…who died yesterday.
One of the most unique guitar players you’ll, well I was going to say see, witness and a great bluesman and musicologist. He died yesterday aged only 41, losing a long battle with cancer that took his eyesight as a baby and had him undergoing treatment to remove the cancer from his legs and lungs last year.
Coming to most people’s attention in the Patrick Swayze flick “Road House” most people were taken aback by his playing style, with Fender (normally) Squier strat laid on his lap using all five fingers on his left hand to fret, a technique he developed when only three years old.
Roadhouse Blues
When The Night Comes Falling
This led to his stunning debut album “See The Light”, which was easy to pick up - thanks to his appearances over here on TV at the time, as smug TV execs where happy to have this weird blind guy on even though it was music they wouldn’t usually touch with barge pole - which I did as soon as I could.
See The Light
Confidence Man
I bought the follow ups, “Hell To Pay” and “Feel This” as soon as they were released, they were good but not as strong as the debut in a way. The other thing was they weren’t as good as the live performances, Jeff always seemed to be more a live act than one on record.
Look At Little Sister w/Stevie Ray Vaughan
Blue Jean Blues
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
So a sad passing just as he was getting back into recording blues rock after heading off in a jazz direction over the last few years, I had wondered a bit back what happened to him, think “Road House” had been on late one night well he was just about to release a new album “Mess Of Blues” and come over here to appear on “Later with Jools Holland”.
UEFA Cup Final 2007 - Espanyol v Sevilla
