Someone You Should Know: Visually Impaired Street Singer
CHICAGO (CBS) – He has a disability, so finding a job wasn't so easy. But then he found a way to support his family that is bringing him joy every day.
CBS 2's Harry Porterfield says Juan Carlos Hernandez is someone you should know.
The West Washington Street subway station may not be the best stage for displaying your music ability, but Hernandez, a guitarist for 16 years, needed work.
"I started to look for jobs in the job market," he says. "I went to apply for different places, and I submitted my resume, but the calls never came."
People came to hear him after he set up his amplifier on the station platform and began playing and singing.
"I think he's fantastic, extremely melodic. He's an excellent singer," commuter Reddick Mickle says.
Visually impaired since birth, Hernandez's main motivation for being here is his daughter.
"I have a little baby, and I'm trying to raise some money so hopefully I'm able to send my little girl to college, which is my number one goal," Hernandez says.
He'd like to see her study medicine some day and become a doctor.
"I want my girl to be able to help people who are in need of some cure," he says.
Four days a week, you will find him playing at one of four locations at a CTA subway station, usually for four hours at a time.
"I'm the luckiest man on earth because I get a chance to do what I love to do, and that's play music," Hernandez says. "There are no words that I can explain because playing down here in the subway has brought a lot of positive things in my life."
