I had the pleasure of meeting Huey Lewis, who just turned 76 on July 5th,this past October at Chiller Theater Expo in Parsippany, NJ. I wanted to set up an interview with him for my show- Music 101 With Alexxis Steele, but his handler said that would not be possible, due to his hearing loss. He was signing photos of himself which were for sale, and doing photo opps with fans.
Today, I ran across an article where Huey said that “Music Is Not Part Of My Life Anymore” After Going Deaf. That is really a sad statement coming from someone who has spent the better part of his life as a singer and creating music!
Unfortunately for Huey, he suffered with vertigo and tinnitus from Meniere’s disease for the last 35 years that progressively stole his hearing to the point of being basically deaf for the last nine years. He has cochlear implants that distort the music into unrecognizable sounds, but it helps him understand speech and conversations.
My question to the musicians out there,(including myself) is: Are you doing anything to protect your hearing? And should you? My answer is an astounding Yes! Years of being on stage or at rehearsal with Marshall stacks and amplifiers blaring at high decibels, at concerts or just out seeing a band should warrant some type of ear protection like ear plugs to protect your hearing so you can continue playing and performing the music you love!
Huey’s situation was compounded by years of loud music plus an inner ear disease,so unfortunately for him, there was no recourse when he could no longer hear. That makes me sad for a man that made great music we have enjoyed, with songs like:”The Power Of Love”, “The Heart Of Rock & Roll”, and “Do You Believe In Love”, to name a few. I would like to say”-Thank you Huey” for all the years of great music you brought to your fans!
