Joey Stuckey: "You Know My Name"
.Official Ambassador of Music for Macon, Georgia Gibson Guitars Endorser Joey Stuckey is a blind musician with an insightful vision. Born in Green Cove Springs, Florida, Joey Stuckey is an award-winning blind guitarist, songwriter, singer, composer, producer, radio & TV personality, music columnist, educator, inspirational speaker, and sound engineer. Joey’s guitar style is reminiscent of rocker Jeff Beck and jazzman Wes Montgomery while his vocal influences range from Mel Torme to Gregg Allman—these influences have inspired an original sound that Stuckey calls “jazz infused rock with southern attitude”. Stuckey lost his sight and sense of smell as an infant as the result of a brain tumor. Despite these limitations, he remained in mainstream education. Scholastically outstanding, Joey Stuckey graduated from high school at the age of 14. At the age of 17 he began his musical career by taking classical guitar lessons from noted music professor Terry Cantwell. Joey continued his musical education by studying with renowned jazz guitarists Stanley Jordan and Steve Crowell. Stuckey is the owner and sound engineer of a recording facility Shadow Sound Studio (www.shadowsoundstudio.com) which boasts vintage analog gear and state-of-the-art digital technology. Joey Stuckey and his band have shared the stage with legendary artists like Ted Nugent, Bad Company, Trisha Yearwood, James Brown, Clarence Carter, Wet Willie, the B-52’s, Kevn Kinney from Drivin’ N Cryin, and Smashmouth.
On the occasion of the release of his new single “You Know My Name” we had the pleasure of checking in with Joey Stuckey and he was kind enough to respond to a few interview questions:
Thank you for doing our interview! Tell our readers more about how you got started and where you are located! ---JS: Like all great stories, it begins with ``It was a dark and stormy night” LOL. Okay it doesn’t, but my story begins with me being diagnosed with a brain tumor I wasn’t supposed to survive. For the first 13 years of my life I just fought for survival. Music, while always a great source of solace and entertainment, wasn’t something I ever thought about as a career, until one day I discovered the world of sound and old time radio shows. I thought, “I can do that, tell stories with music, sound effects and dialog”. I thought who better than a blind guy to make a realistic sound. From that love of sound recording came my first job as the sound tech at a planetarium at the ripe old age of 15 and then I got a chance, because people found out I had some primitive sound gear set up in my parents’ attic, to start recording local bands. One of those bands came in with some original music, and the proverbial light bulb went off over my head! I said to myself, “I can do this, music is the most powerful force in the universe and it has no boundaries and it is how I will tell my story of struggle and triumph!” I moved out of that attic by the time I was 19 and have been making a living as a touring musician, recording artist, session musician, producer, sound engineer, educator, music journalist and more ever since! I live in the southern rock capital of the world Macon, Georgia, where I serve as the official music ambassador!
Do you believe in Goal Setting or taking it day by day? ---JS: Well that is a great question. I do believe you must set small goals that lead to bigger obtainable goals, while at the same time realizing that you must be flexible. I like to tell my students an old military adage “no plan survives contact with the enemy!” This means you have to be able to adjust your plan and strategies for your goals as you progress.
What is your strategy for success? ---JS: It depends upon what I am trying to do, however, I believe a successful life depends on my 4 pillars of success. For me those pillars are: Intention, Dedication, Education and Grace. For more on that, I invite you to come to one of my inspirational talks and if you want to book me, I will do it via ZOOM in the COVID age LOL!
Greatest achievement so far? ---JS: That is a hard one! I have done several things I am proud of, but there is more I haven’t achieved yet, to quote Lin Manuel Miranda ”Just you wait”! But I am excited by the wonderful tour my band had in 2019 and the culmination of that tour in January of 2020 with our packed house at the world famous Whisky A Go Go and our showcase later on that month during GRAMMY week. I am also proud of my recording studio, Shadow Sound Studio www.shadowsoundstudio.com, that is constantly getting better and of all the amazing people I am blessed to call friends!
Have a listen and connect with Joey Stuckey on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/joeystuckey/
