The loss of Jeff Healey, who succumbed to cancer March 2, 2008 has affected thousands of people. He was a deeply loved musician, who radiated sheer happiness every time he played.

Stony Plain is proud to release Jeff's first blues/rock record in eight years, and saddened that this great artist will no longer be able to bring his music in person, to audiences around the world. At Stony Plain we remember, best of all, his sense of humour. His unique style, his energy, and his eclectic musical tastes (ranging from classic jazz to rock and roll, with country music and a bit of psychedelia along the way), were all part and parcel of a wonderful friend we will always miss.

Jeff was a joyful, optimistic man and a unique musician. As American guitarist Steve Lukather pointed out: "Every guitarist in the world just moved up a notch."

Please check the following link to watch a stunning video of Jeff, filmed by Mako Funusaka at several live performances, and in the studio at what turned out to be Jeff's final recording session.

http://www.stonyplainrecords.com/jeffhealey#video

HOLGER PETERSEN

JEFF HEALEY: Mess of Blues (SPCD-1333)

Jeff's final blues rock album, completed only months before his untimely death. Highlights include surprising covers of The Weight, and Neil Young's Like a Hurricane. The sheer joy of the performances here makes Healey's passing even more poignant. Released in Canada April 15. On Ruf Records in the US, April 15

Jeff Healey's 'Mess Of Blues' A Joyful Blues Rock Collection

Jeff Healey's unique, distinctive guitar work shines on every track on "Mess of Blues" (SPCD-1333), which was completed just before his death on March 2.

The songs were recorded in studios in Toronto, with two live performances from a concert in London, England, and two tunes recorded last November at Jeff Healey's Road House in Toronto.

The CD also features the group who regularly backed him at the Road House, the Healey's House Band, which the guitarist proudly called "the best damn bar band in the land." Led by keyboardist Dave Murphy, the band features Jeff's co-producer, Alec Fraser, on bass, Al "Baby" Webster on drums and Dan Noordermeer on guitar.

The CD includes a sleeve note from Healey, who explains that the songs were chosen from those that "get the band the greatest crowd reaction in our travels around the world."

The album was the result of an agreement between Stony Plain and the German label, Ruf Records, which will distribute the CD internationally outside Canada.

"Making this record is a chance to introduce the band to wider international audiences and give some great songs a new and fresh lease on life," said Healey. He added: "I'm really grateful to Stony Plain and Ruf Records for giving me the opportunity to show people that my respect for the blues remains as strong as ever, as does the commitment we all have to the people who come out to hear us when we play."

Blind since early childhood, he picked up his first guitar when he was three, and began to play it flat across his lap, "accidentally" devising the revolutionary technique that became his signature style. He played his first gigs when he was six, and by his teens had played a variety of music in a number of different bands.

By the mid-'90s, Healey had played with dozens of musicians, including the Rolling Stones, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and recorded with George Harrison, Mark Knopfler and the late blues legend, Jimmy Rogers.