Disability Pride is celebrated in July as a result of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. This month, we highlight works by musical artists with disabilities.
A child prodigy on guitar, Jason Becker was one half of the legendary rock guitar duo Cacophony (with friend Marty Friedman). He also wrote and recorded on the David Lee Roth album “A Little Ain’t Enough.” In 1989 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. He continues to compose via a computer program that reads movements of his head and eyes and 29 years after his ALS diagnosis he released “Triumphant Hearts,” an album of all-new, original material (except for a cover of Bob Dylan’s "Blowin' in the wind") featuring guest appearances by Jake Shimabukuro, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa, Marty Friedman, and others.
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
German composer Ludwig Van Beethoven is considered one of the greatest composers of Western classical music. Although he experienced increasing hearing loss throughout his life, some of his best known compositions are his later works. The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, was composed in 1809 under salary in Vienna. It has been performed many times by classical pianists (Franz Liszt frequently performed the concerto throughout his life) and this album contains an elegant, well-recorded example of this piece.
The Fantasy for piano, vocal soloists, mixed chorus, and orchestra, Op. 80, usually called the Choral Fantasy, was composed in 1808 by a then 38-year-old Beethoven. The work contains variations on a theme that is widely felt to be an early version of his Ninth Symphony’s "Ode to Joy.”
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
This 2014 collection from best-selling vocalist, Andrea Bocelli (who was born with congenital glaucoma) showcases his vibrant personal journey through the world of opera. Featuring the most popular tenor arias from well-known operas such as La Boheme, Tosca, La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, and Romeo & Juliet, plus the much celebrated Nessun Dorma, from Puccini's Turandot is included; a signature piece for Bocelli as it was for his mentor Luciano Pavarotti. The album draws on arias which inspired Bocelli throughout his career and includes Bocelli's personal favorites from the masterpieces of Puccini and Verdi, as well as the very best of French opera, featuring arias by Massenet, Gounod & Bizet.
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
Ray Charles is one of the most emotional and easily identifiable singers of the 20th century. Charles became blind at the age of six from glaucoma. On "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Volumes 1 & 2" Charles reinvents the country songbook, playing these songs as he'd play any other, grounding them in jazz and soul, then dressing them in arrangements designed to appeal to a crossover audience. Charles explained that he saw little difference between a country tune and a blues song as they draw from the same emotions and musical traditions.
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
“Hysteria” is the fourth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 3 August 1987. The album's goal, set out by producer "Mutt" Lange, was to be a hard rock version of Michael Jackson's “Thriller,” in that every track was a potential hit single. Featuring vocalist Joe Elliott, guitarists Steve Clark and Phil Collen, bassist Rick Savage, and drummer Rick Allen (who uses a partially modified drum kit as the result of a left arm amputation following a car crash in 1984). “Hysteria” was an instant commercial success, reaching number one on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. It spawned seven hit singles and remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Marie Ulven Ringheim is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer, known for her indie pop project girl in red. The subject matters of Ulven's music range from romance and heartbreak to mental illness and the experience of being queer. Ulven revealed in 2021 that she has been diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. "I'm Doing It Again Baby!" is her major label debut.
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
Kesha Rose Sebert is an American singer and songwriter. In 2022, Kesha revealed that she was diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency. "Gag Order" is her fifth studio album, which focuses on overcoming trauma and depression following a lawsuit with her former producer, Dr. Luke.
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
Soundtrack to the film directed by Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire) and starring Antonio Banderas, "Altamira" is the story of the life and events of the man who realized one of the most important discoveries of the 19th century, the Altamira's caves. Written and performed by Mark Knopfler and Evelyn Glennie, Glennie is a Scottish percussionist who has been deaf since childhood. She regularly plays barefoot during live performances and studio recordings to feel the music.
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
In the latter twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Itzhak Perlman has been acclaimed as being among the leading violinists before the public, and, without doubt, has been the most visible of them in media venues, from recordings and radio broadcasts to television and film appearances. Perlman was born in Tel Aviv on August 31, 1945 and at the age of four he contracted polio, which caused permanent paralysis of his legs. He plays the violin while seated. On “Schumann, Bach, Brahms,” he is joined by pianist Martha Argerich, which is a fine release and a must-hear for fans of either artist.
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
A remarkable phenomenon in the history of the blues was the vast contribution made by blind musicians, whose legacy left a lasting impact on American music to this day. From “The Father of the Texas Blues,” Blind Lemon Jefferson to slide guitar evangelist, Blind Willie Johnson, this album from the Rough Guide series highlights blues pioneers who were responsible for a musical revolution.
Phenomenal flatpicking folk guitarist, multi instrumentalist and singer Doc Watson contracted an illness that restricted the blood flow to his eyes, resulting in blindness at an early age. The two-disc “Definitive Doc Watson” features music originally released from 1962-2005, bringing together highlights from his recordings for Vanguard and Sugar Hill Records.
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
"Denver's biggest smallest band - Combining humor, playfulness, middle fingers, and an undeniable love for the groove, Wheelchair Sports Camp is certainly not your average hip-hop act. Fronted by Kalyn Rose Heffernan - a wheelchair using, profanely queer and tiny rapper, with a very distinctly high pitched sense of humor. The noisey experiment was birthed by the DIY, combining beats with shredding face live."
Retrieved from https://wheelchairsportscamp.co/about
Iconic country music star Hank Williams was born with spina bifida occulta which affected him throughout his life. The album, “40 Greatest Hits” covers most of Williams’ basic repertoire. Practically every memorable hit is here and every cut appears in its original form. The track sequence subtly reflects the arc of Williams' short but vitally important career.
Also available streaming on Freegal Music+
Pop and R&B singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder was born with retinopathy of prematurity, a condition which caused him to become blind virtually from birth. Originally released on August 3, 1973, “Innervisions” is his sixteenth studio album. It is widely considered by fans, critics, and colleagues to be one of Wonder's finest works and one of the greatest albums of all time.
Music also available streaming on Music Online Database