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CCM Magazine was a monthly magazine published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. It was first published in July 1978, and it has always been a Christian music magazine. On January 16, 2008, Salem announced that the April 2008 issue would be the final printed issue of the magazine.^[1] On July 8, 2009, Salem announced that CCM Magazine will be re-launched as an online publication, released 4 times a year.^[2]

When the magazine was first published, it was actually called "Contemporary Christian Music" and specifically covered that music genre. The name was later shortened to CCM, which was still an acronym for "Contemporary Christian Music". For a short time, the magazine changed its name to Contemporary Christian Magazine (keeping the CCM but broadening the scope) but then ultimately went back to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Then in May 2007, the name's meaning was changed to "Christ. Community. Music." The editor explained that the term "contemporary Christian music" was dated and marginalizing and that Christ, community, and music are three entirely different things—thus, the periods after each word of the acronym to show that they are not related. The editor's explanation of the name change can be found in the May 2007 issue of the magazine.

In October 2006, CCM launched its own social networking site, MyCCM.

Since its start, CCM has covered a wide range of musical artists that mix spiritual themes with their music. From mainstream artists such as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, T Bone Burnett, Victoria Williams, The Call, Sam Phillips, U2 and Bruce Cockburn to the more mainstream Christian radio artists like Amy Grant, Larry Norman, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Steve Taylor, Phil Keaggy and Randy Stonehill. In the 1980s, CCM also paid enormous attention to some of the more obscure spiritual artists coming out of the Southern California punk rock and new wave scene like the 77s, Daniel Amos, Undercover, Altar Boys, Crumbacher, The Choir, Adam Again, and others. However, as the 1990s rolled around, the magazine seemed to focus more and more on artists that were heavily played on Christian Radio.

References[link]

1. ^ Salem Communications Corporation - Investor Relations - Press Release
2. ^ "CCM Magazine to relaunch". Radio-Info.com. July 8, 2009. http://www.radio-info.com/news/ccm-magazine-to-relaunch. 

External links[link]

• CCM Magazine
• MyCCM Social Networking
• Analysis of the history and folding of CCM magazine
• [Howard, Jay R, Streck M. John. “Apostles of Rock; The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music.” Lexington, University Press of Kentucky. 1991. Print.]

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Amy Grant
Grant performing in October 2008
Background information
Birth name	Amy Lee Grant
Born	(1960-11-25) November 25, 1960 (age 51) Augusta, Georgia, United States
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee
Genres	Contemporary Christian, pop rock, soft rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, author, actress
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano/keyboard
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Myrrh, A&M, Word, Sparrow
Associated acts	Vince Gill, Gary Chapman, Michael W. Smith
Website	amygrant.com

Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop". As of 2009, Grant remains the best-selling contemporary Christian music singer ever, having sold over 30 million units worldwide.

Grant made her debut as a teenager, and gained fame in Christian music during the 1980s with such hits as "Father's Eyes," "El Shaddai", and "Angels". In 1986, she scored her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song in a duet with Peter Cetera The Next Time I Fall. During the 1980s and 1990s, she became one of the first gospel artists to cross over into mainstream pop on the heels of her successful albums Unguarded and Heart in Motion, the latter of which included the No. 1 single "Baby Baby."

Grant has won six Grammy Awards, 25 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and had the first Christian album ever to go Platinum.^[1] Heart in Motion is her highest-selling album, with over five million copies sold in the United States alone. She was honored with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005 for her contributions to the entertainment industry.

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Grant (born in Augusta, Georgia) is the youngest of four sisters. She and her family settled in Nashville, Tennessee in 1967.^[2]

During 1976, Grant wrote her first song ("Mountain Man"), performed in public for the first time—at Harpeth Hall School—the all-girls school she attended, recorded a demo tape for her parents with church youth-leader Brown Bannister, then later when Bannister was dubbing a copy of the tape, Chris Christian, the owner of the recording studio, heard the demo and called Word Records. He played it over the phone, and she was offered a recording contract, five weeks before her 16th birthday. In 1977, she recorded her first album titled Amy Grant, produced by Brown Bannister (who would also produce her next 11 albums). It was released in the Spring of 1978, one month before her high school graduation. That fall she performed her first ticketed concert—in Fort Worth, Texas—after beginning her freshman year at Furman University. In May 1979, while at the album release party for her second album, My Father's Eyes, Grant met Gary Chapman, writer of the title track (and future husband). Grant & Chapman toured together the summer of 1979. In the fall of 1980, she transferred to Vanderbilt University, where she was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta.^[2] Grant then made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music—Never Alone, followed by a pair of live albums in 1981 (In Concert and In Concert Volume Two), both backed by an augmented edition of the DeGarmo & Key band. It was during these early shows that Grant also established one of her concert trademarks: performing barefoot. To date, Grant continues to take off her shoes midway through performances, as she has said "it is just more comfortable."^[3][4]

1982 saw the release of her breakthrough album Age to Age. The album contains the signature track, "El Shaddai" (written by Michael Card) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In a Little While". "El Shaddai" was later awarded one of the "Songs of the Century" by the RIAA in 2001. Grant received her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two GMA Dove Awards for Gospel Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. Age to Age became the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold (1983) and the first Christian album to be certified platinum (1985).^[1]

In the mid-1980s, Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter Michael W. Smith. Grant and Smith continue to have a strong friendship and creative relationship, often writing songs for or contributing vocals to each other's albums. During the 1980s, Grant was also a backup singer for Bill Gaither.^[5]

Grant followed up this album with the first of her Christmas albums—albums that later would be the basis for her holiday shows. In 1984, she released another pop-oriented Christian hit, Straight Ahead, earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show in 1985. The head of NBC took notice of Grant's performance and called her manager to book her for her own Christmas special.^[2]

Widening audience[link]

Hardly had Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop" when she changed directions to widen her fan base (and hence her musical message). Her goal was to become the first Christian singer-songwriter who was also successful as a contemporary pop singer.^[6] Unguarded (1985) surprised some fans for its very mainstream sound (and Grant's leopard-print jacket, in four poses for four different covers). "Find a Way", from Unguarded, became the first Christian song to hit Billboard's Top 40 list, also reaching No. 7 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Amy Grant scored her first Billboard No. 1 song in 1986 with "The Next Time I Fall", a duet with former Chicago singer/bassist Peter Cetera. That year, she also recorded a duet with singer Randy Stonehill for his Love Beyond Reason album, entitled "I Could Never Say Goodbye", and recorded The Animals' Christmas with Art Garfunkel.

Lead Me On (1988) contained many songs that were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being an obviously "Christian" record. Years later, Lead Me On would be chosen as the greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time by CCM Magazine. The mainstream song "Saved by Love" was a minor hit, receiving airplay on radio stations featuring the newly emerging Adult Contemporary format. The album's title song received some pop radio airplay and crossed over to No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "1974 (We Were Young)" and "Saved By Love" also charted as Adult Contemporary songs. In 1989 she appeared in a Target ad campaign, performing songs off the album.^[7]

In the mainstream[link]

Grant during her Behind the Eyes tour in 1998.

When Heart in Motion was released in 1991, many fans were surprised that the album was so clearly one of contemporary pop music. Grant's desire to widen her audience was frowned upon by the confines of the popular definitions of ministry at the time.^[8] The track "Baby Baby" (written for Grant's newborn daughter, Millie, whose "six-week-old face was my inspiration,") became a pop hit (hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100), and Grant was established as a name in the mainstream music world. "Baby Baby" received Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Record and Song of the Year (although it failed to win in any of those categories). Four other hits from the album made the Pop top 20: "Every Heartbeat" (No. 2), "That's What Love Is For" (No. 7), "Good For Me" (No. 8), and "I Will Remember You" (No. 20). On the Adult Contemporary chart, all five songs were top 10 hits, with two of the five ("Baby Baby" and "That's What Love Is For") reaching No. 1. Many Christian fans remained loyal, putting the album atop Billboard's Contemporary Christian Chart for 32 weeks. Heart in Motion is Grant's best-selling album, having sold over 5 million copies according to the RIAA.^[9] Grant followed the album with her second Christmas album, Home For Christmas in 1992, which included the song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", written by Chris Eaton and Grant, and would later be covered by many artists, including Donna Summer, Jessica Simpson (who acknowledged Grant as one of her favorite artists), Vince Gill, Sara Groves, Point of Grace, and Broadway star Barbara Cook.

House of Love in 1994 continued in the same vein, boasting catchy pop songs mingled with spiritual lyrics. The album was a multi-platinum success and produced the pop hit "Lucky One" (No. 18 pop and No. 2 AC; No. 1 on Radio & Records) as well as the title track (a duet with country music star and future husband Vince Gill) (No. 37 pop) and a cover of Joni Mitchell's frequently covered "Big Yellow Taxi" (No. 67 pop) (in which she changed the line "And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see em" to "And then they charged the people 25 bucks just to see em").

Grant participated in Lifetime's 1st Annual "Girls & Guitars" benefit, singing numerous songs, including a duet with Melissa Etheridge on "You Can Sleep While I Drive".

After she covered the 10cc song "The Things We Do For Love" for the Mr. Wrong soundtrack, Behind the Eyes was released in September 1997. The album struck a much darker note, leaning more towards downtempo, acoustic soft-rock songs, with more mature (yet still optimistic) lyrics. She called it her "razor blades and Prozac" album.^[10] Although "Takes A Little Time" was a moderate hit single, the album failed to sell like the previous two albums, which had both gone multi-platinum. Behind The Eyes was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA. The video for "Takes A Little Time" was a new direction for Grant; with a blue light filter, acoustic guitar, the streets and characters of New York City, and a plot, Grant was re-cast as an adult light rocker. She followed up "Behind The Eyes" with A Christmas To Remember, her third Christmas album, in 1999. The album was certified Gold in 2000.

In 2001, Grant sang God Bless America in front of a sellout crowd at the Owen County Fair Grounds in Spencer, Indiana. She dedicated her performance to the victims of 9/11, and officially started the Demolition Derby. Following the 9/11 attacks, Grant's "I Will Remember You" saw a resurgence in popularity as many radio DJs mixed a special tribute version of the song. That same year, Grant won $125,000 for charity on the "Rock Star Edition" of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".^[11]

Return to gospel[link]

Grant returned to her gospel music roots with the 2002 release of Legacy... Hymns and Faith. The album featured a Vince Gill-influenced mix of bluegrass and gospel and marked Grant's 25th anniversary in the music industry. Grant followed this up with the pop release Simple Things in 2003. The album did not have the success of her previous pop or gospel efforts. However, soon after Simple Things, Grant and Interscope/A&M parted ways. The same year, Grant was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame by the Gospel Music Association, an industry trade organization of which she is a longstanding member, in her first year of eligibility. Grant released a sequel to her hymns collection in 2005 titled Rock of Ages... Hymns & Faith.

Looking ahead[link]

Although neither of her latest hymn releases have captured the popularity of her previous gospel career, Grant still remains a popular concert draw and enjoys popularity amongst both fan bases. For years in the 1990s and early 2000s, she toured in November and December for her Christmas and holiday tours. Often her husband and many special guests performed along with her on stage.

Grant joined the reality television phenomenon by hosting Three Wishes, a show in which she and a team of helpers make wishes come true for small-town residents.^[12] The show debuted on NBC in the fall of 2005 and was canceled at the end of its first season because of high production costs. After Three Wishes was canceled, Grant won her 6th Grammy Award for Rock of Ages... Hymns & Faith. In a February 2006 webchat, Amy stated she believes her "best music is still ahead".

In April 2006, a live CD/DVD entitled Time Again...Amy Grant Live was recorded in Fort Worth, Texas, at Bass Performance Hall. (Grant's first paid public performance was at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, TX.) The concert was released on September 26, 2006. In addition to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, media appearances included write-ups in CCM Magazine, and a performance on The View.

In a February 2007 web chat on her web site, Amy discussed a book she was working on entitled Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far: "It's not an autobiography, but more a collection of memories, song lyrics, poetry and a few pictures." The book was released on October 16, 2007. In November, it debuted at No. 35 on the New York Times Best Seller list.^[13] In the same web chat, Amy noted that she is "anxious to get back in the studio after the book is finished, and reinvent myself as an almost-50 performing woman."

2007 was Grant's 30th year in music. She left Word/Warner, and contracted with EMI CMG who re-released her regular studio albums as remastered versions on August 14, 2007. Marking the start of Grant's new contract is a career-spanning greatest hits album, with all the songs digitally remastered. The album was released as both a single-disc CD edition, and a 2-Disc CD/DVD Special Edition, the DVD featuring music videos and interviews.^[14]

Grant appeared with Gill on The Oprah Winfrey Show for a holiday special in December 2007.^[15] Grant has plans to appear on CMT, a Food Network special, the Gospel Music Channel, and The Hour of Power.^[16]

In February 2008, Grant joined the writing team from Compassionart as a guest vocalist at the Abbey Road studios, London, to record a song called "Highly Favoured", which was included on the album CompassionArt.

On June 24, 2008, Grant re-released her 1988 album, Lead Me On, in honor of its 20th anniversary. The two-disc release includes the original album and a second disc with new acoustic recordings, live performances from 1989, and interviews with Amy. Grant recreated the Lead Me On tour in the fall of 2008.

On June 27, 2008, Grant surprised everyone at the Creation Northeast Festival by being the special guest. She performed "Lead Me On" and a few other songs backed with the Hawk Nelson band. At the end of the concert, Grant returned to the stage and sang "Thy Word". She appeared on the 2008 album Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends singing "Could I Have This Dance".

In May 2009 for Mother's Day, Amy released an EP on iTunes containing two new songs, "She Colors My Day," and "Unafraid," as well as the older songs "Baby Baby" and "Oh How The Years Go By."

During Disney's D23 Expo in September 2009, Imagineer Steven Davison announced Amy Grant as the "signature voice" for the World of Color hydrotechnic show at Disney's California Adventure theme park.

In 2010, Grant released Somewhere Down the Road, featuring the hit single "Better Than a Hallelujah", which peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Top Christian Songs chart. When asked about the new album during an interview with CBN.com, Grant says, "...my hope is just for those songs to provide companionship, remind myself and whoever else is listening what’s important. I feel like songs have the ability to connect us to ourselves and to each other, and to our faith, to the love of Jesus, in a way that conversation doesn’t do. Songs kind of slip in and move you before you realize it."^[17]

Personal life[link]

Grant married fellow Christian musician Gary Chapman on June 19, 1982. Their marriage produced three children: Matthew Garrison Chapman (born 1987), Gloria Mills Chapman (called "Millie", born 1989), and Sarah Cannon Chapman (born 1992), who was named after country legend Minnie Pearl, a family friend. (Pearl's real name was Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon.)^[18] Citing "irreconcilable differences", Grant filed for divorce from Chapman in March 1999, and the divorce was final in June 1999.^[18]

On March 10, 2000, Grant married Vince Gill, who had been previously married to country singer Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo.^[19] Grant and Gill have a daughter together, Corinna Grant Gill, born March 12, 2001.^[20]

In the December 1999 Baptist Standard, Grant explained why she left Chapman and married Gill:

"I didn't get a divorce because I had a great marriage and then along came Vince Gill. Gary and I had a rocky road from day one. I think what was so hard—and this is (what) one of our counselors said—sometimes an innocent party can come into a situation, and they're like a big spotlight. What they do is reveal, by comparison, the painful dynamics that are already in existence."^[21]

Public views and perception[link]

Among praise for her contributions to the Contemporary Christian genre, Amy Grant has also generated controversy within the Christian community, from "complaints that she was too worldly and too sexy" to a "barrage of condemnation" following her divorce and remarriage.^[22]

In an interview early in her career, Grant stated, "I have a healthy sense of right and wrong, but sometimes, for example, using foul, exclamation-point words among friends can be good for a laugh." Within the same article, Grant expressed an opinion that those most opposed to premarital sex and rock music often base their views in part on having experienced emotional distress. "'It seems to me,' she says as an after-thought, 'that people who are most adamantly against premarital sex have experienced some kind of pain in their own lives. Like the people who say absolutely no to rock 'n' roll. Chances are it has something to do with a past sadness."^[23]

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

• 1977: Amy Grant
• 1979: My Father's Eyes
• 1980: Never Alone
• 1982: Age to Age
• 1984: Straight Ahead
• 1985: Unguarded
• 1988: Lead Me On
• 1991: Heart in Motion
• 1994: House of Love
• 1997: Behind the Eyes
• 2002: Legacy...Hymns and Faith
• 2003: Simple Things
• 2005: Rock of Ages...Hymns and Faith
• 2010: Somewhere Down The Road

Holiday Albums[link]

• 1983: A Christmas Album
• 1992: Home for Christmas
• 1999: A Christmas to Remember
• 2008: The Christmas Collection

Bibliography[link]

Grant is the author of several books, including a memoir, Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far, and a book based on the popular Christmas song Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song).

Awards and achievements[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

Wins[link]

• 1982: Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational – Age to Age^[24]
• 1983: Best Gospel Performance, Female – "Ageless Medley"
• 1984: Best Gospel Performance, Female – "Angels"
• 1985: Best Gospel Performance, Female – Unguarded
• 1988: Best Gospel Performance, Female – Lead Me On
• 2006: Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album – Rock of Ages…Hymns & Faith

Nominations[link]

• 1979: Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational – My Father's Eyes
• 1980: Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational – Never Alone
• 1981: Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational – Amy Grant In Concert
• 1990: Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female – "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"
• 1992: Album of the Year – Heart in Motion^[25] (lost to Unforgettable... with Love by Natalie Cole)
• 1992: Song of the Year – "Baby Baby"^[25]
• 1992: Record of the Year – "Baby Baby"^[25] (both lost to "Unforgettable" by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole)
• 1992: Pop Performance Female – "Baby Baby"^[25] (lost to "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt)
• 1994: Children Spoken Word – Lion & the Lamb^[25]
• 2011: Best Gospel Song – "Better Than a Hallelujah"^[26]
• 2012: Best Country Song – "Threaten Me with Heaven"^[27]

GMA Dove Awards[link]

*Inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2003

• 1983: Artist of the Year
• 1983: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Age to Age
• 1983: Recorded Music Packaging – Age to Age
• 1984: Recorded Music Packaging – A Christmas Album
• 1985: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Straight Ahead
• 1986: Artist of the Year
• 1986: Recorded Music Packaging – Unguarded
• 1988: Short Form Music Video of the Year – "Stay For a While"
• 1989: Artist of the Year
• 1989: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Lead Me On
• 1989: Short Form Music Video of the Year – "Lead Me On"
• 1990: Country Song of the Year – "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"
• 1992: Song of the Year – "Place in This World"
• 1992: Artist of the Year
• 1994: Praise and Worship Album of the Year – Songs from the Loft
• 1996: Special Event Album of the Year – My Utmost for His Highest
• 1998: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Behind the Eyes
• 2000: Special Event Album of the Year – Streams
• 2003: Inspirational Album of the Year – Legacy...Hymns & Faith
• 2003: Song of the Year – "The River's Gonna Keep On Rolling"
• 2006: Inspirational Album of the Year – Rock of Ages...Hymns & Faith
• 2007: Long Form Music Video of the Year – Time Again...Amy Grant Live

Special awards and recognitions[link]

• 1992: Junior Chamber of Commerce Young Tennessean of the Year
• 1994: St. John University Pax Christi Award
• 1994: Nashville Symphony Harmony Award
• 1996: Sarah Cannon Humanitarian Award – TNN Awards
• 1996: Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award – Columbia Hospital
• 1996: Voice of America Award – ASCAP
• 1996: Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award
• 1999: “An Evening with the Arts” Honor – The Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Symphony and Tennessee Performing Arts Center
• 1999: The Amy Grant Room for Music and Entertainment – The Target House at St. Jude's Children's Hospital
• 2001: Easter Seals Nashvillian of the Year Award
• 2003: Summit Award – Seminar in the Rockies
• 2005: Hollywood walk of fame induction
• 2006: Amy Grant Performance Platform – Nashville Schermerhorn Symphony Center
• 2007: Charter member of Tiffany Circle – Red Cross
• 2007: Inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame^[28]
• 2012: Honorary Doctorate Degree of Music and Performance – Grand Canyon University

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amy Grant

• Official Amy Grant website
• Amy Grant at the Internet Movie Database
• Amy Grant at Allmusic
• Amy Grant Media Gallery
• Amy Grant Partners with Compassion International
• Amy Grant, "Somewhere Down the Road" by Billboard

Phil Keaggy
Background information
Born	(1951-03-23) March 23, 1951 (age 61) Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Genres	Contemporary Christian, progressive rock, pop, new age, Christian rock, folk, jazz-funk[1][2]
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1966–present
Associated acts	Glass Harp, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Love Song, Paul Clark
Website	www.philkeaggy.com

Phil Keaggy (born Philip Tyler Keaggy, in Youngstown, Ohio on March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 50 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. He is a seven-time recipient of the GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year, and was twice nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album. He has frequently been listed as one of the world's top-three "finger-style," as well as "finger-picking," guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers' polls.

Career[link]

Early life[link]

Keaggy was raised in a small farmhouse in Hubbard, Ohio with nine brothers and sisters. Keaggy went to high school in Austintown, Ohio, graduating in 1970. He is missing half of the middle finger on his right hand due to a childhood accident at age four involving a water pump.^[3][4] Reflecting on the incident, Keaggy says,

We lived on a farm in Hubbard, Ohio, which had a big water pump, and I was climbing up on it. As I was kneeling on top of the platform, it broke and the faucets came crashing down on my finger and cut it off. I can remember it very vividly—as if it happened yesterday, and I can see my dad running down the hill, rescuing me, and taking me to the hospital. I can recall having a white cast and bandage; it was gigantic! They tried to sew it on, but it didn't take, so I grew up with nine fingers. As a young kid, I was embarrassed about it a lot, especially when I was beginning to get into guitar. I used to be red when I'd play in front of people because I believed they were looking at my hand, which they probably weren't...Before my accident with my finger occurred, my oldest brother was killed in a car accident and two weeks afterward my younger sister had her big toe cut off. These were all really heavy things for my mom and dad to go through.^[5]

Initially, it was not the guitar that attracted Keaggy to playing music. Keaggy explains:

I asked my dad for a set of drums for my tenth birthday but he came home with a Sears Silvertone guitar^[6]...I had wanted a set of drums, but my folks couldn't afford them, so I got the guitar. I didn't know how to tune the guitar;. as it was when it came, that's how I thought it was supposed to be...So for about nine months I learned funny little melodies with my guitar tuned out. Finally, my brother Dave said "Here, let me show you how to tune this thing properly." I said, "Well, O.K., but I gotta learn all over again." I was disappointed^[5]...My oldest brother Dave, showed me some chords...But if I were to pinpoint one turning point...when I was in sixth or seventh grade, I met a man named Nick who worked an electronics store in California, where my family lived for awhile. One day, Nick took me to a music store loaded with all these great guitars the British groups were using and he asked me "Which one is your favorite?" I pointed out a 1962 Stratocaster and he bought it for me. He got me my first professional gig at Artesia Hall—just me and my guitar and amp^[6]...I paid him back by sweeping driveways and working in the electronics store. I had that guitar for quite a while and put a lot of time and effort into playing it.^[5]

1960s[link]

Phil Keaggy was a member of a mid-1960s garage rock band called the Squires; one of their songs, which he co-wrote, appears on the compilation album Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 9. In 1967 he moved on to briefly record with the band The New Hudson Exit. At one point, the band had considered Joe Walsh as its lead guitarist. Walsh would later establish himself as guitarist for the James Gang before embarking on a solo career and work with the Eagles.

In 1968, Keaggy and longtime friend drummer John Sferra, along with bassist Steve Markulin, formed the band Glass Harp. The band gigged in and around the Youngstown, Ohio, area, finding work anywhere from school dances to clubs. This incarnation of the band recorded several demos, and released the single "Where Did My World Come From?" on the United Audio label in 1969.

Markulin left the group to join his cousin Joe in another successful Youngstown band, The Human Beinz. Keaggy and Sferra then recruited bass player Daniel Pecchio. Pecchio, formerly of the band The Poppy, was also a flute player, a talent that would later be showcased on several Glass Harp's songs. Having recorded a new set of demos and signing with new management, the band set out to polish their live act and shop for a recording deal.

A major turning point for the trio was their winning of an Ohio area's "Battle of the Bands." One of the event's judges happened to be an associate of producer Lewis Merenstein, whom he alerted to the threesome. Merenstein was persuaded to fly down from New York to listen to the band in concert. Upon hearing Glass Harp perform, Merenstein's enthusiastic report resulted in Decca Records signing Glass Harp to a multi-record deal.^[7]

1970s[link]

Reflecting on 1970, Keaggy recalls:

...the 18th year of my life was very dark; I was into drugs by now....back in '69 I was experimenting with LSD. I had done some trips and it was terrible, I thought it might enhance my creative ability in music, but it didn't. I once heard a tape of me playing when I was high and it was awful. I sang weird and I played badly. I thought I was doing such a great job, but it was a deception. People I was supposedly very close to, who were close to me, were turning on me. It seemed really strange...I was experiencing such fear...it was just...terrible...During these days I would take naps in the afternoon because I'd be so tired playing at night, staying up till 4 in the morning, getting up early and napping again in the afternoon. I'd wake up having nightmares...I had "Peace" written on my wall and I went around giving the peace sign, but I didn't experience peace in my life. I didn't know what peace really meant; it was just a cliché.^[5]

On Valentines Day in 1970, Keaggy's mother was seriously injured in an auto accident. After her death a week later, and inspired by his sister, Keaggy became a Christian.^[5]

In September, Glass Harp found itself in New York's Greenwich Village recording its first album Glass Harp at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios with Lewis Merenstein as producer. At the time of this recording, Keaggy and Sferra were nineteen years old. As for the album's content, all three members of Glass Harp were active in songwriting the band's material. Keaggy sang the majority of songs, but Pecchio and Sferra also sang lead on several numbers. One song of Keaggy's in particular, "Can You See Me," reflected his newfound Christian faith, with its reference to Jesus' death. Keaggy recalls, "It was recorded in New York City in about a week. Even though I had bronchitis and had to sing one verse at a time, it worked out. And I was even able to get in a witness for the Lord Jesus in "Can You See Me" and "Look in the Sky."^[5]

As a Decca Records artist, the band began to open for such bands as The Kinks, Iron Butterfly, Yes, Traffic, Grand Funk Railroad and Chicago. Contrary to the tight production and song-oriented nature of Glass Harp's studio albums, their live performances demonstrated the band's ability to stretch out and expand the boundaries of their compositions. As a result, they are one of the pioneers of what would later be known as the jam rock genre, with songs many times reaching over 30 minutes in length with extended solo passages and group improvisation.

In 1971, Glass Harp released a follow up album, Synergy. Again Keaggy's Christian faith surfaced in some of the lyrics. The guitarist notes, "That album was a real experience because I was able to sing 'The Answer,' a song I wrote right after my conversion to Christ. And with...producers and an engineer that didn't care about Jesus, I was surprised that out of 15 songs, one of the ten that got on the album was 'The Answer.' I praise Jesus for that work, because it's just a simple song of testimony."^[5] The following year the band released its third album: It Makes Me Glad, which included a version of the old spiritual "Do Lord." "We all worked the best that we could. The group knew that it would be our last album together because I had given notice that I was going to leave. And on August 8, I did. It was a really heavy thing for everybody."^[5]

Having recorded three albums with Glass Harp, Keaggy left the band in 1972. Keaggy says, "We enjoyed playing together and we really got tight musically. But spiritually we were going different directions."^[5]

Sferra and Pecchio continued to perform together as Glass Harp, adding guitarist Tim Burks and violinist Randy Benson. The music of this new lineup took on a more progressive edge, similar to King Crimson and The Moody Blues. While studio and live radio broadcast recordings exist from this period, they remain officially unreleased as of 2010. This incarnation of the group lasted into 1973, when Pecchio and Sferra decided to finally move on to other projects, essentially bringing Glass Harp to an end. Pecchio went on to become a founding member of the highly-popular Michael Stanley Band, while Sferra remained very much in demand as both live and studio musician, at the same time writing and producing his own music.

In 1973 Keaggy released What A Day, his first solo album. The songs were written while Keaggy was still with Glass Harp^[8] Keaggy performed all the instruments on the album. The title track remains a staple of Keaggy's concerts up to the present day.

Keaggy married his wife Bernadette in the summer of 1973. He then took a brief hiatus from recording on his own and only toured in support of other artists like Love Song, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Paul Clark, and Nancy Honeytree. Years later, Amboy Dukes guitarist Ted Nugent was quoted as saying "I don't know what happened to that Phil Keaggy. He could have saved the world with his guitar."^[9]

Keaggy returned to the studio in 1976 with Love Broke Thru, an album which included his version of a song that would eventually be considered a classic in Christian Music: "Your Love Broke Through." Written by Keith Green, Todd Fishkind and Randy Stonehill, the song would later be closely identified with Green, yet it was at Green's insistence that Keaggy's rendition be the first released recording.^[9] A longtime fan of C.S. Lewis, Keaggy also included an arranged version of the author's poem "As the Ruin Falls." And the 7-minute "Time" is considered by some fans to be the first album-oriented rock extended-length "Free Bird" of contemporary Christian music. "Time" featured Keaggy's innovative guitar technique of violin-like swelling, found approximately 3:54 and 5:17 in the song. The effect requires picking and raising the guitar volume knob for each note in a melody. Keaggy's album was listed as No. 64 in the 2001 book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.^[10]

During the summer of 1977 Keaggy went on an eighteen-city tour of the western United States with 2nd Chapter of Acts and "a Band called David." This tour was captured in the subsequent live triple album How the West Was One, a collection that featured concert renditions of "What a Day" and "Your Love Broke Through." That same year also saw the formation of the Phil Keaggy Band. Comprising Keaggy, guitarist Lynn Nichols, keyboardist Phil Madeira, bassist Dan Cunningham and drummer Terry Andersen, the Phil Keaggy Band released their lone album in 1977, Emerging. This band was featured as Love Inn Company on an album of songs by Ted Sandquist titled Courts of the King, and as the backing band for Nedra Ross on her Full Circle album. The title track would be redone by Keaggy in 1981. 1977 also marked the release of the Glass Harp compilation album, Song in the Air.

In 1978, Keaggy released his first critically acclaimed instrumental album entitled The Master and the Musician. It would go on to become the best-selling album of his career.^[11] A 1989 reissue of the album included a new track, "Epilogue: Amazing Grace".

1980s[link]

The Keaggy family then moved to Leawood, Kansas in August,1979. Their first daughter, Alicia, was born there in March, 1980. The Keaggys left Leawood in 1983 and settled in Costa Mesa, California. Their second daughter, Olivia, was born on February 14, 1984, and their son, Ian, was born on June 16, 1987.

Keaggy's record label during the early part of the decade was Myrrh Records. 1980's Ph'lip Side features the uptempo "Sunday School" and the gentle "Little Ones, an early anthem for the pro-life movement." The following year saw the release of Town to Town, noted for what has become a concert staple "Let Everything Else Go." It also included Keaggy's arrangement of "Rise Up O Men of God." This would begin a trend in which Keaggy would frequently feature a hymn on his albums. In 1982, Keaggy released Play Thru Me, noted for its upbeat classic, "Morning Light" as well as the slide-guitar instrumental workout entitled "Happy."

In 1984, Keaggy and Randy Stonehill co-wrote and sang the duet "Who Will Save the Children?" for Stonehill's album Celebrate This Heartbeat. The duet would also serve as a theme song for Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry. Both artists remain avid supporters of this ministry up to the present day.^{[citation needed]}

The following year Nissi Records released Keaggy's next studio album, Getting Closer. Keaggy would later re-record two of the album's songs: a rearranged version of "I Will Be There" appears on 1993's Crimson and Blue while "Passport" received an update for the 2009 Christian Progressive Rock compilation album CPR 3.

1986 saw the release of Way Back Home. The album consisted of quieter acoustic numbers, including a new take on 1981's "Let Everything Else Go" and "Maker of the Universe," a ballad about the incarnation of Christ. The album also emphasized one of the prominent themes in Keaggy's music: family.

The next year Phil Keaggy released his second instrumental album, The Wind and the Wheat. The album reflects the "New Age" instrumental sounds of the day. The Wind and the Wheat won the guitarist his first Dove Award, an honor that he received in 1988. Also in 1988, Keaggy and Stonehill would team up with singer Margaret Becker, former Wings drummer Joe English and others as the Compassion All Star Band. The group released a subsequent live album One by One.

In 1989, Keaggy teamed up with Randy Stonehill, vocalist Russ Taff, bassist Rick Cua, Derri Daugherty, Mark Heard, Steve Taylor and other musicians to create Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child. Lynn Nichols, guitarist for the 1977 Keaggy Band, produced the Sunday's Child project. The title track in particular recalled the sounds of the 1960s, and that, along with an album cover that resembled that of the classic image of With The Beatles, has sometimes seen the Sunday's Child album referred to as a tribute album of sorts to the 1960s.^{[citation needed]} Referring to the Sunday's Child album cover, Keaggy says that the idea

was the producer’s. I actually had a different cover in mind...It was...a black and white [photograph] of my daughter Olivia sitting on a guitar case, with this Gretsch anniversary model standing up behind her against this concrete wall, and she’s got a little white flower wreath in her hair. She’s about four years old, and...I just loved that cover. So when the album came out, I wasn’t really knocked out by the Beatles thing, because it didn’t look like the Beatles to me! It was my goofy face and then these three guys in the background, one of which was Lynn Nichols, the producer. And I thought, "Oh, I don’t care for this." I wanted to have the other cover. I wanted it to say "Phil Keaggy and Sunday’s Child," and to me, that was Olivia, being as she’s my daughter. So my nephew works in a printing place, and I created this cover that had all the same photos and information inside the CD insert, but I had him make 500 of these new covers, and we took the shrink wrap off...500 CDs, and...inserted these covers that I wanted and took them on the road and sold them, and we mailed them out through the fan club, since we didn’t have a website in those days."^[12]

Reflecting on the music of the project, Keaggy says,

I feel the album, as a good collection of songs, is really listenable...I feel that folk who want to listen to an album are more interested in good songs than merely the guitar player. For Sunday's Child, not only did we resort to using vintage guitars and amps, but I resorted back to old ways of playing. The rock leads are shorter and more precise. More to the point, feisty, and a little bit more dangerous. What you get is more incisive work. It's something that fits the song rather than trying to create a song around a riff or guitar figure...What I think comes through this album is that sense of longing, of love, of suffering and in all of this there can be hope. Everyone has to find their way to God and I hope people will see Jesus in my life and this album as a guide along the way."^[9]

One track, "I've Just Begun (Again)," was first written when Keaggy was 17, and was updated for this album. In addition to his own material, Keaggy recorded two Mark Heard songs for the album: "I Always Do" and "Everything is Alright." The recordings would appear again on subsequent tribute albums to Heard. One of the tribute albums, Orphans of God, was listed at #25 in the book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.^[13]

Also in 1989, Keaggy hit the road with Stonehill for a tour by The Keaggy/Stonehill Band, which included Swirling Eddie drummer David Raven and Daniel Amos bassist Tim Chandler. In the fall of that year, the Keaggys relocated once again, leaving southern California and moving to Nashville, Tennessee where they reside currently.^{[citation needed]}

A few years later, Keaggy would perform at former Beatle Paul McCartney's sister-in-law's wedding. Keaggy had met Laura Eastman, sister of Linda McCartney, while the former worked at CBN. After the wedding, Keaggy fulfilled a lifelong dream by jamming with McCartney in a bedroom at the Eastman family estate, site of the wedding.^{[citation needed]}

1990s[link]

Keaggy followed Sunday's Child in 1990 with an all-out rock album Find Me In These Fields. The project was produced by Lynn Nichols and garnered a Grammy award nomination.

In 1992, Keaggy released what has become a landmark acoustic instrumental album, Beyond Nature. His third instrumental project reflected a Celtic-influence and earned the guitarist his second Dove Award in the "Instrumental Record" category. The album's title, Beyond Nature, was derived from a quote in C.S. Lewis' book Mere Christianity. A longtime fan of Lewis' work, Keaggy also referenced the author in several song titles ("Brother Jack", "Addison's Walk" and "County Down").

The following year saw Keaggy work with another group of talented musicians for his next project. These recording sessions reunited Keaggy with former Glass Harp bandmate John Sferra on drums. Keaggy says, "I started Crimson & Blue with a two-fold purpose: To record something more aggressive and to work with John again. We recorded all the basic tracks together and most of the leads were recorded live. It's just your basic four-piece group."^[6] Comprising the rest of the group were Phil Madeira, the former keyboardist of the 1977 Phil Keaggy Band, bassist Rick Cua, and guitarist Jimmy Abegg. Lynn Nichols produced the sessions. Other guest musicians included Sam Bush on mandolin, John Mark Painter (of Fleming and John), and Ashley Cleveland on backing vocals. Charlie Peacock and Steve Taylor also played a prominent role in the project. The sessions resulted in the release of Crimson and Blue, a bluesy rock album geared to the Christian market that included a cover of Van Morrison's "When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God". "Love Divine," "I Will Be Here" and "Everywhere I Look" all received siginficant airplay. That album was released simultaneously in the mainstream market as Blue, with a modified tracklist and some reworked songs. The most significant differences are the inclusion of three different songs (a cover of Badfinger's "Baby Blue"; "All Our Wishes"; and "The Further Adventures of...") and the exclusion of five songs from Crimson and Blue ("Love Divine," "Reunion Of Friends," "Stone Eyes," "I Will Be There," "Nothing But The Blood.") The song "All Our Wishes" is a story about Phil and Bernadette Keaggy losing a baby. The song was written, musically, in 1967 when Keaggy was in ninth grade.^[14] The band that toured in support of the album featured Madeira on Hammond B-3 organ, Sferra on drums, and Wade Jaynes (of Chagall Guevara) on bass.

In June 1994, Phil released a heavily revised version of his 1986 album Way Back Home.^[15] The 1994 edition featured new recordings of ten of the original album's eleven songs, including the moving classics "Maker of the Universe" and "Let Everything Else Go." The updated version also included four brand new tracks: "It Could Have Been Me," "She's A Dancer," "Father Daughter Harmony," and "The 50th." Keeping with the album's family motif, "Father Daughter Harmony" was a moving duet with daughter Alicia while "The 50th" features Keaggy's guitar playing over a reel-to-reel recording of his grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary in 1949.

1995 saw the release of a two volume compilation project: Time: 1970-1995. The anthology featured selections from throughout Keaggy's career, including several classic instrumentals. Several unreleased tracks were featured, including a live version of "Do Lord" with Glass Harp, a live version of "Shouts of Joy" from the Crimson and Blue tour and "We'll Meet Again," a song Phil wrote and recorded as a teenager. An alternate version of "Time" was also included as was a new solo recording of the Glass Harp song "The Answer."

Also in 1995, Keaggy was voted by Guitar Player Magazine readers as the #2 Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist.

That same year, Phil released what has become one of his best-selling albums, True Believer. The title track was written by producer Alan Shacklock and reached number one on the Christian radio charts. It also won Shacklock the EMI Songwriter of the Year award. Shacklock's production work on the album was a departure in style and sound for Keaggy; this would prove to be Keaggy's lone work with Shacklock. Years later, in reflecting on the album, Keaggy would say that True Believer "is really the most unlike me of any album I’ve ever done, in my personal opinion. It was more of a manufactured concept: "We’re gonna make a pop album for you that’s going to launch you into the next ten years." I don’t know if it did. It’s an unusual album to listen to for me, but there are a couple of good songs on there, though."^[12]

The following year Keaggy released another critically acclaimed instrumental album, Acoustic Sketches. Comprising mainly Keaggy originals, the album features a cover of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," and would later win Keaggy another Dove Award. A second instrumental album, 220, was also released. The album, titled after the 220 volt electric standard, featured a diverse mix of musical styles, ranging from blues to Celtic. The album's final track, "Ian's Groove", marks the recording debut of Phil's son on drums. Despite its stellar performances, as a collection of original instrumentals, the album was largely overlooked. Keaggy says, "that was a very cool album that...Christians and Christian bookstores and...the marketplace ...couldn’t make the connection, because it’s electric guitar music. So it kind of fell by the wayside."^[12] Also in 1996, Phil’s wife Bernadette published A Deeper Shade of Grace, a moving account of the emotional and spiritual struggles she experienced in losing their first five children via early infant death, miscarriage and stillbirth. Phil wrote the foreword to the book.

In January 1997, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located in Cleveland, Ohio, opened an exhibit called "My Town." Because the exhibit focused on Cleveland’s rock and roll history, Glass Harp was invited to perform at the Museum. The band is also currently represented in the Museum’s Ohio Exhibit.^[16]

The year also saw the release of Keaggy's On the Fly album, arguably his most ambitious instrumental project to date. Released through Canis Major Records, highlights includes the Spanish-flavored "Praise Dance", the hypnotic groove "Firewalker", and the six-part epic, "Way of the Pilgrim". Also in 1997, Phil teamed up with Wes King and Out of the Grey's Scott Dente for the mostly instrumental album Invention. The album would win a Dove Award the following year. Keaggy would then go on to sign with Word Records.

Phil Keaggy, Phil's last vocal album of the decade, came out in 1998. Lacking the slick production style of the previous vocal album, True Believer, Phil Keaggy was a strong return to form for Keaggy in terms of recapturing his usual organic, live sound. Several songs reflected a Beatles influence, including "Days Like You," his last single to receive considerable airplay as Christian radio has been moving towards a more youth-oriented format. Keaggy also appeared as a guest singer on the Ragamuffins' "All the Way to Kingdom Come," on his friend Rich Mullins' last original work, The Jesus Record (which contained demo tracks recorded by Mullins just before his 1997 death, and renditions of those songs by the Ragamuffins and other artists).

1999 saw a flurry of Keaggy instrumental releases. The double album Premium Jams is a stunning collection of previously unreleased electric instrumentals dating back to the recording sessions for Crimson and Blue and 220. Majesty and Wonder, a Christmas album featuring the London Festival Orchestra, includes Keaggy's take on standards such as "Oh Holy Night" as well as a three part original, "Nativity Suite." Majesty and Wonder would also win Keaggy a Dove Award. Phil later released the four disc collection Music to Paint By. The project was composed of Still Life, Electric Blue, Splash, and Brushstrokes.

2000s[link]

Re-Emerging, Keaggy's first album of the new millennium, came out in April 2000.^[15] The disc was a reunion of the Phil Keaggy Band in which they updated their classic 1977 album, Emerging. With the exception of "Gentle Eyes", Re-Emerging retained the material from the original album and also introduced four brand new tracks: "My Auburn Lady", "Mighty Lord", "You're My Hero", and "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight".

In September, Phil released the instrumental album Zion.^[15] Recorded exclusively on a Zion Radicaster created by master guitarmaker Ken Hoover at Zion guitars, Zion features a mix of new songs such as "Z-Blues" and revamped versions of "Like an Island", "March of the Clouds" and the Glass Harp classic "Whatever Life Demands".

Having performed together occasionally since 1981, in October, Keaggy, John Sferra and Daniel Pecchio reunited as Glass Harp for a concert in their hometown of Youngstown, Ohio at a sold out Powers Auditorium. Joining the band for the occasion was conductor Isaiah Jackson and members of the Youngstown Symphony. The following year saw the commercial release of the reunion concert in the form of the live album Strings Attached. Although the album is largely devoted to the band's previous work, it also includes Glass Harp's take on several songs from Phil's solo career such as "Tender Love", "Chalice", "From the Beginning" and a solo acoustic version of "The True Believers".

October 2000 also marked the release of Inseparable, initially available in both single and double disc format,^[15] with the single disc version eventually going out of print. The album featured "Chalice," a collaboration with Glass Harp drummer John Sferra as well as a cover of Paul McCartney's "Motor of Love." That same month, Phil released Lights of Madrid,^[15] an album of Spanish-flavored instrumentals that included a re-recording of "Praise Dance" from 1996's On the Fly. Lights of Madrid also contains a PDF with guitar tabliature for the album's music. Lights of Madrid would go on to win Keaggy a Dove Award for best instrumental album.

In November, Phil released The Uncle Duke project, a collaboration with his uncle Dave "Duke" Keaggy, with Phil setting his uncle's eclectic poetry to music.^[15]

In 2001 Keaggy released the albums In the Quiet Hours and Cinemascapes.^[15] Both consisted of selections from the 1999 four disc project Music to Paint By. In the Quiet Hours showcased a new composition "As It Is In Heaven," while Cinemascapes includes three previously unreleased songs: "The Road Home," "Lighthouse," and "For the Love." The song "Spring" was previously released on 2000's Uncle Duke as "Interlude." The year also saw the release of What Matters, a nine song compilation drawing mostly from the albums Phil Keaggy and Crimson and Blue. "Tell Me How You Feel" from Sunday's Child is also included as is a brand new song "What Matters." The album was exclusively produced for and released through the International Bible Society.

2002 saw the release of Hymnsongs.^[15] Primarily a collection of classic hymns, the album also includes a Keaggy original composition that is centered around the Lord's Prayer. This track, "Our Daily Bread," as well as the entire album, are dedicated to Todd Beamer, a Christian passenger of 9-11's Flight 93, and a fan of Keaggy's music.^[17] Describing the concept of the project, Keaggy says, "I've always loved hymns. They're great melodies that still stand on their own, and are still sung, even after centuries have passed. And those melodies are even more appreciated when you know the lyrics. The writers of the hymns were great wordsmiths; they could be so concise and so eloquent in their expression of truth. And theirs is music that speaks to every generation."^[18] Yet Keaggy's then label, Word Records, did not share his vision for the project and asked that it be an instrumental album: "it's the oddest thing...to me, hymns should be really sung. I had a conflict with it because, here I am, I can sing, and yet they didn't want me to sing...I offered--I went to management about it and it was pretty much, "No, don't do that. That's not want they want."^[8] Hymnsongs would be Keaggy's last album with Word Records.

That same year, Phil also participated on Randy Stonehill's Edge of the World album, singing a duet "That's the Way It Goes" as well as appearing on "We Were All So Young" with other veteran musicians such as Larry Norman. Additionally, Phil’s wife Bernadette published Losing You Too Soon, an updated version of A Deeper Shade of Grace, her 1996 book on losing her first five children through early infant death, miscarriage and stillbirth.

The next year Keaggy released It's Personal, an album in which he set poetry by Keith Moore to music.^[15] Keaggy and Moore had previously collaborated on the song "A Little Bit of Light" that appeared on the guitarist's 1998 self-titled album. Also in 2003 Keaggy released Special Occasions, an eclectic collection of music focusing on birthdays, weddings and graduations.^[15] The album consisted primarily of Keaggy originals and also featured a re-recording of "Here and Now" from 1986's Way Back Home, as well as covers of the Beatles tune "When I'm 64" and Elton John's "The Greatest Discovery." That same year, Sparrow Records, Phil's former record label (1980–1983, 1994–1997), released a 15 track compilation History Makers.^[15] It features standards such as "Let Everything Else Go," "Morning Light," and "The True Believers." 2003 also saw the release of Hourglass, the first album of new material by Glass Harp since 1972. The album included a new recording of a rare Keaggy solo tune, "What Matters," the title track of a compilation album exclusively produced for and released through the International Bible Society in 2001.

Also in 2003, guitarist Muriel Anderson released an album with Keaggy entitled Uncut Gems. A collection primarily consisting of instrumental improvisations recorded in 2001 and 2003, the two also perform Keaggy's "Tennessee Morning" from his 1996 album 220. Guitarist Stanley Jordan appears on several songs. Portions of the album's earnings go towards Anderson's Music for Life Alliance fundraiser.

The following year, Glass Harp released Stark Raving Jams, a triple disc thirty-nine song collection of material spanning from 1970 to 2003. The collection focused primarily on live performances but also includes a few unreleased studio recordings. Like Strings Attached, this Glass Harp album includes live renditions of some Keaggy solo material.

In 2004 Keaggy guest performed with the indie band Dispatch for several songs during The Last Dispatch. Phil also released two live DVDS: Phil Keaggy in Concert: St. Charles IL, and Philly Live!

In 2005, after thirty years of being out of print, Glass Harp's first three studio albums were reissued on CD by Music Mill Entertainment. The albums were digitally remastered and include previously unreleased bonus tracks. In July, Keaggy also released an expanded edition of Uncle Duke.^[15] First released in 2000, this new edition was entitled The Uncle Duke Project and included the original album plus a bonus disc of new songs, alternate versions and an interview with Phil and his uncle.

The following year, Keaggy released Freehand, the sequel to Acoustic Sketches. That same year Keaggy and longtime friend Randy Stonehill released Together Live! in both album and DVD format. In addition to including acoustic renditions of Keaggy and Stonehill's solo material, the project includes versions of their previous collaborations such as "Sunday's Child," "Who Will Save the Children?" and "That's the Way It Goes." Keaggy later guest performed on two songs of Rufus Tree's album Dying To Live.

2006 saw Keaggy release three additional instrumental albums: Jammed! was a one disc collection of songs featured previously on 1999's double album Premium Jams.^[15] The album also included a new rendering of "Ode to Joy" titled "Joyphil" and "Prehistrobie K-18," a previously unreleased song that Phil wrote and recorded as a teenager. The acoustic instrumental album Roundabout, is another instrumental collection. The songs are either improvisation or other riffs played over loops that were recorded as part of the performance. Keaggy explains that the songs "began with me messing around at my soundchecks before the audience came in. I’d typically just come from taking a nap at a hotel, so my mind would be fresh, and I’d improvise loops that would be recorded by my soundman, Brian Persall. The loops have rhythm, lead, bass, and even percussion parts along with textures created using an EBow and placing plastic between the strings, which creates koto, banjo, and steel drum-type sounds. After I returned home, I imported all of the loops into Pro Tools and edited some sections, but no overdubs were added either after the initial recording or while in the studio. If a song was too long, I might edit some measures or repeated sections to make it a little less repetitious, or maybe move some bits around."^[19]

Phil Keaggy and guitarist Mike Pachelli released an acoustic instrumental project titled Two of Us. Also in 2006 Phil released a vocal album, Dream Again. It includes his son Ian, who co-wrote, sings and plays guitar on "Why" while his daughter Alicia sings a duet with her father on "Micah 6:8".^[15] In 2006, Glass Harp reunited for a concert to celebrate the release of their first DVD, Circa 72. The DVD is the first official release of their 1972 PBS concert, and includes rare outtakes, home movie footage, and a commentary by the band. The year also saw the release of Happy Valentine's Day, a limited edition compilation of various love songs that Phil had recorded over the years as well as four new tracks.

In April 2006 Keaggy launched a free Podcast that is available through his website and iTunes. His last edition to date is from September 2008. The Podcasts feature music and commentary from Phil as well as music from some of his favorite artists.

On October 29, 2007 Keaggy was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame by P.O.D. guitarist Jason Truby.^[20] He also released Acoustic Cafe, an album, that with the exception of "You Have My Heart," is a collection of covers ranging from Bob Dylan ("If Not For You," "Make You Feel My Love") to Cyndi Lauper ("Time After Time"). Many of the songs are duets, such as the Beatles' "In My Life" with Randy Stonehill and the Everly Brothers "All I Have to Do is Dream" with Jeremy Casella. Later that year Keaggy released another acoustic instrumental album: The Song Within. Recorded using a McPherson acoustic guitar, the album revamped two Keaggy classics, with "What a Day" being transformed as "Water Day" and "Noah's Song" undergoing significant revision as "Noah's Shuffle."

2007 also marked the 30th anniversary of the landmark instrumental album, 1978's The Master and the Musician. The album was re-released with a bonus disc of outtakes, alternate versions and a recent interview. Keaggy also toured in support of the album's anniversary with a band that featured Glass Harp drummer John Sferra. The tour was chronicled on the subsequent live DVD: The Master & the Musician: 30 Years Later Tour. The next year Keaggy released the album Phantasmagorical: Master and Musician 2, the sequel to his 1978 masterpiece.

In 2008, Keaggy received the Gold Level Award as the "Best Spiritual / Worship Guitarist", as voted by readers of Acoustic Guitar Magazine,^[21] as well as appearing in the form of vocals and lead guitar on the Richard Cummins CD, Moments, which was nominated for "Best Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year" by the Canadian GMA's, Covenant award.

In June 2009, Keaggy and Randy Stonehill released a new studio album titled Mystery Highway.^[22] In support of the album, the two musicians, along with guitarist Mike Pachelli and Glass Harp's Daniel Pecchio and John Sferra, played several concerts as "The Keaggy-Stonehill Band." The year also saw Keaggy contribute a soaring re-recorded version of "Passport" on the album CPR 3; a compilation of musicians from the Christian Progressive Rock (CPR) scene. The original version of "Passport" appeared on Keaggy's 1985 album Getting Closer. In October Keaggy released an instrumental album with pianist Jeff Johnson titled Frio Suite.^[22] After meeting each other for the first time at the beginning of the year, the two musicians stayed in touch and created the album via email, with Johnson recording in Seattle while Keaggy recorded in Nashville.^[23] December saw the release of the guitarist's third Christmas album, Welcome Inn.^[24] Featuring mostly original compositions such as the title track, Welcome Inn also includes the classic "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and an acoustic instrumental version of "In the Bleak Midwinter." The project also includes a new recording of "On that Day," a song co-written with Glass Harp drummer John Sferra for Keaggy's True Believer album in 1995.

On March 27, 2010, Glass Harp released their fourth live album: Glass Harp Live at the Beachland Ballroom 11.01.08. The ten-song project included material from Phil's solo career: "Sign Came through a Window" and "John the Revelator". The album is a recording of a benefit concert that Glass Harp headlined for Roots of American Music (www.rootsofamericanmusic.org), "an organization dedicated to the preservation, performance and education about traditional American music in our schools."^[25]

In the fall of 2010, Keaggy did some session work with former Monkees member Micky Dolenz for Dolenz's forthcoming solo album.^[22] During this same time, "The Phil Keaggy Trio" also completed their debut album, the soon to be released Interdimensional Traveler.^[26] The album is a collaboration with keyboardist Jack Giering and Glass Harp drummer John Sferra.^[22] Also during this time period Phil Keaggy was a guest artist on the song "Rushing Wind" on the album "Save The Day" by Steve Clark.

In late 2010, The Phil Keaggy Trio did an album entitled Inter-Dimensional Traveler. This album is described as being a wonderful blend of ambient jazz and funk, as well as being accredited with creating some of the tastiest jazz-funk licks to come out of Music City in a long, long time.^[2][1]

In addition to recording and touring regularly, Keaggy is currently working on a record with former Living Sacrifice and P.O.D. guitarist Jason Truby.^[27]

Rumored comments by Jimi Hendrix and others[link]

For decades, rumors^[28] have circulated which attribute comments regarding Phil Keaggy to a host of guitar icons. The most common rumored statements are attributed to the late Jimi Hendrix.

On March 19, 1970, an advertisement appeared in the Mansfield News Journal for an Iron Butterfly Concert at Ashland College the following evening, with Glass Harp listed as the opening band (erroneously printed as "The Grass Harp"). Underneath "The Grass Harp", a caption read "They Jam with Jimi Hendrix".^[29] Glass Harp had not in fact appeared anywhere with Jimi Hendrix (they were at that time still a local band to Northeast Ohio with little or no following nationally). It is unknown whether or not the promoter or Glass Harp's then-management directed that the statement be placed in the advertisement, but it is believed to be the first instance of any rumor regarding Hendrix in relation to Keaggy/Glass Harp

In a February 5, 1971 feature on Glass Harp in The Plain Dealer, writer Jane Scott cited unnamed "record people" who told a story of Hendrix saying (in 1970) "That guy (Phil Keaggy) is the upcoming guitar player in the Midwest".^[30] With no sources ever named, and Jane Scott's death in 2011, the accuracy of the article is virtually impossible to verify.

In later years, rumors escalated into stories of Hendrix appearing on various television programs where he mentioned Phil Keaggy. A common variation says that during an episode of The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson asked Hendrix, "Who is the best guitarist in the world?" Hendrix is said to have answered, "Phil Keaggy." This has since been proven to be untrue, as evidenced by the available audio from Hendrix's (only) appearance on The Tonight Show on July 10, 1969 with guest host Flip Wilson.^[31] No mention of Keaggy or Glass Harp is made.

Another version of the story has Hendrix being asked, "Jimi, how does it feel to be the world's greatest guitar player?" To which Hendrix supposedly replied, "I don't know, you'll have to ask Phil Keaggy!" This account is sometimes attributed to a magazine interview in either Rolling Stone or Guitar Player. Occasionally the story has the setting for the question being a Hendrix appearance on the Dick Cavett Show, which is also untrue, as the clip from the show in question (in 1969) contains no mention of any other guitar players.^[32]

Other examples have the question being posed to Eric Clapton. A more recent variant has Eddie Van Halen being asked the question by either David Letterman or Barbara Walters.

Keaggy has long insisted that such stories are completely unfounded, noting that "it was impossible that Jimi Hendrix could ever have heard me...We...recorded our first album at Electric Lady Studios two weeks after his unfortunate death, so I just can’t imagine how he could’ve heard me. I think it’s just a rumor that someone’s kept alive, and it must be titillating enough to keep an interest there...So I don’t think it was said…and that’s it for that!"^[33] Keaggy's recollection of the time frame during which Glass Harp's first album was recorded differs slightly from Glass Harp's officially-published history (which have the recording sessions ending on September 17, 1970, just hours before Hendrix's early-morning death in London, and not two weeks after).^[34]

In a July 2010 interview, Glass Harp bassist Daniel Pecchio commented on the ongoing Hendrix rumors saying "It’s a true urban legend. I still have people coming up to me claiming to have a Dick Cavett Show tape where Hendrix says that. We never pushed that rumor, you know, but it didn’t hurt us."^[35]

Discography[link]

References[link]

• Guitar Jam Daily Interview with Phil Keaggy

External links[link]

• Official website
• Dave's PK Tablature
• Way Back Home (tablature, interviews, and more)
• Video of Phil describing the water pump incident (WMV format)

Roland Stephen Taylor (born December 9, 1957), is an American Christian singer, songwriter, record producer and film director.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Taylor, the eldest of three children, was born in Brawley, California. Taylor's father, Roland Taylor, was a Baptist minister. When Taylor was six years old, the family relocated to Northglenn, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. He graduated from Northglenn High School in 1976. While there, he attempted to learn the bass guitar, piano and trombone.

Upon graduation from high school, Taylor enrolled at Biola University in California. During his freshman year, he was first of the 100 chosen, from 20,000 applicants, to spend the summer at John Davidson's summer camp. At the camp, Taylor spent time learning from singers like Tony Orlando, Florence Henderson, and John Davidson. Also that year, Taylor heard one of his biggest influences, The Clash's London Calling. "It saved my life, musically," said Taylor.

Taylor returned home and enrolled at the University of Colorado at Boulder, to study "serious music". He graduated there in 1980, but described his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music and Theater as being worth "slightly more than the cash value of a Pizza Hut coupon."^[1]

1980s[link]

In 1980, Taylor wrote and directed a pop musical comedy titled Nothing To Lose based on the story of the prodigal son from the Bible. It had a short run at a community theater in Denver. He also wrote and starred in a short film, Joe's Distributing, a parody of avant-garde films.

Taylor wrote articles during this time that were published in the Wittenburg Door and Contemporary Christian Music magazine (for which he won an award from the Evangelical Press Association).

After recording a demo of original songs, Taylor began to write for the musical group The Continentals.^[2] The Continentals' founder, Cam Floria invited Taylor to join the group on a tour of Poland sponsored by Solidarity.

When he returned to the United States, he was asked to perform at the Christian Artists' 1982 Music Seminar in Denver. Billy Ray Hearn, president of Sparrow Records, was backstage and immediately signed Taylor to a recording contract.

He recorded his debut solo project I Want to Be a Clone in 1982 and released it in January 1983. He quickly gained a reputation for writing songs that satirized beliefs and practices with which he disagreed.

In 1983, Taylor recorded his first full length album. Released in 1984, Meltdown included some of the demo material that was not on Clone along with some new material. His video single of the title track, "Meltdown (at Madame Tussaud's)" was played on MTV, which was unusual for a Christian artist at the time. The video featured an appearance by actress Lisa Whelchel. The album also included "We Don't Need No Colour Code", which was critical of Bob Jones University and its anti-interracial dating policy, a policy that was not abandoned by the university until 2000.

Another track on Meltdown, "Guilty By Association", one of the original demo songs, includes a jab with an impression in the middle eight at televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. The song "On the Fritz", the title track from Taylor's next studio album, was also targeted at Swaggart. Swaggart later struck back by devoting part of a chapter of Religious Rock 'N' Roll, a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (ISBN 0-935113-05-3) to Taylor, whom he saw as playing evil rock music.^[3]

During a performance at 1984's Cornerstone Festival, Taylor fractured his ankle while jumping off the stage. He finished the summer's tour in an electric wheelchair.^[4]

Taylor followed that release with On the Fritz, produced by Foreigner's Ian McDonald. Fritz was Taylor's first album to use all studio musicians instead of his usual backing group. Some of the musicians who played on this album were George Small, Tony DaVilio, Hugh McCracken, Carmine Rojas, Larry Fast and Allen Childs. Fritz, keeping with Taylor tradition, took aim once again at religious leaders, such as Bill Gothard^[5] ("I Manipulate"), greedy TV evangelists (again) ("You Don't Owe Me Nothing"), politicians using religion or avoiding questions of morality in order to get votes ("It's a Personal Thing"), and public schools teaching "values clarification" to children, asking them to determine who should be thrown overboard in an overcrowded lifeboat ("Lifeboat").

In 1985, Steve received his first Grammy nomination in the "Best Male Gospel Performance" category, while also being nominated for Dove Awards as "Gospel Artist of the Year" and for Meltdown as the "Best Contemporary Album of the Year". Taylor and "Some Band" performed at the Dove Awards ceremonies in Nashville in April of that year, where they were introduced by Pat Boone.

Taylor also recorded a duet with Sheila Walsh, "Not Gonna Fall Away", a tune written and recorded in 1981 by David Edwards. This was released as a 12" single titled Transatlantic Remixes. Taylor and Walsh embarked on the "Transatlantic Tour" which included dates in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Taylor and Walsh also participated in the recording of "Do Something Now", a collaborative effort, similar to "We Are The World", to raise money for Compassion International's famine relief programs in Africa. Other artists participating included Amy Grant, Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, Mylon LeFevre, Steve Camp, Evie, Phil Keaggy, Second Chapter of Acts, Sandi Patti, Bill Gaither, and Rick Cua.

In between performing, recording and touring, Taylor met and married Debbie Butler of Irvine, California. They were married by Taylor's father at a private ceremony in Connecticut. Mrs. Taylor designed the album cover for a compilation on Sparrow, The Best We Could Find (Plus 3 That Never Escaped), as well as some of Taylor's more colorful stage costumes.

In 1987, Taylor once again lived up to his controversial reputation with a song called "I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good". The song criticizes anyone who claims to be a pro-life activist who would blow up abortion clinics or kill doctors. The point of the song was lost on many and resulted in Taylor's album, I Predict 1990, being pulled from the shelves at some Christian record stores. Taylor himself would occasionally call those stores to explain the song to them.^[6] With 1990, Taylor's targets included mainstream Universities ("Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel A Lot Better", featuring fiddle work from Papa John Creech of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna). Other tracks included "Jim Morrison's Grave", which once again brought Taylor some MTV exposure, and the Flannery O'Connor inspired "Harder to Believe Than Not To". Some stores also pulled the album as they thought the cover looked like a Tarot Card.^[6]