MAN BORN BLIND PURSUING CAREER IN COUNTRY MUSIC AFTER TEACHING HIMSELF TO PLAY SIX INSTRUMENTS BUY EAR

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Man, Born Blind, Is Pursuing a Career in Country Music After Teaching Himself How to Play 6 Instruments by Ear

By Toria Sheffield  Published on August 23, 2026 09:30PM EDT

 

A blind musician who taught himself to play six instruments entirely by ear says music has given him the confidence to keep pushing beyond his own doubts.

 

Angel Paez, of Charlotte, N.C., first became fascinated by music as a young child while attending church, according to Aging Untold.

 

“I remember listening to all those different instruments and being so curious as to what they looked like, what they felt like, and I wanted to know how to play,” Paez, who was born blind, told the outlet.

 

“It made me feel like I could never get enough of it,” he recalled. “Like something so cool and so different and new that made me want more out of that.”

 

Paez eventually began figuring out how to play instruments on his own, starting with piano before moving on to accordion and violin. Over time, he taught himself six instruments without formal instruction, relying on what he heard.

 

His family soon realized he had extraordinary abilities.

 

“They entered me into my first radio contest,” Paez said. “It was a Spanish radio station here in town, and that was kind of my first real motivation to play and get good enough to be on stage.”

 

Paez ultimately won the competition, and later had the opportunity to perform at the White House.

 

“That, more than anything, gave me the spark, if there ever was one, to pursue the music,” he said.

 

His work has since earned additional recognition. Paez has twice been nominated by the Carolina Country Music Awards for both Musician of the Year and Best Fiddler of the Year.

 

For Paez, however, his long-term goal is not necessarily fame.

 

“My dream is to just be able to make a living out of it,” he told the outlet. “I know I’m not going to get rich, but I just want to have enough to take my family out to dinner every now and then and then have enough to be able to call my connections and say, ‘Hey, let’s go do this project.’ ”

 

Paez said he continues to challenge himself, even when self-doubt creeps in.

 

“I’m pretty shy by nature, and I think that’s what holds me back sometimes,” Paez explained.

 

“A lot of times when I encounter that success, whether that be music or just life in general, it feels good,” he added. “It feels like I can literally go out and do anything.”