Huey Lewis revealed that he’s got a little bit of hearing loss going on. It’s the result of a condition called Meniere’s disease. It’s also the reason why he has a ton of trouble singing recently, and why he had to cancel the remaining 40 dates of his tour this year.
This doesn’t seem to be a result of the music being too loud over his career. Many artists and musicians do suffer hearing loss from hundreds of concerts over the years. In Huey Lewis’s case though, his hearing loss is caused by Meniere’s disease. It’s a disease that causes gradual hearing loss. At this moment, Huey still hasn’t “come to grips” with the fact that he may never sing again. “I’m still hoping I’m gonna get better. They say a positive attitude is important,” he says.
What Huey is experiencing is “distortion” of lower frequencies. So basically, he can have a conversation with someone just fine, but he can’t hear music. At least not clearly – he can hear the “noise” of music, but he can’t hear the tone of the music, so it’s difficult for him to sing. You have to be able to hear the music clearly in order to really get your tone of voice when singing.
As I walked to the stage (in Dallas), it sounded like there was a jet engine going on… I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t find pitch. Distorted. Nightmare. It’s cacophony… Even though I can hear you, we can talk, I can talk on the phone — I can’t sing… I can’t hear music. I can do everything but what I love to do the most, which is a drag.
We’re pulling for you, Huey! It sounds like the condition can improve (though there’s no “cure”), but doctors are still learning about the disease. For now though, it doesn’t seem like they were “just too darn loud.” Check here for a lot more info about Huey Lewis.