Quadriplegic cancer survivor feels lucky singing the blues

Ryan "Gooch" Nelson is a lucky man.

At 30, the bluesy slide guitarist and his band Gooch and the Motion just signed with famed Philadelphia producer Joe Nicolo's new label, Blackbird, for a debut album (Comin' Home) that will have its release party at World Cafe Live on Thursday.

Sure, Nelson is fortunate to have a singing style and guitar sound that's deeply reminiscent of his inspirations (Tom Waits, Duane Allman), as well as romantic and unique.

But he's also a quadriplegic cancer survivor, so the act of, say, watching March Madness basketball with the windows open in his home in Woodstown, N.J., makes him feel just as lucky.

"I'm stoked to be doing anything," Nelson said.

In high school, Nelson called himself a "jam-band acoustic music-head playing Dave Matthews songs." When he wasn't monkeying with a guitar or drums, he was making friends.

"I was absolutely extroverted and absolutely friendly with everyone: jocks, nerds, art kids, music guys, the girls," he said. "I was planning my future - culinary school in Florida."

An accident on New Year's Day 2004 left him with no feeling in his legs and limited use of his hands. He was in his car on a sunny, crisp day - and he fell asleep at the wheel. "I was driving down a straight, straight road. Must have swerved. Hit a telephone pole."

The next thing Nelson knew, he was in Cooper University Hospital with a tube down his throat. He was there for a month, followed by two weeks in Jefferson University Hospital's ICU, and then six months of rehab at Magee.

"It was a time warp: One minute, I'm partying, getting ready to visit my girlfriend," Nelson said. "Next thing, I have a new life where I can't walk, and a new trajectory whether I wanted one or not."

He was despondent for two years as he got used to life in a wheelchair and hands that didn't do what he wanted.

"You go through an identity crisis when you're in a wheelchair because you think people are looking at you funny. You don't like the way clothes look on you. You get withdrawn and uncomfortable."

In 2006, he was going through his parents' record collection when he became inspired by the country and blues artists they loved - the Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Muddy Waters albums of his youth. He realized the dark yet hopeful emotion of those songs made sense for his condition.

Slide guitar started to intrigue him.

So John Cinelli, Nelson's neighbor and friend since middle school, built him a pinewood cigar box guitar to practice his new style.

As far as specifications went, Cinelli really had only one: to make sure the guitar could fit on the arms of Nelson's wheelchair so he could play it comfortably. These days, Nelson is able to play a Dobro with a custom blown-glass slide and a hard pick.

"Seeing what Gooch has to face every day - how he overcomes challenges he encounters - inspires and humbles me," Cinelli said.

Nelson formed his first band - 61 North - which lasted eight years. Then came Gooch and the Motion at the end of 2014.

Perhaps it was a result of his skills on the slide guitar (his band opened for Robert Randolph and Lynyrd Skynyrd shows in its first year), or the fact that he was dating again, but his spirit started to feel rehabilitated, too.

"It became a strength, as if I had super powers at my command," he says.

Paul M. Rossi was in Magee last year from April through September, getting treatment for a spinal cord injury suffered when he fell from a ladder during firefighter training.

"I was early into my recovery and unsure of how to cope with the reality of my injuries," Rossi said, "still looking for answers as to how I would take care of my family and what the future would hold."

Then he saw a performance by Nelson, who since his recovery plays numerous shows for Magee staff and patients. Here was someone in a wheelchair and accomplished, "beaming with excitement of the prospect of signing a record deal," Rossi said.

Watching the show, Rossi realized he was keeping the beat with his right hand - his first movement since his own accident.

"It was a new day of hope for my continued recovery. Gooch truly made an impression on me."

What's less obvious is that Nelson has leukemia, diagnosed in 2007. His treatment includes taking a daily dose of Gleevac, an oral chemotherapy drug that makes him nauseated and weak, so he takes antinausea medication and smokes marijuana to combat those side effects. His spinal injury still requires daily rehab, too - stretching, exercising, good nutrition.

All of it enables him to do what he does best: tour his new album, perform, work the Music in Motion Foundation he established that brings music-therapy gigs to organizations that lack a budget for such programs, and give talks up to four times a week.

But mostly, he's just making sure he maintains good health and keeps a positive outlook.

"You never know what life is going to throw at you, so it's a day-by-day learning curve to accept and focus on things you can do and can change."

Gooch and the Motion CD release concert

7 p.m. Thursday at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.

Tickets: $10.

Information: 215-222-1400 or http:// philly.worldcafelive.com