By 1994, blues-rock guitarist Jeff Healey stood at a career crossroads. Healey and his two musical partners – bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephens – had spent the better part of a decade on the road touring, chasing one elusive hit song after another after the surprise success of the top five-charting "Angel Eyes," from their 1988 best-selling debut See The Light.
Healey's commercial fortunes had waned through the years, though, as his label downplayed the guitarist's obvious strengths in trying to shoehorn him into an uneasy fit as some sort of AOR balladeer. In April 1994, Healey and band decamped to Grossman's Tavern, a hallowed blues club in their hometown of Toronto where they had first performed. Two shows were scheduled for the trio to rehearse what would be their fourth album, Cover To Cover, a collection of some of Healey's favorite songs. The two night's shows were recorded for posterity, and the best performances have finally been released as Live At Grossman's – 1994, a worthwhile collection of live cover songs that showcase the band at their very best.
The Jeff Healey Band's Live At Grossman's
As shown by Live At Grossman's – 1994, Healey was seemingly unafraid to tackle anybody's songs and making them his own. A perfect example is the band's scorching cover of Ten Years After's "I'm Going Home," sans vocals. An extended instrumental performance that displays plenty of Healey's pyrotechnic six-string abilities, this imaginative version seems to mix the driving riff of the Spencer Davis Group's "I'm A Man" with the best of Arthur Lee's familiar guitar showcase.
Although pigeonholed as a blues-rock artist, Healey was ever opposed to playing a classic blues number, no matter how revved-up and amped-up his arrangement may be. Witness Healey's red-hot take on the Howlin' Wolf classic "Killing Floor," which is delivered with hearty vocals that, wisely, don't even attempt to mimic the great Wolf. Instead, Healey lets his guitar do the howling, his fleet fingers capturing the song's familiar and infectious melody even while spicing it up with a little fiery fretboard shredding.
Yer Blues
For all the acclaim and attention that's been (rightfully) paid to his talents with a guitar, Healey's vocal skills are often overlooked. His reading of Albert King's beautiful "As The Years Go Passing By" is a perfect example, Healey and band slowing down the pace to a bluesy bonfire, the guitarist's considered licks displaying all the elegance of King's own, while his soulful vocals bring just the right amount of emotional angst to the performance.
Dipping into the Beatles' songbook, Healey's version of "Yer Blues" retains the melodic rock of the original while injecting a fair amount of blues 'n' soul, his rowdy fretwork matched by a stomping rhythmic undercurrent from the band, his blustery vocals capturing the loneliness and frustration of John Lennon's lyrics. Returning to the great Howlin' Wolf, Healey brings just the right amount of Chicago blues vibe to Wolf's "Who's Been Talking," his soulful vocals swinging with the rhythm, punctuated by Michael Pickett's blazing harpwork and complimented by a strong, albeit understated guitar line.
Robert Johnson's Crossroads
Robert Johnson's "Crossroads," introduced by Healey here as an "old favorite," has become a classic rock radio staple as performed by Eric Clapton and Cream. Healey always puts his own unique spin on things, however, and this reading is no different. Healey and band change the song's tempo slightly from the Cream version, but still rock the house with a savage arrangement that adds a little funky swagger to the rhythm track, with Healey's soaring leads galloping throughout the mix. Elmore James' classic "Dust My Broom" is offered much the same treatment, raucous guitarplay and roaring vocals matched by Rockman and Stephens' swaying rhythms.
Healey and crew close out Live At Grossman's – 1994 with the old Bob Dylan chestnut "All Along The Watchtower," as imagined and perfected by the great Jimi Hendrix. With an extended intro that evokes memories of Hendrix but relies instead on Healey's own gorgeous tones, the guitarist fuses elements of rock, blues, and jazz into his machinegun licks. You've already been mesmerized by the time that the song's familiar riff kicks in and Healey begins singing in his warm, dusky tones, the band climbing to an almost impossible crescendo as Healey dazzles with a brilliant performance that easily places him in the rarified stratosphere of Jimi Hendrix, Duane Allman, and Eric Clapton as one of blues-rock music's greatest instrumentalists.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
Considering that Jeff Healey was at his undeniable best while performing onstage, it's a shame that a live set like Live At Grossman's – 1994 wasn't released during the guitarist's lifetime. An album this white-hot and electrifying, coming a few short years after the tragic death of Stevie Ray Vaughan, would have cemented Healey's status as a bona fide blues-rock guitar hero worthy of Vaughan's crown and just may have launched him back onto the charts.
Healey was probably happier on the path that he actually walked, however, pursuing his muse playing blues, jazz, and rock music as he pleased. For fans, however, Live At Grossman's – 1994 is an invaluable addition to Healey's catalog. As good as the 2009 live collection Songs From The Road is, it featured latter-day Healey...this smokin' disc features the guitarist in his prime, cutting loose on stage with reckless abandon, leaving the audience awestuck. Highly recommended. (Eagle Records, released June 14, 2011)
Guide Disclosure: A review copy of this CD, DVD, or book was provided by the record label, publisher, or publicist. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
