Musicians who have suffered permanent injuries

This thread will feature musicians (including singers) who have suffered permanent physical injuries. This does NOT apply to mental disability, or to diseases such as MS -- musicians suffering from such ailments will not qualify for the thread unless they have been permanently injured as a result of an accident or intentional injury that by its nature cannot be completely recovered from (i.e. a broken leg would not qualify).

This thread is meant to be educational and inspirational -- no mocking of these individuals will be allowed!

I will list three examples to get things rolling:
Jon Mark

In October 1972, Jon Mark was involved in an accident in Hawaii and lost most of his left-hand ring finger.

Jerry Garcia

At the age of four, Jerry Garcia had two-thirds of his right middle finger accidentally cut off. Garcia and his brother were chopping wood, and Jerry steadied a piece of wood with his finger, but his brother miscalculated and the axe severed most of Jerry's middle finger.

Robert Wyatt

In June 1973, Robert Wyatt fell from a fourth-floor window and be became paralyzed from the waist down, rendering him wheelchair-bound ever since.

 

Tony Iommi

While working in a factory as a teenager, Iommi lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand in an accident; an event which crucially affected his playing style.

 

Does damage to one's hearing count? That might be a bit too common to include.

 

Django Reinhardt had to re-learn his guitar technique after being in a fire resulted in first- and second-degree burns over half his body. Two of his fingers on his left hand were permanently paralysed.

 

Rick Allen - drummer for Def Leppard. Lost his left arm in a car accident mid career and carried on as a one armed drummer.

 

You're right, DM, I think that might be too common, and it's not the sort of injury I had in mind. Let's rule that one out, OK?

 

Chet Baker.

During his junkie days, he ended up getting beat up very badly. So bad, he lost all his front teeth. It is said it took him 8 years to relearn to play the trumpet.

 

Greg Douglass

In 1978 Greg Douglass severely injured his right hand when he put it through a plate-glass window in anger. Successful surgery (paid for by Steve Miller, his former employer) and an improvised pick allowed Douglass to play again. He’d break off the end of a thumbpick and Krazy Glue a flatpick onto the thumb loop. Though he doesn’t have complete feeling to this day, as he says, “The human mind adapts beautifully to difficult situations.”

 

His drumming improved, too.

I say that sincerely and respectfully

 

Dave Mustaine suffered radial nerve damage to his left arm in 2002.

 

Didn't/doesn't Phil Collins suffer from nerve damage (carpal tunnel?) in his hands that basically make it impossible for him to play drums anymore?

 

Rod De'Ath

In the mid-1980s, Rod De'Ath suffered a serious accident while running to catch a train, which led to the loss of one eye and some brain damage.

 

Well, my understanding is loss of hearing had a huge impact on Mark Hollis' change of direction for Talk Talk, from synth pop to dissonant post rock.

 

Les Paul. He shattered his elbow in a car accident in 1948. Doctors were unable to repair the broken bones, so the only option (besides amputation) was to permanently set the joint at a 90-degree angle -- which allowed Paul to play the guitar.

 

Keith Emerson had very strong arthritis in his hands

some have speculated he took his life because of the intensity of this

 

Tom Petty blasted his fist into a cinder block wall, causing severe damage.

 

Depending on who you believe, Gene Vincent was either riding his motorcycle drunk, or was hit by a drunk driver, or suffered his injury in Korea, but his left leg was severely damaged and nearly had to be amputated. He began walking before the leg healed and the result was he had to wear a metal brace and was in pain and limping the rest of his life. Five years later he was in England riding a taxi with Eddie Cochran and Eddie's girlfriend songwriter Sharon Sheeley. The taxi crashed killing Cochran and causing broken ribs and collarbone to Vincent as well as further injuring his leg.

 

If you read my opening post, you would have seen that this doesn't qualify. Arthritis is a disease, not an injury.

 

Vito Bratta - lead guitar for White Lion. Injured his wrist in 1997, according to Wiki references. He wasn’t able to play electric guitar, but could play some classical guitar.
I’ve heard stories of him cramping up his hands, taking time off to take care of his dad, or just lack of interest in White Lion. I see he showed up at some L’Amour reunion shows (another hard rock band? Or venue?)
The guy was one of the better guitar players in the ‘80’s. Knew a lot of techniques that Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads and other players would use. His solos/songs were more on the melody side.
It’s too bad that he’s just not really in public much anymore.

 

Vic Chesnutt

 

John Kerrison

A devastating industrial accident robbed him of the use of his legs and therefore his ability to play the drums as he wanted to. Although he never regained the use of his legs, after many years, he finally returned to playing drums.

 

Curtis Mayfield

 

Curtis Mayfield and Jackie Wilson spring to mind

 

James Labrie

He broke his lung eating some food in South America in 1994, so his singing became even more insufferable after that.

 

Mike Patton. From Wikipedia:

"Patton's right hand is permanently numb from an on-stage incident during his third concert with Faith No More, where he accidentally cut himself on a broken bottle and severed tendons and nerves in his hand. He has use of the hand, but no feeling in it (despite his doctor telling him the opposite would happen)."