - (4:10) I Tried
06 - (3:53) The Damage Is Done
07 - (4:59) Feel Better
08 - (4:28) Holding On
09 - (3:43) I Should Have Told You
10 - (4:27) Macon Georgia Blue
11 - (4:26) House Is Burning Down
12 - (4:21) Runaway Heart
13 - (3:27) Rachel's Song