He has over 30 releases, played on hundreds of sessions and is highly regarded not only as a top notch musician and humble guy, but also as a respected man of God. Who is this guy? Phil Keaggy. You are asking yourself again, “Who??” Chances are, unless you have been listening to Contemporary Christian Music you have never even heard the name. He has been voted top fingerstyle guitar player in Guitar Player Magazine and recently won the Instrumentalist of the year Award in Nashville along with numerous other highly regarded awards.

Phil’s music career began in Ohio where his 70’s rock band Glass Harp had been opening for the likes of Yes, Grand Funk and the Kinks. He also played on a rare solo album by Joe Vitale with fellow Ohioans Joe Walsh and Rick Derringer. Phil’s style is ever changing. His music has run the full spectrum from classical, jazz, pop, and Celtic. He has done numerous solo instrumental releases and his vocal albums have a Beatles flavor about them as well. Phil is currently working on a 4 CD set called “MUSIC TO PAINT BY” that should be out by years end in local Target stores. There is also a new vocal release due out in September of 1998 and a Christmas album is also in the works. Does this guy ever stop?

His live shows have to be seen to truly appreciate his God given talent. He taps chords and does percussive fills while ripping frets off his OLSON and ZION guitars. His solo acoustic shows are highlighted with some mind boggling Jam Man effects and he will also tour with a band. He plays off the cuff and off the top of his head as his shows are filled with on the spot improvisations. He is a real person, sharing his life stories and God’s grace from the stage. If the mood hits, he does a great Jerry Lewis impersonation and always has a great sense of humor. His singing voice is reminiscent of Paul McCartney at times. This Phil guy does more with 9 fingers than most guitarists can do with 10 (he is missing a middle finger on his right hand). His most recent tour was with Wes King and Scott Dente as sort of a Christian “G-3” tour. To see where Phil is playing check here

For a taste of Phil’s music try these releases:

• 220 – electric instrumental.
  220 derives its name from the amount of voltage that surges through most things electric. Perhaps Keaggy’s own inner pulsating
  energy is what has driven him to create an album of such diverse musical styles. 220 includes almost every type of music: pop,
  rock, blues, classical, country, folk, and even Celtic. Yet, there is something distinctly Southern about the entire project. Perhaps
  the smooth, relaxed rhythm of each song is responsible for the album’s overall Southern flavor.

• Beyond Nature – acoustic instrumental

• Crimson and Blue and True Believers – both pop/rock vocal releases

• Time Vol I and II- an anthology of Phil’s career and has several
  previously unreleased tracks.

Phil’s Equipment

Phil plays 3 main electric guitars, a 71 Gibson Deluxe, a 64 Fender Strat, and a strat-like Zion. He also plays Olson acoustics.

His main amplifiers are a Vox AC30 and a Fender Deluxe.

PHIL KEAGGY AND MIKE PLAY ZION GUITARS, VOX AMPS AND MUSIC FOR THE KING OF
KINGS….JESUS CHRIST!

“If a President of the United States ever lied to the
American people he should resign.”…

— Bill Clinton in 1974, at the height of Watergate…

Thanks for that, Mikey! – Ed.

And from All-Music Guide:

Phil Keaggy is an excellent all-around guitarist who has been a
part of the Contemporary Christian Music (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. —

Sandra Brennan, All-Music Guide