Wow.
Jeff Healy, seminal Toronto rock god and blind guitar great, apparently died in March of this year.
Nobody told me.
I was young, gorgeous, talented (ahhh... the delusions of youth!) and had just written the core songs for my debut album "Open Heart and Cautionary Tales". Of all of them, "Jericho" was my favourite musically, "Shine" lyrically; "By the Sea" harmonically and I just really liked "My name is Jack" because it was a complete Sinead O'Connor rip off, and while I could sing it, I was no Sinead O'Connor.No, I was sane.
But I digress.
I took the album (recorded at GREAT expense at 3am at the studio used by Toronto's famous-ish "Pardon Beggars") to David Bendeth, then the A&R rep at BMG Music. His father had been our family doctor and friend since I was born, and his sister sold fancy perfume, as I recall.
Well, Dave had wonderful feedback for me, and gave me advice I will never forget: "You suck" was the essential nature of his criticism, and he was right; yet, oddly I left his office tears.
Go figger.
BMG was located in Toronto right at the corner of Queen St. and Much Music (who knows, or cares, what the intersection was, except for the fact that there's a rather nice crepe shop on the opposite corner now.)
Furious with David's lack of vision (hell, he was only the discoverer of the Cowboy Junkies) I ran headlong across the street in the rain into the donut shop to call my then lover, musical collaborator and friend, Patrick, to blame him for my existence, among other things. But there was someone in the way at the intersection. I shoved him brutally aside in my haste to make my phonecall and purchase a double sprinkle Maple Wonder glazed donut; and lo and behold, the b@stard I had shoved into traffic was none other than Jeff Healy - no doubt on his way to see David "You Don't Get It" Bendeth.
Wow.
Small world, huh????
:-D
4 comments:
You left this one out of the conversation we had a couple years back about encounters with the "famous" (Al Waxman counted as famous).
PS - Oscar Peterson is up on the roof with Grandma.
OH ?????
Oh !!!!!
Ohhhhhhhhh.....
I have NEVER heard this story.... I am so very intreigued...:)
As far as David Bendeth is concerned, I was his teacher (theory) and got him his first job as guitar teacher.
Just to get the record stratight.
BFME
Esther was instrumental in teaching me theory, I was a tough student to teach, she has an incredible ear for harmonic patterns and scales that some people have never heard. I owe her a lot and have taken her teachings with my always in my musical life. As far as the Guitar teacher she is right about that to, I hated teaching, I never had the patience, I wish I had my Father's patience.
David Bendeth
www.davidbendeth.com
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