Tony DeBlois
Birth nameAnthony Thomas DeBlois
Born (1974-01-22) January 22, 1974
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Piano

Anthony Thomas "Tony" DeBlois is a blind American autistic savant and musician.

Early life

Tony DeBlois was born on January 22, 1974. Weighing less than two pounds, he was premature and had to be supplied with large amounts of oxygen. Large amounts of oxygen cause blindness, and the physicians during this time were unaware of this. Consequently, Tony became blind at just a few days old. He began to play piano at the age of two. At first, DeBlois studied in the Texas School for the Blind in Austin, Texas, then the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts, but in 1989 was awarded a summer scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, he was admitted as a full-time student and graduated magna cum laude in 1996.[1] [2]

Career

DeBlois specializes in jazz but can play just about any other type of music as well. A savant, he plays 20 musical instruments and has held concerts worldwide but also has his own band, Goodnuf. He can play about 8,000 pieces from memory.[3]

A TV movie was made on Tony DeBlois' life, entitled Journey of the Heart (1997) starring Cybill Shepherd as Janice DeBlois, Jeremy Lelliott / Chris Demetral (as young Tony), Blake Heron as Tony's younger brother Ray, and with an appearance of Tony DeBlois himself playing piano at the end of the movie. It was produced by Ronnie D. Clemmer and Richard P. Kughn.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Treffert, Darold. "Tony DeBlois - A Prodigious Musical Savant". Wisconsin Medical Society. Archived from the original on 2010-06-26. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  2. ↑ Purday, Keven (review) (May 22, 2007). "Some Kind of Genius: The Extraordinary Journey of Musical Savant Tony DeBlois (2005) by Janice DeBlois and Antonia Felix". Metapsychology Online Reviews, Volume: 11, Number: 21. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  3. ↑ "10 Fascinating People With Savant Syndrome". Listverse. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Journey of the Heart (TV Movie 1997)". IMDb. 2 March 1997. Retrieved 16 September 2015.

El Paso Times, Sept. 20, 1980


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