Angel Eyes

I read a story today that Jeff Healey passed away over the weekend. He was only 41. I was trying to think back to how I first heard about him. A quick check on the internet and I had my answer. The movie “Road House” came out before his first album with the song “Angel Eyes.”

When I hear any Jeff Healey song I have one distinct memory. My sophomore year of college I was working in one of the dining halls. I always preferred the earlier shifts because a) I was much more of a morning person then and b) most other college kids weren’t so it wasn’t too busy. This became especially important on my Sunday morning shifts. This was easily the grossest job I ever had.

Sunday mornings from 8 until 11 I worked in the dish room. Let me paint a picture for you. The dish room in Harris Hall was down in the basement. Upstairs in the main dining areas was a dumbwaiter system that brought the trays down to the basement. Dealing with dirty dishes was one thing, and if it was as simple as that, then I would have been fine. The problem was with the few that decided to turn every meal into a science experiment. I won’t go in to details, but seriously, yuck!

So there I was, all alone in the basement of the dining hall on a Sunday morning. It was really slow and boring for most of the shift which was great. There was a boombox down there with me which was all that kept me from going mad or going to sleep. For whatever reason, I cannot think of a single artist other than Jeff Healey that I played while at work. I’m sure there must have been others, but I can’t recall anyone but him. Needless to say I knew the tape by heart. I even like his version of “While my guitar gently weeps” better than the original.

Here then are my top 5 Jeff Healey songs:

1. Something to Hold On To
2. I Think I Love You Too Much
3. Life Beyond the Sky
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
5. Angel Eyes