Retro Insider - "Phil Keaggy"

 * Listen to the podcast to the Retro Insider’s bio of Steve Keaggy with Parker on the right hand side of the blog!

Next we will examine the career of a man who likely needs three shows to cover adequately.  He is recognized on both the Christian and mainstream markets as one of the best finger picking guitarists in the world.  He has over 50 albums to his name and his name is Phil Keaggy.
Phil was born into a family of nine siblings in Ohio in 1951.   At age 4, he lost his middle finger on his right hand while operating a water hand pump.  In the 1960s, Phil was part of several bands including Glass Harp.  During this decade, he admits to drug use, including LSD.  On Valentine’s Day, 1970, after his mother had been in a car accident, Phil Keaggy became a Christian.  At this time, Glass Harp’s music began to reflect Phil’s new faith.  Then in 1973, he released his first solo album.
In 1973, Phil married Bernadette and took a break from recording.  In 1976, he recorded his Love Broke Thru album, a classic, #64 on CCM’s best of all time Christian albums (published in 2001).   In 1978, he released the instrumental album, The Master and the Musician, his best selling record ever.  Then in 1984, Keaggy and Randy Stonehill recorded the duet, “Who Will Save the Children,” which became the theme song for Compassion International.  Both artists remain involved with this organization.  In 1987, he released his second instrumental album, The Wind and the Wheat, for which he received a Dove award, and in  1989, he teamed with Stonehill, Russ Taff, Rick Cua, Mark Heard, Steve Taylor, and others to record Sundays Child.
In 1990, Keaggy released a rock album, Find Me in these Fields, for which he received a Grammy nomination.  In 1992, he released Beyond Nature, a landmark acoustic instrumental album, and then in 1995, Guitar Player magazine reader voted Keaggy, the #2  Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist.  There have even been rumours circulated that Jimi Hendrix once called Keaggy the best guitar player ever.  Also in 1995, he released one of his best selling records, True Believer, #1 on the Christian charts.
In 1997, Glass Harp performed at Cleveland’s Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, then Keaggy opened the new century with Re-Emerging, a reunion of the Phil Keaggy band.   2002 saw the release of a hymns album, Hymnsongs and in 2006, Keaggy released 3 acoustic albums.  Most recently in 2007, Keaggy was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and in 2008, Acoustic Guitar Magazine gave him the Gold Level award.  To this day, Phil Keaggy continues to tour and record regularly.

For more information, check out his website at www.philkeaggy.com.