It's interesting to note how many notable blind musicians there have been over the past century or so. (I suppose deaf singers would be more interesting, but...) these great people turned to music to make their lives more meaningful (and let's not forget instrumentalists, including jazz pianists Art Tatum and George Shearing), but it was their immense talents that made our own lives more meaningful as well.
They came from various country with the musical talent,some where born blind while other could see before being blind but where all inspire with great tunes.
We wouldn't teach you history of great blind musician but today we are going to list out 10 most popular blind musicians.We know there are so many out there even in Africa Like
Andre Maria Talla in Cameroon,
Rod Clemmons,Michael Gerber etc but this are just the best of the Best 10!
10. 👉Ken Medema💃
| Name | Country | State |
|---|
| Ken Medema | America | Nearly Totally Blind |
9. 👉George Shearing💃
Name | Country | State | Instrument |
|---|
| George Shearing | British | Blind | Pianist |
He is a world renown Anglo/American, Jazz composer and musician. He was born in England. He spent four years at a school for the blind in England. Being blind did not exempt him from other health issues. He battled stomach ulcers. George became involved in the Jazz scene in the greater London area. He emigrated to the United States two years after the end of World War II. Within less than ten years he became a naturalized citizen. He has over 300 songs to his credit as a composer. His biggest hits are "Lullaby of Birdland" and "September in the Rain". His unique personal perspective musically helped in the creative process of his music. Being born and raised in the United Kingdom he had been profoundly influenced by the great orchestras of the U.K. and Europe. When he immigrated to the United States he was swept into the New York Jazz world. He had Jazz experience in England, but New York introduced him to a wider and some what different Jazz community. He melded the two worlds of classical orchestra music with Jazz. He was awarded honorary Doctorate degrees from three schools of higher learning, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Hamilton College in New York and DePauw University in Indiana. He performed for three United States Presidents, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. He also performed for Queen Elizabeth II. It was at Buckingham Palace in 1996 that Queen Elizabeth made him "Officer of the Order of the British Empire". Then in 2007 he was Knighted by the Crown and given the official title of "Sir". It is the highest honor given by the Queen. This puts him in with the likes of Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney. He has two Grammy's to his credit and well over 100 albums.
8. 👉Rod Clemmons💃
 |
| Rod Clemmons BLIND |
| Name | Country | State | Instrument |
|---|
| Rod Clemmons | USA | Blind | N/A |
He is a Black singer/songwriter, arranger, producer and founder of Verdict Records. His popular music influences come from the Disco/Funk/R&B music of the late 1970's and early eighties. The Commodores, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and The Stylistics were just some of the artist who moved him. He believes in helping his brothers and sisters in blindness and gives his talents to raising money to fight blindness and he also performs at schools for the blind. He is originally from Pine Bluff, Arkansas and is a graduate of the Arkansas School for the Blind. While there he studied classical piano.
7. 👉Nobuyuki Tsujii💃
| Name | Country | State | Instrument |
|---|
| Nobuyuki Tsujii | Japanese | Blind | Pianist/Composer |
Nobuyuki Tsujii was born blind due to Microphthalmia and with a talent for music.
At the age of two, he began to play "Do Re Mi" on a toy piano after his mother had been humming the tune. He began his formal study of piano at the age of four. In 1995, at the age of seven, Tsujii won the first prize at the All Japan Music of Blind Students by the Tokyo Helen Keller Association. In 1998, at age ten, he debuted with the Century Orchestra, Osaka. He gave his first piano recital in the small hall of Tokyo's Suntory Hall at age 12. Subsequently, he made his overseas debut with performances in the United States, France, and Russia. In October 2005, he reached the semifinal and received the Critics’ Award at the 15th International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition held in Warsaw, Poland.
6. 👉Diane Schuur💃
| Name | Country | State | Instrument |
|---|
| Diane Schuur | USA | Blind | jazz pianist |
Diane Joan Schuur also nicknamed "Deedles", is an American jazz singer and pianist. As of 2015, Schuur had released 23 albums, and had extended her jazz repertoire to include essences of Latin, gospel, pop and country music. Her most successful album is Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra, which remained number one on the Billboard Jazz Charts for 33 weeks. She won Grammy Awards for best female jazz vocal performance in both 1986 and 1987 and has had three other Grammy nominations.
Schuur has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and also at the White House, and has performed with many artists including Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones, and Stevie Wonder which we are going to discuss about. Co-performers on Schuur's albums have included Barry Manilow, José Feliciano, Maynard Ferguson, Stan Getz, Vince Gill, Alison Krause, and B.B. King. Her album with B.B. King was number one on the Billboard Jazz Charts. She has been Johnny Carson's guest on NBC's The Tonight Show eleven times.
Schuur has been blind from birth due to retinopathy of prematurity, but has been gifted with absolute pitch memory and a clear vocal tone. In 1996, she was a guest performer on Sesame Street, where she was interviewed by Elmo and described to him how a blind person can learn to use other senses to adapt in the world. In 2000 she was awarded the Helen Keller Achievement Award by the American Foundation for the Blind and we rank her 6th on this list.
5. 👉Jeff Healey💃
| Name | Country | State | Instrument |
|---|
| Jeff Healey | Canadian | Blind | guitarist |
Norman Jeffrey "Jeff" Healey (March 25, 1966 and died March 2, 2008) was a Canadian jazz and blues-rock vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter who attained musical and personal popularity, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s.he played with his guitar on his lap and hit Number 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Angel Eyes" and reached the Top 10 in Canada with the songs "I Think I Love You Too Much" and "How Long Can a Man Be Strong".
4. 👉Ronnie Milsap💃
| Name | Country | State | Instrument |
|---|
| Ronnie Milsap | American | Blind | singer and pianist |
Born with a visual impairment Ronnie soon lost all vision and like "Doc" Watson he attended the Morehead (North Carolina) State School for the Blind. Ronnie believed excessive disciplinary measures left a lasting impact on him, but the school promoted the development of his musical talents. He learned the basics of music theory by studying classical music. He listened to Country, Gospel and R&B radio. Ronnie attended college briefly before leaving to become a full time professional musician. He worked with some of the biggest names in music, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Elvis Presley. He played piano on Elvis Presley's hit "Kentucky Rain". Despite coming from abject poverty and blindness he has succeeded.
3. 👉Stevie wonder💃
| Name | Country | State | Instrument |
|---|
| Stevie wonder | American | Blind | multi-instrumentalist |
He was born blind in 1950 and would become a world famous singer/songwriter. His family was fractured. His mother had been a prostitute, but not of her own choosing and she and Stevie's father split. In the eyes of many, Stevie's own personal life has been less than exemplary. What is remarkable, he over came poverty, a dysfunctional family and blindness to become one of the world's most popular entertainers. At a very early age he began to master the piano. He would later master the harmonica, drums and bass. He attended the Michigan School for the Blind where he studied classical music. Perhaps, what might have been more important were the impromptu jam sessions in the dorms at the school. Ronnie White of the Miracles discovered Stevie which led to him being signed by Berry Gordy of Motown and Tamla records. Some of his album titles and songs referenced blindness. His albums, "Talking Book", "Innervisions", and the single "Fingertips" all reference his lack of sight. "Innervisions" was an album with some political commentary. Marvin Gaye, Micheal Jackson and Paul McCartney are just a sampling of the giants in the industry who have recorded with Wonder. He has two dozen Gammys, a Golden Globe, plus an Oscar for best song in a film. One of his Grammy's is the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award. While there may be some question about his personal life there is no question about his generosity when it comes to organizations who reach out and touch the underprivileged. He has almost from the beginning donated to organisations helping the poor and the disabled. His compositions and performance style has had a lasting and indelible impact on American music. He has won nearly every award possible. He has also been a Civil Rights and political activist.
2. 👉Art Tatum💃
| Name | Country | State | Instrument |
|---|
| Art Tatum | American | Blind (Light Perception) | jazz pianist |
Art was not totally blind. His vision was little more than light perception. At a very early age he taught himself to play the piano. Both parents were skilled musicians. During his high school years he attended the Ohio School for the Blind. He studied braille and music. He has over four dozen albums to his credit. His piano styling has had a lasting impact on Jazz musicians. The bulk of his recordings took place during the early years of the Electrofied Era. The songs "Tea for Two" and "Tiger Rag" are his two best remembered songs. Great musicians he influenced are Oscar Peterson, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Parker, and Herbbie Hancock He is noted for his impressive speed playing of the piano. He has been inducted into the The Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame He has been called "The Greatest Jazz Pianist of all time". He was honored after his death by being given the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
1. 👉Ray Charles💃
| Name | Country | State | Instrument |
|---|
| Ray Charles | American | Blind | singer-songwriter |
Ray began life with sight but in poverty. At the age of five he watched helplessly as his brother drowned in a large tub. Two years later he was blind due to Glaucoma. He attended the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. It was here he received a formal education in classical music. It was a common practice among students at residential schools for the blind to have impromptu jam sessions usually around a piano in the residence hall. This allowed students to personalize in a jazz forum what they were learning in school. With this base and his growing interest in Jazz and Blues he began to develop his musical style. Much of the South may have been segregated, but the radio dial was not. He listened to Country, Blues, Gospel, Pop and Jazz. While attending the school he did some performances on a local St. Augustine radio station. His father had died when he was ten and his mother when he was fifteen. After school he traveled in several different bands performing in the panhandle area of Florida. He developed a style based on the great Nat King Cole. The 1955 hit "I Got A Woman" departed from his Jazz and Nat King Cole imitations. It was all Ray. in 1960 a man from Florida,Ray Charles, (Yes, Ray was born in Georgia, but grew up in Florida.) recorded a song by a man from Indiana, Hoagy Carmichael, that would become the state song of Georgia, "Georgia On My Mind". Ray had a dark side. Following a performance at Anderson, Indiana in 1961 he was arrested for possession of drugs at an Indianapolis area motel. This was the first of several arrests that culminated in an arrest at the Boston airport in 1964 on possession of Heroine. His drug problem nearly ended his career and his life. He had a dozen children by nine women of which only two had ever been his wife. Neither one of these two failings contributed to his greatness. If anything they were a hindrance, and otherwise scared an illustrious career. Ray never let his blindness stand in his way. He went on to become one of the greatest recording artist of all time.
We hope you enjoyed this article and we will always update this article in case of any evolution in the world of entertainment.
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