We chat with Stony Plain head Holger Peterson about a new Jeff Healey compilation – The Best of the Stony Plain Years.  Healey was an amazingly talented musician, best known for his 1989 top five hit “Angel Eyes.”  He lost his sight at an early age, picked up the guitar at three, and developed an unique style of playing the instrument on his lap.

The Jeff Healey Band showcased his talents as a searing blues-rock guitarist, releasing a series of albums in the late Eighties and early Nineties.  But, as the decade wore on, Jeff became increasingly weary of the trappings of the genre.   Amazingly, he switched gears, teaching himself how to play trumpet and immersing himself in traditional jazz of the Twenties & Thirties.  Thus began a new chapter in his musical career – he issued a series of classic jazz & blues albums in the 2000’s up until his untimely passing in 2008.

Peterson, who was a longtime friend of Healey’s discusses this new compilation, Healey’s deep love for classic jazz and blues, and other releases he has coming up for Stony Plain.