Determination, passion and talent are all forces to be reckoned with, and not even a disability can stop the best of the est from shining. Here's some famous musicians who didn't let anything stop them, no matter how much it changed their life:
Stevie Wonder - Blindness
Another musicians lacking sense of sight, Stevie Wonder was signed to Motown's Tamla label at the age of eleven. Wonder is considered a child prodigy and over his career has won twenty-two Grammy's, the most of any solo artist.
He's also won one Oscar, for his original song 'I Just Called To Say I Love You' which was written for the film 'The Woman in Red'! Wonder is also talented on a large variety instruments.
Rick Allen (Def Leppard) - Full Arm Amputation
One of the more famous stories of overcoming a disability, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was on his way to a New Year's Ever party when an accident left him with only his right arm.
Determined not to let his new disability stop him, Allen and some of his fellow engineers designed a drum kick that would let Allen use his left foot to play his snare drum instead of his right arm.
The band went on to release 'Hysteria', which sold over 20 million copies. So yeah, it didn't stop him.
Curtis Mayfield - ParalysisCurtis had a long career in music and made an impact on the R&B, soul and funk genres. Mayfield is known for being a politically-conscious African-American musician and as a pioneer of the funk genre.
After becoming paralyzed from the neck down in a stage collapse in 1990, Mayfield still wrote and sang. He directed the recording of his last album in this state as well. His vocals recorded in painstaking fashion, usually one line at a time as he lied in a bed.
His deteriorating health eventually caused him to pass away in 1999. Even after his accident Mayfeild proved nothing could stop him from making music.
Bret Michaels (Poison) - Type 1 Diabetes
Michaels was taught to shoot up legally as a kid. But that's because his pancreas was unable to create insulin when Michaels was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was six. When Bret was ten, he went to camp and met other diabetics kids and learned about taking medication and eating right. Later, he would form Poison and hit the road, not letting anything stand in his way.
Kenny G - Asthma
Kenneth Gorelick, or as he is more commonly known by his stage name, Kenny G, is a smooth-jazz saxophonist. He expanded the jazz market exponentially and he has sold 48 million records. A sales number of that caliber has landed him a spot as the 25th highest selling recording artist in America.
Obviously, Kenny has shown that no disability can't stop him, especially one that directly affect his ability to play saxophone.
His Asthma also contributed to the name of one of his albums; 'Breathless'.
Ray Charles - Blindness
Ray Charles is one of the most famous songwriters of all-time. He's played a major part in the progression of the blues and was one of the pioneers of soul music. Many musicians and critics credit him as being one of the first musicians to blend several different genres in an extremely successful manner. Ray was talented on many instruments despite his blindness, which occurred at the age of seven because of glaucoma.
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) - Partial Finger Amputation
As a 17-year-old, Iommi was involved in an accident in a sheet metal factory where he lost the tips of his middle and ring finger on his right hand.
Iommi planned on giving up music until he discovered Django Reinhardt, a successful jazz guitarist with a similar injury. Tony then strung his guitar with banjo strings and covered his damaged fingers in plastic a plastic cap he had made by melting plastic bottles.
He then formed Black Sabbath, sold over 20 million albums and the rest is history.
Jeff Healey (Jeff Healey Band) - Blindness
A fellow 'Torontonian', Jeff Healey lost his sight when he was one year old. That didn't stop him from learning guitar and creating his own distinctive way of playing the instrument.
Healey formed his first band when he was 17 and was also a radio show host for a time, where he was known for playing from his extensive collection of records.
Eventually Healey formed the Jeff Healey band and released four albums with them, which all gained critical praise and were noticed by the Grammys and especially the Junos.
At boom, we play these and other famous musicians who have overcome great obstacles! Listen in to hear them at their best!