Armless guitarist aims to inspire

Imagine living a life without arms, and you'll probably think of all you couldn't do by yourself, such as bathe, dress and eat.

But it turns out there are plenty of things a person without arms can do -- like write a letter, drive a minivan, and play the guitar.

All it takes is nimble toes, says Tony Melendez.

He and his Toe Jam Band, out of Branson, Mo., performed in the Rowley Activity Center of St. Thomas of Villanova Parish in Palatine last weekend. The shows were sponsored by Arlington Heights' Mision San Juan Diego Parish.

Melendez spoke and sang in English during the first show, where about 100 people occupied only the front rows. The next day, an estimated 750 people packed the center for a Spanish-language show.

Melendez, 45, jammed on the guitar, holding the chords with his left foot and strumming with his right foot, a guitar pick between his toes.

With a clear, almost bluesy voice, he gave a lively performance, singing Christian melodies and encouraging the crowd to join in.

"You can help me sing. Let's make it fun!" he said.

Melendez was born without arms as a result of his mother taking thalidomide during pregnancy to combat nausea. An estimated 10,000 children worldwide were born with deformities between 1956 and 1962, when the U.S. and later other countries began to regulate pregnancy drugs.

The Melendez family, moved from Nicaragua to Los Angeles when Tony was a baby to seek better care for him. His older brother Jose said it was always hard to see other kids tease or taunt Tony, who nevertheless took everything calmly.

"He was the one who put us at ease, he told us not to worry," he said.

Melendez, who described himself as someone who needs to "keep moving all the time," taught himself to play his father's guitar as a teenager. He became known in the U.S. and Latin American Christian music circuits after a 1987 world-televised concert in Los Angeles during the visit of Pope John Paul II.

Now Melendez and his band spend up to three weeks a month on the road and in December will perform in Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and the island of Curacao, in the Netherlands Antilles.

Rita and Cesar Avalos of Lake Zurich took their daughter Valeria, 7, to see Melendez perform in Palatine at the suggestion of Valeria's guitar teacher.

"We really liked it," Rita Avalos said. "The truth is that he made us emotional with his positive attitude, telling us never to say, 'I can't.' "

Now married and with two kids, Melendez said his mission in life is to inspire others to have hope "for whatever they need hope for."

"Maybe if I had arms, I would have just been one of many guitar players," he said. "But I make a spiritual contribution. I give hope. Look at me and look at you -- you can do so much."