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Phil Keaggy
is an excellent all-around guitarist who has been a part of the CCM
scene for over two decades. Born and raised in Ohio in a Catholic family
of ten, Keaggy always loved music and spent hours listening to such
singers as Johnny Ray and Elvis Presley. He began imitating the latter
as young as age four. Keaggy was also exposed to other kinds of music
and became well versed in classical. His first guitar was a late-'50s
Gretsch Anniversary model; at age ten his father bought him a Sears
Silvertone, and by the end of fifth grade, he was playing in front of
his entire school.
Three years later, Keaggy was playing professionally with the Squires.
He and his longtime friend, drummer John Sferra, founded Glass Harp
in the late '60s when he was in the eleventh grade. They soon became
known as one of the most innovative power trios around, even though
they were never together long enough to break through commercially.
They had a contract with Decca, toured the country several times, and
had a growing base of devoted fans, many of whom were knocked out by
Keaggy's lightning-fast guitar riffs and experimental sounds. At their
pinnacle, Glass Harp was opening for such major acts as Iron Butterfly,
Yes, Traffic and Chicago.
It was a lot of fame to be heaped upon such young musicians, and it
being the late '60s, Keaggy was exposed to and partook of his share
of drugs. His life changed dramatically on February 14, 1970. While
lying in a hotel room suffering from a bad LSD trip, his parents were
involved in a head-on auto crash back in Ohio. His mother died soon
afterward, and this spawned a crisis for Keaggy that led to his becoming
a born-again Christian. In the early '70s, Keaggy took to testifying
before bewildered Glass Harp listeners after their concerts.
He left Glass Harp in 1972 and the following year recorded his first
solo album, What a Day. He then spent many years working with a Christian
fellowship and married. Since then, Keaggy has released well over a
dozen albums earning critical acclaim for both his virtuosity on guitar
and his songwriting, which ranges from the Beatlesque pop of Sunday's
Child to more subtle intrumentals. He occasionally gets back together
with the other members of Glass Harp for reunion concerts, and in 1998
he returned to the Word/Epic stable with a self-titled LP. Majesty and
Wonder.
This
bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
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