Musicians with a disability....

[sg327]

...that have went on to have successful careers. There's a few I can think of off the top of my head.

I'll start it off with one of my favorites.

Jeff Healey, blind since he was 8 months old and just recently passed away on March 2, 2008.

"Stuck In The Middle With You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtailKBfvyY

(I know this one's a cover of an old Steeler's Wheel song but I like the version and wanted to post it).

[supernova1324]

Off the top of my head I think about Stevie Wonder and the drummer for Def Leppard.

[Onslaught_fei]

Django Reinhardt had 2 paralyzed fingers and was only able to utilize 2 fingers for his guitar solos, much to the coincidence of Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, who also had severely damaged 2 fingers.

[MronoC]

An absurd amount of early blues guitarists:
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Willie Johnson
Blind Willie McTell
Blind Blake
Blind Joe Reynolds
Blind James Campbell
Blind Roosevelt Graves
Blind Boy Fuller

[Zeleii]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj6-gohzsaE


That guy

[afterstasis]

the first ones i think of are daniel johnston, wesley willis, and roky erickson.

[Onslaught_fei]

Mike Patton's right hand is permanently numb.

[rustinator5]

Are we talking physical disabilities or mental disabalities?

If mental, then I'm pretty sure Buckethead is autistic.

[Zidane]

Mick Mars has a pretty bad disability...

From Wikipedia: For most of his professional career, Mars has struggled with ankylosing spondylitis. It was initially diagnosed when he was 19 years old, and has increasingly impaired his movement and has caused him a great deal of pain. This led to hip-replacement surgery at the end of 2004.

Over the years, the illness has caused his lower spine to seize up and freeze completely solid, "...causing scoliosis in my back and squashing me further down and forward until I was a full three inches shorter than I was in high school."

I watched a doc on Motley Crue and Mick said that he constantly tried to hide it from his band mates. He'd be in tremendous pain, but he'd continue to party just so no one knew what was up.

[sg327]

Are we talking physical disabilities or mental disabalities?

If mental, then I'm pretty sure Buckethead is autistic.

I was thinking more along the lines of a physical disability but that one'll work. No worries :).

[theholytaco]

An absurd amount of early blues guitarists:
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Willie Johnson
Blind Willie McTell
Blind Blake
Blind Joe Reynolds
Blind James Campbell
Blind Roosevelt Graves
Blind Boy FullerI was about to make the same list. I think more of the big blues players from the 30's were blind than not.

[AxlVanHagar]

Jason Becker

[ArmsAreLoud]

The Great Kat.

...I kid, I kid. Rick Allen's pretty amazing for playing drums with one arm.

[tridentgum0]

Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and does Beethoven count?

[bobsyeruncle]

Moulty from the barbarians.