This country-flavored song is from Crossing Muddy Waters, an album which was recorded in just three days. Related: “The 10 Best Elvis Costello Songs You May Have Never Heard” 9. “Pink Bedroom” has been covered by Roseanne Cash, Lou Ann Barton, and (yes!) guitarist extraordinaire Albert Lee. The song is from Hiatt’s “New Wave” period, a time when his record label was touting him as the next Elvis Costello. This quirky tune is on 1980’s Two Bit Monsters. Truthfully, there are so many gems in his catalog that you could choose any number for this list, but here are ten that made the cut. What’s more, Hiatt is not only a uniquely talented and versatile songwriter, he’s also a fantastic performer who puts on a killer show. Starting with Three Dog Night’s version of “Sure as I’m Sittin’ Here” in 1974, his tunes have been covered by the likes of Marshall Crenshaw, Emmylou Harris, Delbert McClinton, and The Jeff Healey Band. So why isn’t he a bigger name? If you’ve been listening to rock n’ roll, pop, soul or country over the past few decades, you’ve certainly heard his songs.

Technique, melody and feeling all come together in a work that loses none of its sparkle with each listen, delivering its magic with the same intensity.John Hiatt has been writing and recording memorable music since the 1970s.

It's truly exceptional to come across a debut album of such a high standard, both in terms of interpretation and composition.

And if all the tracks are worthy of our attention, we can't fail to mention 'Don't Let Your Chance Go By', with its haunting riff and chorus, and incandescent solo, and the hit ballad 'Angel Eyes', the feeling-filled version of ZZ Top's 'Blue Jean Blues' or the fiery version of Freddie King's 'Hideway', and last but not least, the catchy, Jimi Hendrix-like 'See The Light', with its distorted, molten 6-string.Īs you can see, The Jeff Healey Band has produced a breathtaking opus. What's more, Jeff Healey and his band cover a wide range on these 12 tracks, from traditional, instrumental blues à la John Lee Hooker ('Nice Problem To Have') to more Eric Clapton-like, melodic numbers such as 'I Need To Be Loved' and 'River Of No Return'. Hiatt's 'Confidence Man' gets the album off to a dynamic, driving start, while 'My Little Girl' follows on an equivalent basis. At just 22 years of age, he's perfectly capable of interpreting songs by John Hiatt, Freddie King or ZZ Top, but his own compositions are no match for these classics.

While the covers are performed with talent, personality and enthusiasm, the compositions stand up perfectly to comparison, which is particularly astounding from such a young artist. His special technique gives him a unique vibrato, and every note lives and vibrates at 100%. And yet, a year earlier, the trio had released an album entitled 'See The Light', which reached the heights of blues/rock, and whose title proves the disarmingly smiling young prodigy's sense of humor.Īlternating covers and compositions, the 12 tracks on this opus are as many gems carried by Jeff Healey's warm voice, but also, and above all, by his dazzling guitar playing. This is how Jeff Healey's talent bursts onto the scene. Playing his instrument on his lap, this young prodigy magnifies the film's soundtrack from start to finish, exuding blues and rock from every pore of his skin, supported by a rhythm section as discreet as it is effective. In 1989, many people discovered a blind guitarist playing opposite Patrick Swayze in the film 'Roadhouse'.

Confidence man john hiatt