History Main / BlindMusician

* An entire band in ''Film/Hop.''

* An entire band in ''Hop.''

Music is a common career of choice for people without sight, both in real life and in the realms of fiction. In many cases, the musician's lack of vision will actually enhance his musical abilities. This is because the loss of sight can sharpen other senses such as hearing, perhaps qualifying this as a real-life DisabilitySuperpower.

* Terri Gibbs

* The Blind Boys of Alabama

* Louis Braille, the inventor of the raised-dots alphabet for the blind, was a church organist.

* There was an obscure blues singer who went by the name Blind Ben Covington, but acquired the nickname Bogus Ben Covington when word got out that he [[ObfuscatingDisability wasn't actually blind]]. He is therefore an aversion of the trope.

[[quoteright:270:[[Music/RayCharles https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ray_Charles_7407.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:270:Music/RayCharles: one of the founding fathers of soul, and blind since the age of seven.]]

* Music/JeanAlain, French composer & organist.

* Music/SirJohnStanley, composer & organist. He was once scheduled to be the keyboardist for a concert that Handel--himself blind by that time--was supposed to conduct. Handel, when told of it, [[DeadpanSnarker said]], "[[AsTheGoodBookSays Don't you know your]] [[Literature/TheBible Scripture]]? If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the pit."

* Music/LouisVierne, French composer & organist.
* Music/AndreMarchal, French composer & organist.
* Music/JeanLanglais, French composer & organist.
* Music/GastonLitaize, French composer & organist.
* Music/FrancescoLandini, Medieval-era Italian French composer & organist. The "Landini cadence," a common ending chord progression of the period, was named for him.
* Music/AntonioDeCabezon, Baroque-period Spanish composer & organist.

* Music/FrancescoLandini, Medieval-era Italian French composer & organist. The "Landini cadence" a common ending chord progression of the period, was named for him.

* ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'': Much like Music/JeffHealey, whom he is [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed based on]], Prince Healing Song was blinded during infancy when he was struck with retinoblastoma, a rare type of cancer that affected his eyes, [[EyeScream necessitating their surgical removal by doctors and subsequent replacement with prosthetic eyes]]. However, he showed signs of musical talents [[ChildProdigy when he was three years old]], and he eventually became known for playing both single-necked and double-necked guitars like a piano by sitting and playing it flat on his lap, resulting in a richer and more fluid sound. And while not an academic genius like some of his friends such as Princess-Regent Merula, Princess Twilight/Amicitia Sparkle, and Prince Crimson Star, Healing Song is very intelligent music-wise and has a great auditory memory even tens of thousands of years later, being capable of writing his own songs in Braille and playing many Second-Age songs completely by memory.

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* Orbit Smurf in ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' has light-sensitive eyes that require him to wear a wraparound visor at all times, but is very good at composing and playing music.

** The subsequent ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' has Immortan Joe's masked guitarist the Doof Warrior, who towards the end of the film loses the mask and is revealed to have been [[EyelessFace born without eyes]].

* Music/FrancescoLandini, Medieval-era Italian French composer & organist. The "Landini cadence" a common chord-ending progression of the period, was named for him.

* Music/GeorgeFredericHandel lost his vision later in life, but [[DeafComposer kept on composing and performing]]. The aria "Total Eclipse" from his oratorio ''Samson'', in which the title character describes his SenseLossSadness after being blinded, was said to move the composer and audience to tears. He and Music/JohannSebastianBach went blind after botched eye surgery by UsefulNotes/ChevalierJohnTaylor, a notorious quack surgeon.

* Music/JohannSebastianBach went blind towards the end of his life but still continued to compose. Both he and Music/GeorgeFredericHandel did so after botched eye surgery by UsefulNotes/ChevalierJohnTaylor, a notorious quack surgeon.

* Jean Alain, composer & organist.

* Sir John Stanley, composer & organist. He was once scheduled to be the keyboardist for a concert that Handel--himself blind by that time--was supposed to conduct. Handel, when told of it, [[DeadpanSnarker said]], "[[AsTheGoodBookSays Don't you know your]] [[Literature/TheBible Scripture]]? If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the pit."

* Music/GeorgeFredericHandel lost his vision later in life, but [[DeafComposer kept on composing and performing]]. The aria "Total Eclipse" from his oratorio ''Samson'', in which the title character describes his SenseLossSadness after being blinded, was said to move the composer and audience to tears.

* G. Yunupingu (1971-2017) was a blind Aboriginal singer-songwriter. Additionally, he was extremely shy and spoke little English. He nonetheless achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in Australia and performed at Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee concert among huge stars such as Music/PaulMcCartney and fellow BlindMusician Music/StevieWonder.

* {{Creator/Homer}}, the ancient Greek bard to whom ''Literature/TheIliad'' and ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' are traditionally attributed, was often characterised as blind. Whether Homer existed, let alone whether he was blind, is the subject of interminable debate, but he is almost certainly the TropeMaker.

* Blind Mag from ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' Though the fact she's in-universe promoted as "Blind Mag" is a subversion, as she's ''not actually blind anymore'', and hasn't been for seventeen years. That's hardly a secret, either. Perhaps [=GeneCo=] itself is playing on this trope?

* Music/RayCharles does some light AdamWesting in ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' as the owner of Ray's Music Exchange. He plays a total [[JerkAss dick]] of a store owner, obviously employing some [[HonestJohnsDealership shady business practices]] and even [[DisproportionateRetribution fires a handgun at a kid he suspects of shoplifting]], but hoo boy can he play the electric piano!
* In ''Film/Suspiria1977'', there's Daniel, the blind pianist.
* In ''Film/SlumdogMillionaire'', Jamal sees people who blind boys who can sing because blind singers earn more money than ones that can see.

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* One episode of ''Series/QuantumLeap'' was about a fictional blind pianist.
* ''Music/TheRutles'' had retired New Orleans bluesman (IIRC) Blind Lemon Pie, who claimed to have invented The Rutles' music, although his wife retorted that he made this and similar claims only for the benefit of TV documentary crews.
** Actually Blind Lemon Pye was inspired by The Rutles to quit working on the railroad and become a (starving) musician. The person claiming to have originated The Rutles was Ruttling Orange Peel, who lives next door.
* The two part "The Problem at Gallows Gate" episode of ''Series/JonathanCreek'' had a musician ''pretending'' to be blind in order to enhance his reputation... not to mention [[DirtyOldMan using it as an excuse to feel up women]] because that's how he "sees" what they look like. He used to be blind however, it's just that he decided only to tell a very small group of people that he'd had corrective eye surgery. Even his own girlfriend didn't seem to be aware of it.
* Jason "Jace" Newfield of the [[Creator/DisneyChannel Disney Channel Original Movie]] ''Going to the Mat.'' Lampshaded when he expresses frustration at his lack of success on the wrestling team, saying he wanted "to be a part of one thing where [his] disability was totally irrelevant," and adds that the fact that he's a musician as well makes him a "walking cliche."
* Rosalind in ''Series/{{The Mentalist}}'' is a blind pianist.
* Jenna Marshall from ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'' is a blind flute player and a composer.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{Gotham}}'', Jim Gordon is investigating a crime scene and asks a busker if he saw anything. The busker taps his dark glasses and says "Not since the war." Jim apologises, takes a few steps, and then throws him a coin ... which he catches.

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* In the play ''[[https://goo.gl/19LbG0 Fidlovacka]]'' by Josef Kajetán Tyl, a blind violinist sings ''Kde domov můj'', a song that later became the Czech anthem.
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* In ''Film/{{Suspiria}}'', there's Daniel, the blind pianist.

* ''Film/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome''. When Max enters Aunty Entity's place, a tattooed blind man dressed in a loincloth is playing the {{Sexophone}}.
* The subsequent ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' has Immortan Joe's masked guitarist the Doof Warrior, who towards the end of the film loses the mask and is revealed to have been [[EyelessFace born without eyes]].