In Part 1, we mentioned the one-armed fighter Rick Allen, and the two sightless legends, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. In Part 2, we’ll be mentioning three more incredible and inspirational musicians who overcame their disabilities and fought their way to success:
Ludwig van Beethoven
You can’t have a list of inspirational musicians with disabilities without Beethoven being mentioned. At the age of about 20, Beethoven developed tinnitus, which understandably made it difficult for him to appreciate music, conversation, and anything that involved sound. Eventually, he lost his hearing completely, and while the exact cause of his deafness is unknown, it has been attributed to several trigger possibilities ranging from illnesses and bad habits to an accident and lead poisoning.
Despite his deafness, Beethoven carried on composing music, and many of his most famous pieces were composed after he lost his hearing entirely, and till today he is considered to be one of the greatest composers who ever lived.
Tony Iommi
The lead guitarist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath had an unfortunate accident at a sheet metal factory at the age of 17, where he lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers on his right hand. Iommi considered quitting music, but he soon came up with a clever solution – making special caps for his damaged fingers, which he did by melting plastic bottle tops and covering them with leather. To take off some pressure from his fingers, he used lighter gauge strings on his guitar and detuned them a few steps.
The unique sound that resulted from this helped Black Sabbath form a significant part in the definition of the heavy metal era back in the 70s.
Bono
Lead vocalist of the beloved rock band U2 is hardly ever seen without his sunglasses, which he actually wears because he suffers from glaucoma and his eyes are very sensitive to light. In addition to this, Bono was also involved in a cycling accident where he broke his arm in six places and fractured his eye socket, his shoulder blade, and his elbow, and a finger, leaving him in need of surgery and unable to play the guitar for a long period of time.
These inspirational musicians show us that no matter what life might throw at us, if we’re really passionate about something, we should keep fighting for it. So if you’re passionate about music and want to become a singer or learn to play the instrument of your dreams, get in touch with the School of Popular Music in Guernsey today for more information about the music lessons we offer.
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