Hal takes "The Long Way Down" 1.5Mb short QuickTime movie 1.2Mb QuickTime audio-only of full song

Web posted on: Wednesday, June 24, 1998 4:41:51 PM

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Country musician Hal Ketchum is kicking off a summer tour at L.A.'s House of Blues to promote a new album called "I Saw the Light." It's a comeback of sorts for Ketchum, who says he went through some dark days following the release of his last record in 1991.

"I went through some tough times," Ketchum told CNN Showbiz Today on Tuesday. "We all do. I went through some pretty dark times, and so 'I Saw the Light' seems to be an appropriate title for this record."

His life seemed to be turning in a positive direction this February when he got married on Valentine's Day. Instead, he faced another setback. On April 9, his 45th birthday, he lost use of his left arm. Doctors diagnosed the condition as myelitis, a condition in the spinal column that causes paralysis.

Since then he has regained use of his arm, as he demonstrated when he played "Long Way Down," a track from his new album, for his House of Blues audience.