Look up strong in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Strong may refer to:

People[link]

• Strong (surname)
• Strong Vincent (1837-1863), Union Army officer who played a major role in the Battle of Gettsyburg

Fictional characters[link]

• Tom Strong, in comic book series
• Captain Strong, in Superman comics series
• Mr. Strong, in Mr. Men book series

In the Homestar Runner web-cartoon series:

• Strong Bad
• Strong Mad
• Strong Sad

Places[link]

• Strong, Arkansas, a city
• Strong Township, Chase County, Kansas
• Strong, Maine, a town
• Strong, Mississippi, an unincorporated community
• Strong River, Mississippi
• Fort Strong, Boston harbor, Massachusetts
• Strong, Ontario, Canada
• Mount Strong, Antarctica
• Strong Peak, Antarctica
• 22622 Strong, an asteroid

Music[link]

• Strong (Tracy Lawrence album)
• Strong (Thomas Anders album)
• Strong (Arrested Development album)
• "Strong" (song) by Robbie Williams

Other[link]

• USS Strong, two United States Navy destroyers
• Strong's Concordance, concordance of the King James Bible
• Strong Memorial Hospital, hospital at University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, USA
• Strong House (disambiguation), various buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Strong Hall (Lawrence, Kansas), an administrative hall of the University of Kansas

See also[link]

• The Strong (disambiguation)
• Strong City (disambiguation)
• Stronger (disambiguation)
• Strength (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

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Luther Vandross
Vandross performing with Diana Ross in New York in 2000
Background information
Birth name	Luther Vandross
Born	(1951-04-20)April 20, 1951 New York, New York, United States
Died	July 1, 2005(2005-07-01) (aged 54) Edison, New Jersey, United States
Genres	R&B, soul, adult contemporary, soft rock, soul jazz, quiet storm
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, Musician, record producer
Years active	1968–2005
Labels	Cotillion, Epic, Virgin, J, Legacy
Associated acts	Change, Chic, Dionne Warwick, Richard Marx, Whitney Houston
Website	luthervandross.com

Luther Vandross (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums^[1] and won eight Grammy Awards^[2] including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times. He won four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for the track "Dance with My Father",^[3] co-written with Richard Marx.

Biography[link]

1951–1979: Early life and career[link]

Luther Vandross was born on April 20, 1951 at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, United States.^[4] He was the fourth child and second son to Mary Ida Vandross and Luther Vandross, Sr.^[4][5]

Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City in the NYCHA Alfred E. Smith Houses public housing development, Vandross began playing the piano at the age of three. He grew up in a musical family that moved to the Bronx when he was thirteen. His sister, Patricia, sang with the vocal group The Crests, who had a number two hit in 1958 with "16 Candles", though she left the group before the recording. Vandross's father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old. Luther Vandross was in a high school group, Shades of Jade, that once played at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. He was also a member of a theater workshop, "Listen My Brother" who released the singles "Only Love Can Make a Better World" and "Listen My Brother", and appeared on the second and fifth episodes of Sesame Street in November 1969.

Vandross attended Western Michigan University for a year before dropping out to continue pursuing a career in music.

His next hit credit was on an album by Roberta Flack in 1972. He was the founder of the first-ever Patti LaBelle fan club. Luther also sang on Delores Hall's Hall-Mark album from 1973. He sang with her on the song "Who's Gonna Make It Easier for Me", which he wrote. He also contributed another song, "In This Lonely Hour." Having co-written "Fascination" for David Bowie's Young Americans, he went on to tour with him as a back-up vocalist in September 1974. Vandross wrote "Everybody Rejoice" for the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz and appeared as a choir member in the movie.

Vandross also sang backing vocals for Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Gary Glitter, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Donna Summer, Bette Midler, Chic, and Barbra Streisand.

Before his breakthrough, Vandross was part of a singing quintet in the late '70s named Luther, consisting of former Shades of Jade members Anthony Hinton and Diane Sumler, Theresa V. Reed, and Christine Wiltshire, signed to Cotillion Records. Although the singles "It's Good for the Soul", "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)", and "The Second Time Around" were relatively successful, their two albums, the self-titled Luther (1976) and This Close to You (1977), didn't sell enough to make the charts. Vandross bought back the rights to these albums after Cotillion dropped the group, preventing their later re-release.

Vandross also wrote and sang commercial jingles during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continued his successful career as a popular session singer during the late 1970s.

In 1978, Luther sang lead vocals for a disco band called Greg Diamond's Bionic Boogie on the song titled "Hot Butterfly." Also in 1978, he appeared on Quincy Jones's Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!, most notably on the song "I'm Gonna Miss You In The Morning" along with Patti Austin. Luther also sang with the band Soirée, where he was the lead vocalist on the track "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", and contributed background vocals to the album along with Jocelyn Brown and Sharon Redd, each of whom also saw solo success. He also sang the lead vocals on the group Mascara LP title song "See You in L.A." released in 1979. Luther shines with his impeccable singing supported by his group's co-members David Lasley and Ula Hedwig. Luther also appeared on the group Charme's 1979 album Let It In, most notably on a remake of Toto's hit single "Georgy Porgy".

1980–2003: Career success[link]

Vandross finally made his long desired career breakthrough as a featured singer with the vaunted pop-dance act Change, a studio concept created by French-Italian businessman Jacques Fred Petrus. Their 1980 hits, "The Glow of Love" (by Romani, Malavasi and Garfield) and "Searching" (by Malavasi), both featuring Vandross as lead singer, opened up the world for Vandross. And there was no doubt about whether Vandross liked the song "The Glow of Love". In an interview that Vibe Magazine did with him in 2001 Vandross said, "This is the most beautiful song I've ever sung in my life." Both songs were from Change's debut album The Glow of Love. Vandross was also originally intended to perform on their second and highly successful album Miracles in 1981, but declined the offer as Petrus didn't pay enough money. Vandross' decision rapidly led to a recording contract with Epic Records that same year but didn't stop him from doing some background vocals on "Miracles" and on the new Petrus created act, The B. B. & Q. band in 1981. During that hectic year Vandross jump-started his second attempt at a solo career with his debut album, Never Too Much. In addition to the hit title track it contained a version of the Burt Bacharach / Hal David song "A House Is Not a Home". The song "Never Too Much", written by himself, reached number-one on the R&B charts. This period also marked the beginning of frequent songwriting collaboration with bassist Marcus Miller, who played on many of the tracks and would also produce or co-produce a number of tracks for Vandross. The Never Too Much album was arranged by high school classmate Nat Adderley, Jr., a collaboration that would last through Vandross's career.^[6]

Vandross released a series of successful R&B albums during the 1980s and continued his session work with guest vocals on groups like Charme in 1982. Many of his earlier albums made a bigger impact on the R&B charts than on the pop charts. During the 1980s, Vandross had two singles that reached #1 on the Billboard R&B charts: "Stop to Love", in 1986, and a duet with Gregory Hines—"There's Nothing Better Than Love."^[7] Vandross was at the helm as producer for Aretha Franklin's Gold-certified, award-winning comeback album Jump to It. He also produced the disappointing follow-up album, 1983's Get It Right. In 1983, the opportunity to work with his main music influence, Dionne Warwick, came about with Vandross producing, writing songs, and singing on How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye, her fourth album for Arista Records. The title track duet reached #27 on the Hot 100 chart (#7 R&B/#4 Adult Contemporary),^[8] while the second single, "Got a Date" was only a moderate hit (#45 R&B/#15 Club Play).

In 1985, Vandross first spotted the talent of Jimmy Salvemini, 15 at the time, on Star Search. He thought Salvemini had the perfect voice for some of his songs. He contacted Salvemini, who was managed by his brother Larry. A contract was negotiated with Elektra records for $250,000 and Vandross agreed to produce the album. Luther even contacted old friends to appear on the album, Cheryl Lynn, Alfa Anderson (Chic), Phoebe Snow and Irene Cara. After the album was completed, Vandross, Jimmy, and Larry decided to celebrate. On January 12, 1986, they were riding in Vandross' convertible Mercedes when it crossed the yellow lines of the two lane street and smashed into two vehicles. All three men were rushed to the hospital. Larry Salvemini died during surgery, and Vandross and Jimmy Salvemini survived. At first, the Salvemini family was supportive of Vandross. In 1986, Vandross faced vehicular manslaughter charges as a result of Larry's death. Vandross pled no contest to reckless driving. The Salvemini family filed a wrongful death suit against Vandross. The case was quietly settled out of court with a payment to the Salvemini family for $700,000. The album called "Roll With It" was released later that year.

Vandross also sings background in Stevie Wonder's 1985 hit "Part Time Lovers".

In 1986, Vandross voiced a cartoon character named Zack for three Saturday morning animated PSA spots for ABC Television called 'Zack of All Trades'.

The 1989 compilation The Best of Luther Vandross... The Best of Love included the ballad "Here and Now", his first single to chart in the Billboard pop chart top ten, peaking at number six. He won his first Grammy award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1991.

In 1990, Vandross wrote and sang background for Whitney Houston in a song entitled "Why Do You Love?" which appeared on her "I'm Your baby Tonight" album. Vandross and Houston had been long time acquantances, probably having met doing sessions in the late 70s and early 80s.

More albums followed in the 1990s, beginning with 1991's Power of Love which spawned two top ten pop hits. He won his second Best Male R&B Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 1992 with the track "Power of Love/Love Power" winning the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in the same year. In 1992, "The Best Things in Life Are Free", a duet with Janet Jackson from the movie Mo' Money became a hit.

In 1993, Vandross had a brief non-speaking role in the Robert Townsend movie The Meteor Man. He played a hit man who plotted to stop Townsend's title character.

Vandross hit the top ten again in 1994, teaming with Mariah Carey on a cover version of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's duet "Endless Love". It was included on the album Songs (Luther Vandross album), a collection of songs which had inspired Vandross over the years. He also appears on Frank Sinatra's posthumous Duets album. At the Grammy Awards of 1997, he won his third Best Male R&B Vocal for the track "Your Secret Love". A second greatest hits album, released in 1997, compiled most of his 1990s hits and was his final album released through Epic Records. After releasing I Know on Virgin Records, he signed with J Records. His first album on Clive Davis's new label, entitled Luther Vandross, was released in 2001, and it produced the hits "Take You Out" (#7 R&B/#26 Pop), and "I'd Rather" (#17 Adult Contemporary/#40 R&B/#83 Pop) Vandross scored at least one top 10 R&B hit every year from 1981-1994.

In 1997, Vandross sang the American national anthem during Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana.

In September 2001, Vandross performed a rendition of Michael Jackson's hit song "Man in the Mirror" at Jackson's 30th Anniversary special, alongside Usher.

In 2002, he gave some of his final concerts during his last tour, The BK Got Soul Tour starring Vandross featuring Angie Stone and Gerald Levert.

In 2003, Vandross released the album Dance with My Father. The title track, which was dedicated to Vandross' memory childhood dances with his father, won Vandross and his co-writer, Richard Marx, the 2004 Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The song also won Vandross his fourth and final award in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category. The album was his first to reach number one on the Billboard album chart. The video for the title track features various celebrities alongside their fathers and other family members. The 2nd single released from that album, "Think About You" was the Number One Urban Adult Contemporary Song of 2004 according to Radio & Records.

In 2003, after the televised NCAA Men's Basketball championship, CBS Sports gave "One Shining Moment" a new look. Vandross, who had been to only one basketball game in his life, was the new singer, and the video didn't have any special effects like glowing basketballs and star trails like it did in previous years. This song version is in use today.^[9]

2003–2005: Illness and death[link]

Vandross suffered from diabetes and hypertension, both of which ran in his family.

On April 16, 2003, Vandross suffered a stroke at his home in Manhattan, New York. At the time of his stroke, he had just finished the final vocals for the album Dance With My Father. His collaborator on the album was pop star Richard Marx, whom Vandross had met in 1989. Vandross appeared briefly on videotape at the 2004 Grammy Awards to accept his Song of the Year Award, where he said, "When I say goodbye it's never for long because I believe in the power of love". Other than an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, he was never seen in public again.

Vandross died on July 1, 2005 at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey at the age of 54. The apparent cause of his death was a heart attack.

His funeral was in New York City on July 8, 2005. After two days of viewing, Vandross was entombed at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey. Much of his estate was left to friends and his godson Mark West.

Voice recognition[link]

In 2008, Vandross was ranked #54 on Rolling Stone magazine's List of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.^[10]

Tribute[link]

In 1999, Whitney Houston sang Vandross' "So Amazing" as a tribute to Vandross as he sat in the audience during the Soul Train Awards. Johnny Gill, El Debarge, and Kenny Lattimore provided background vocals. On July 27, 2004, GRP Records released a smooth jazz various artists tribute album, Forever, For Always, For Luther, with ten popular songs written by Luther. The album featured vocal arrangements by Luther, and was produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner. Rideout had co-authored songs and contributed arrangements and played keyboards on Luther's final three albums. The tribute album was mixed by Ray Bardani, who recorded and mixed most of Luther's music over the years. It featured an ensemble of smooth jazz performers, many of whom had previously worked with Luther.^[11] On September 20, 2005, the album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross was released. The album is a collection of some of Luther's songs performed by various artists, including Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Fantasia, Beyoncé Knowles, Donna Summer, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Babyface, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Angie Stone, Jamie Foxx, Teddy Pendergrass, and Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin won a Grammy for her rendition of "A House Is Not a Home", and Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé won a Grammy for their cover of "So Amazing". The violin duo Nuttin' But Stringz did a remix of the song "Dance with My Father" for their album Struggle from the Subway to the Charts, which was released on October 3, 2006. On November 21, 2006, saxophonist Dave Koz released a followup to the earlier smooth jazz GRP tribute album, this time on his own Rendezvous Entertainment label, an album called Forever, For Always, For Luther Volume II, also produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner. Dave Koz played on all the featured Luther Vandross tracks, which were recorded by various smooth jazz artists.^[12] In 2007, Deniece Williams included "Never Too Much" on her Love, Niecy Style CD. Williams said that she recorded the song to say "I love you" to her old friend. The music video "Bye Bye" from Mariah Carey sees Vandross' picture appear in the closing images. His image was included as a tribute along with various other deceased people with whom Carey had collaborated. On A Different Me, Keyshia Cole sings the outro to "Luther Vandross" on "Playa Cardz Right", which features rapper Tupac Shakur. Guitarist Norman Brown did a rendition of "Any Love" on his 1994 album After The Storm. R&B band 112 sampled Vandross' "Don't You Know That" to make their song "Love Me" on their second album Room 112. Saxophonist Boney James covers his rendition on his final track "The Night I Fell In Love" on Backbone in 1994. Author Craig Seymour wrote a book about Vandross called Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross. The book includes numerous interviews with Vandross. In 2009, Jadakiss sampled Vandross' "Promise Me" to make his song "The Things I've Been Through" on his album, "The Last Kiss". In 1998, well-known guitarist Peter White covered the Vandross song "Don't Want to Be a Fool", from the album Perfect Moment. In November 2006, Korean singer K included a cover of the Vandross song "Every Year, Every Christmas" on his Christmas single, ファースト・クリスマス ("First Christmas"), released in Japan. It was also later added to his tribute album, The Timeless Collection Vol. 1. In 2010, NPR included Vandross in its 50 Greatest Voices in recorded history, saying Vandross represents "the platinum standard for R&B song stylings." The announcement was made on NPR's All Things Considered on November 29, 2010. In late 2010, rapper Battman D.E. GannaBanna sampled Vandross' "Make Me A Believer" for his song "Wanna Luv U" on his debut album The World Is A MothaF**kin' Ghetto. Hip-hop duo Young Gunz featuring Rell sampled Vandross' "Better Love" to the make the song "No Better Love" on their 2004 Roc-A-Fella Records debut album, Tough Luv. Jacob Lusk performed "Dance With My Father" on American Idol season 10 as a tribute to his late father Gregory Lusk and as a tribute to Vandross on April 20, 2011. Smooth jazz urban saxophonist Alfonzo Blackwell covered the song on his 2001 Reflections CD, just two months after Vandross' self-titled release. Teddy Riley's protege rapper Queen Pen has been sampled on her song "All My Love" which based on Vandross' song of the same name that was produced by Riley on her 1997 debut release, My Melody. Other tribute artists include FiL Straughan, a singer based in London and New York, and Harry Cambridge.

New releases[link]

J Records released a song "Shine"—an upbeat R&B track that samples Chic's disco song "My Forbidden Lover"—reaching #31 on the R&B chart. The song was originally slated to be released on the soundtrack to the movie The Fighting Temptations, but it was shelved. This is evidenced by a reference to "fighting temptation" in two of the verses. A later remix of the song peaked at #10 on the Club Play chart. "Shine" and a track entitled "Got You Home" were previously unreleased songs on The Ultimate Luther Vandross, a greatest hits album on Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings that was released August 22, 2006.

On October 16, 2007, Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings released a 4 disc box set entitled Love, Luther. It features all of Vandross' R&B and pop hits throughout his career, as well as unreleased live tracks, alternate versions and outtakes from sessions that Vandross recorded. The set also includes "There's Only You", a version of which had originally appeared on the soundtrack to the 1987 film Made in Heaven.^[13]

Discography[link]

Tours[link]

• Forever Tour (1982)
• Give Me The Reason Tour (1987)
• Best of Love Tour (1990)
• The Power of Love Tour (1991)
• Songs Tour (1994)
• Your Secret Love Tour (1997)
• The BK Got Soul Tour (2002)

Awards[link]

See also[link]

• Luther Burger
• Craig Seymour

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Luther Vandross
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• Official site
• Remembering Luther Vandross
• Luther Vandross at Allmusic
• Luther Vandross at the Internet Movie Database
• Luther Vandross at Find A Grave

v t e Luther Vandross Studio albums Never Too Much Forever, For Always, For Love Busy Body The Night I Fell in Love Give Me the Reason Any Love Power of Love Never Let Me Go Songs This Is Christmas Your Secret Love I Know Luther Vandross Dance with My Father Compilation albums The Best of Luther Vandross... The Best of Love One Night with You: The Best of Love, Volume 2 Love Is on the Way Always & Forever: The Classics Greatest Hits Smooth Love The Ultimate Luther Vandross Stop to Love The Very Best of Love The Essential Luther Vandross Artist Collection Love, Luther Lovesongs Other albums Live Radio City Music Hall 2003 Luther (the Luther Band) This Close to You (the Luther Band) The Glow of Love (Change) Notable singles "Never Too Much" "If This World Were Mine" (with Cheryl Lynn) "Since I Lost My Baby" "Superstar"/"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" (medley) "Give Me the Reason" "Stop to Love" "There's Nothing Better Than Love" (with Gregory Hines) "Any Love" "Here and Now" "Power of Love/Love Power" (medley) "The Best Things in Life Are Free" (with Janet Jackson) "Endless Love" (with Mariah Carey) "Love the One You're With" / "Going in Circles" "Always and Forever" "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" "Dance with My Father" "Buy Me a Rose" "The Closer I Get to You" (with Beyoncé) "Shine" Related articles Luther Vandross discography Change (band) Forever, for Always, for Luther So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross Forever, For Always, For Luther Volume II Book:Luther Vandross

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)

Phil Ivey
Ivey at the Million Euro Challenge
Nickname(s)	The Tiger Woods of Poker No Home Jerome
Residence	Las Vegas, Nevada
Born	(1976-02-01) February 1, 1976 (age 36)
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)	8
Final table(s)	22
Money finish(es)	42
Highest ITM Main Event finish	7th, 2009
World Poker Tour
Title(s)	1
Final table(s)	9
Money finish(es)	13
European Poker Tour
Title(s)	None
Final table(s)	1
Money finish(es)	2
Information accurate as of 28 February 2012.

Phillip Dennis "Phil" Ivey Jr.^[1] (born February 1, 1976) is an American professional poker player who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables. Ivey is regarded by numerous poker observers and contemporaries as the best all-around player in the world today.^[2][3][4]

Poker[link]

Ivey first began to develop his poker skills by playing against co-workers at a New Brunswick, New Jersey telemarketing firm in the late 1990s. One of his nicknames, "No Home Jerome", stems from the ID card he secured to practice in Atlantic City, New Jersey in his teenage years.^[5] His other nickname is 'the Tiger Woods of Poker'.^[6]

Live poker[link]

Tournaments[link]

As of 2012^[update], his total live tournament winnings exceed $16,000,000.^[7] $5,294,840 of his total winnings have come from cashes at the WSOP. He is currently ranked 2nd on the all time money list behind Erik Seidel.^[8]

World Series of Poker[link]

Ivey's tournament accomplishments include winning three bracelets at the 2002 World Series of Poker, tying Phil Hellmuth Jr, Ted Forrest, and Puggy Pearson for most tournament wins in a single year (Jeff Lisandro has also since tied the record).^[9] Ivey also has bracelets in Pot Limit Omaha from 2000 and 2005. In 2000, he was the first person to defeat Amarillo Slim heads-up at a WSOP final table.^[10] In addition to his eight World Series bracelets, Ivey has had great success in the WSOP Main Event. He placed in the top 25 four times between the 2002 World Series of Poker and the 2009 World Series of Poker. Ivey finished 23rd in 2002, 10th in 2003, 20th in 2005 and 7th in 2009.

In 2009, Ivey won his 6th bracelet in the $2,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Event of the 2009 WSOP. He defeated a field of 147 players to catch his bracelet. He won a very long heads-up battle against John Monette. He then proceeded to win another bracelet in the $2,500 1/2 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 1/2 Omaha Hi/Lo event besting a field of 376 people. He defeated Ming Lee heads-up. While winning the $2,500 1/2 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo - 1/2 Omaha Hi/Lo event he also managed to place 22nd in the $5000 Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-or-better despite only playing during the breaks in the Stud/Omaha event.

In the 2010 World Series of Poker, Ivey received the most votes for the Tournament of Champions.^[11]

At the 2010 WSOP Ivey won his eighth bracelet in the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event in a final table made up of other notable players, which included Bill Chen (2nd), John Juanda (3rd), Jeff Lisandro (5th) and Chad Brown (8th).^[12]

Between 2002 and 2009, Ivey finished among the top 25 players in the Main Event four times, in fields ranging in size from 600 entrants to just under 7000.^{[citation needed]} Ivey finished 10th in the 2003 WSOP Main Event (one place short of the final table), and 7th in 2009. In 2009 his A♣ K♠ lost to Darvin Moon's A♦ Q♠ when a queen paired Moon on the flop; he ended with winnings of $1,404,002.

With eight World Series of Poker bracelets, Ivey is currently tied with Erik Seidel for the fifth most of all-time. Also, at age 34, he was the youngest player to ever win eight (Phil Hellmuth was 39). In addition, no other player has accumulated eight bracelets more quickly; it took Ivey only ten years from the time of his first bracelet to his eighth (Johnny Moss took 11 years). He is also the all-time record holder for most bracelets won in non-Holdem events, with all 8 of his victories coming in non-Holdem events. His 2010 win gave him the lead over Billy Baxter.

On May 31, 2011, Ivey announced he will not be playing in the 2011 WSOP: "I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot... until a solution is reached that cements the security of all players, both US and International, I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment."^[13]

World Poker Tour[link]

Ivey has also reached nine final tables on the World Poker Tour. He has lost several of these WPT events by being eliminated while holding the same starting hand each time, an ace and a queen. Nine out of the twelve times Phil Ivey has cashed in a WPT event, he has also made the television final table. During the sixth season of the WPT in February 2008, Ivey made the final table at the LA Poker Classic at Commerce Casino that included Phil Hellmuth and Nam Le, eventually capturing the $1,596,100 first prize and putting an end to his streak of seven WPT final tables without a victory. Ivey has earned close to three million dollars in WPT cashes. Ivey made his debut on the European Poker Tour in Barcelona, September 2006. He came to the final table of nine as the chipleader, but he eventually came in second to Bjørn-Erik Glenne from Norway.

Other notable tournaments[link]

In 2006, Ivey was enticed to London to participate in The London All Star Challenge of the inaugural European Poker Masters. Not only Europe's first-ever independent poker tour, the EPM boasted the best lineup of players ever seen in Europe. As one of the favorites, Ivey made it to the final table to finish seventh, and collected £6,700 ($12,534). In November 2005, Ivey won the $1,000,000 first prize at the Monte Carlo Millions tournament. Just one day after, Ivey took home another $600,000 for finishing first at "The FullTiltPoker.Net Invitational Live from Monte Carlo". His six opponents were (in reverse finishing order) Mike Matusow, Phil Hellmuth, Gus Hansen, Chris Ferguson, Dave Ulliott, and John Juanda.

On the January 22, 2007 airing of NBC's Poker After Dark, Ivey won the $120,000 winner-take-all "Earphones Please" tournament by eliminating Mike Matusow, Tony G, Andy Bloch, Phil Hellmuth and Sam Farha. On the April 15, 2007 airing of NBC's "National Heads-Up Poker Championship", Ivey was defeated by actor Don Cheadle. The loss marked the third consecutive year Ivey had been eliminated in the first round from this tournament. His streak ended in 2008, when he advanced to the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Chris Ferguson. Phil Ivey took part in seasons three and six of GSN's High Stakes Poker.

On January 29, 2012 Ivey won the Aussie Millions A$250,000 High-roller event, defeating Patrik Antonius heads-up for a prize of A$2,000,000, at the time placing him 2nd in the all-time career tournament earnings. Ivey had also placed 12th at the Aussie Millions main event for a prize of A$100,000.^[14]

Cash games[link]

Ivey is a regular participant in the $4,000-$8,000 mixed cash game at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas (often referred to as the Big Game). In February 2006, he played heads-up Limit Texas Hold'em versus Texas billionaire Andy Beal. With stakes at $25,000/$50,000 and $50,000/$100,000, Ivey won over $16,000,000 over the course of three days, during a heads up match at The Wynn Resort. Ivey was playing for "The Corporation", a group of poker professionals who pooled their money and took turns playing against Beal. Earlier in the month, Beal had beaten the Corporation out of over $13,000,000.

Online poker[link]

Ivey was part of the original design team for Full Tilt Poker. In May 2011, Ivey filed a lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada claiming Full Tilt had breached his contract. The suit asked for damages in excess $150,000,000, as well as for him to be released from his contract with the company.^[15] Ivey voluntarily withdrew the suit on June 30.^[16]

According to HighStakesDB.com, Phil Ivey earned $1.99 million on FullTilt in 2007, $7.34 million in 2008, $6.33 million in 2009 and $3 million in 2010.^[17]

Personal life[link]

Ivey was born in Riverside, California and moved to Roselle, New Jersey when he was three months old.^[18]

Ivey resides in Las Vegas. In December 2009, Ivey and his wife, Luciaetta, filed a joint petition for divorce after seven years of marriage. The divorce was granted on December 29, 2009.^[19]

Ivey is a Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and Buffalo Bills fan and can often be seen wearing basketball jerseys. Ivey's hobbies include video games, prop betting and golf. He participated in the inaugural World Series of Golf, where he finished in third place.

Philanthropy[link]

Ivey has given money to a number of charitable causes.^[20] In March 2008, Ivey donated $50,000 to Empowered 2 Excel, a Las Vegas charity for underprivileged children, and later that week created the Budding Ivey Foundation, a non-profit organization to continue the work of his grandfather, Leonard "Bud" Simmons.^[21] The foundation raised $260,000 (mostly for Empowered 2 Excel) at a July 3, 2008 charity poker tournament,^[22] and is also involved in children's literacy projects and programs to feed the homeless.^[23]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Phil Ivey

• Official site
• Full Tilt Poker profile