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 apparently considered Joe Walsh as lead guitarist. Walsh would later establish himself as guitarist for the James Gang before embarking on a solo career and working with 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. John Carazino then briefly served as bassist,[1] after which Keaggy and Sferra recruited bass player Daniel Pecchio. Pecchio, formerly of the band The Poppy, was also a flautist, a talent that would later be showcased on a few of 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.
1970–1973
The band quickly found a following in the thriving music scene of Northeast Ohio, particularly alongside contemporaries such as The James Gang. Glass Harp were especially popular at the legendary JB's in Kent, Ohio, playing to packed houses during the volatile days surrounding the anti-war demonstrations at Kent State University.
With their latest demos having found the ears of Grammy Award-winning producer Lewis Merenstein, Glass Harp began work on their first album for the Decca label in the fall of 1970. The eponymous debut album and two subsequent studio albums were recorded in Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios with Merenstein as producer.
Following the release of their 1970 debut album with guest John Cale on viola, Glass Harp soon began getting more high-profile opening spots for some of the biggest bands of the day, such as Alice Cooper, Chicago, Yes, Traffic, Humble Pie, and Grand Funk Railroad, among many others.
Contrary to the tight production and song-oriented nature of their studio albums, the band's live shows at the time demonstrated Glass Harp's ability to stretch out and expand the boundaries of their compositions. While Glass Harp could be classed among the progressive rock bands of the era, they were in fact 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.[2]
By 1971, Glass Harp became one of the most popular (if not one of the highest-paid) groups in Northeast Ohio.[3] This led to both supporting and headlining shows nationally from The Fillmore East to The Winterland Ballroom. On November 21, 1971,[4] the band played an opening spot for The Kinks at New York City's prestigious Carnegie Hall, receiving a thunderous ovation at the end of their hour-long set. This performance was released as the Live At Carnegie Hall album in 1997.[5]
1972 would be a pivotal year for the group. Having recently released a second album (Synergy) Glass Harp were asked to perform a live concert on PBS in February. This broadcast would become groundbreaking in that it was one of the first to be simulcast on both television and the then-nascent FM radio. While an off-air recording of this performance was heavily bootlegged on video for decades, the master tape was later located and subsequently released on DVD as Circa 72 2006.[6]
On August 6, 1972 (shortly before their third studio album It Makes Me Glad was released) Phil Keaggy played his final show with Glass Harp at My Father's Place, Roslyn, New York[7] before embarking on a solo career. Having already written Christian-themed lyrics throughout his time in Glass Harp, Keaggy found an audience in the burgeoning Jesus music scene, and later achieved worldwide fame as both a songwriter and instrumentalist as it evolved into Contemporary Christian Music.
With a tour of East Coast colleges and universities having already been booked for September 1972 in support of It Makes Me Glad, Sferra and Pecchio replaced Keaggy with guitarist Tim Burks.[8][9] In April 1973,[10] violinist Randy Benson (formerly of Tiny Alice[11]) was added to the lineup. The music of the four-piece lineup took on a more progressive edge, similar to King Crimson and The Moody Blues (while studio and live radio broadcast recordings exist[12] from this period, they remain officially unreleased as of 2012). This brief incarnation of the group lasted into October 1973, when they reverted to the trio of Sferra/Pecchio/Burks following Benson's departure.[13] Their last known concert before disbanding was on December 2, 1973 at Norwalk High School, Norwalk, Ohio.[14] All three members immediately moved on to other projects. Sferra and Burks formed the short-lived group Hartship in 1974,[3] while Pecchio became a founding member of the popular Michael Stanley Band.
1981–1997
In April 1981, Glass Harp reunited when Sferra and Pecchio made surprise appearances at two consecutive Phil Keaggy solo concerts in Ohio (Cleveland's Masonic Auditorium on April 10, and Akron's Civic Theatre on April 11).[15] Sferra and Pecchio would make a similar appearance at a Keaggy solo concert in Akron in 1986, before an official Glass Harp reunion show occurred at the Akron Civic Theatre on December 27, 1988[16]
In 1993, John Sferra joined Phil Keaggy's band on the Crimson and Blue tour.[17] At the tour's November 13 stop in Akron, OH (again at the Civic Theatre), Daniel Pecchio again joined with Keaggy/Sferra to perform several Glass Harp songs.
In January 1997, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, opened an exhibit called "My Town." Because the exhibit focused on Cleveland's rock and roll history, Glass Harp were invited to give a special performance and Q&A session at the Museum in April 1997[18] Currently, Glass Harp is represented in the Museum's ongoing "Cleveland Rocks" exhibit.[19][20]
On May 23–24, 1997, Glass Harp performed two consecutive sold-out concerts at the Civic Theatre in Akron, OH.[21]
2000–2009
On October 22, 2000[22] Glass Harp gave a sold out performance in their hometown of Youngstown, Ohio at Powers Auditorium. Joining the band for the occasion was conductor Isaiah Jackson and members of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. The following year saw the commercial release of the reunion concert in the form of the live double 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."
In the summer of 2003, the group released Hourglass, their first new studio album in 31 years. Well received by fans and critics alike, the album drew on various musical styles that demonstrated Glass Harp's many influences and individual talents. In October, Glass Harp made a second appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, again featuring a performance and a Q&A moderated by Rock Hall curator James Henke.[23]
In 2004 the band went on a short U.S. tour in support of their triple-live album Stark Raving Jams (a collection of various live instrumental and improvisational material from throughout their career). The album/tour served to successfully re-introduce Glass Harp into the jam band scene, in which they are now considered a pioneering group.
In 2004, guitarists Greg Martin (of the Kentucky Headhunters) and Rick Derringer joined Glass Harp on stage at the Dallas International Guitar Festival.[24] Martin again appeared with Glass Harp at the same festival in 2006.[24]
Glass Harp's original Decca studio albums were re-issued on CD in 2005 by Music Mill Entertainment (having first been released on CD in 1993 by Line Records in Germany before quickly going out of print). These releases were remastered with bonus tracks and updated liner notes. As of early 2012, the three Glass Harp titles on Music Mill have gone out of print,[25] and are not yet available for digital purchase.
In 2009, Sferra and Pecchio teamed up with Keaggy, Randy Stonehill and guitarist Mike Pachelli as "The Keaggy-Stonehill Band" and played a few dates in support of Keaggy and Stonehill's album Mystery Highway.
During the 2000s, Glass Harp's touring groups included (at various times) diverse instrumentation such as trumpets, trombones, saxophones, mandolins and violins. Most frequently, the band is joined by keyboardist Chris Queen, formerly of the Athens, Georgia, funk band Mr. Tibbs (a group which also included Ted Pecchio, Daniel Pecchio's son, on bass).[26][deprecated source]
2010–present
On March 27, 2010, Glass Harp released Live at the Beachland Ballroom 11.01.08. The album was more experimental and free-form in nature than previous Glass Harp recordings, and includes extended versions of older material bridged together by the nearly-sixteen-minute "Beachland Jam".[27] 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."[28]
In March 2011 Glass Harp's post-Decca catalog was released on iTunes, and many other streaming/digital services.[29]
On May 7, 2011, guitarist Neil Zaza joined Glass Harp for two songs during their concert at Cleveland's Beachland Ballroom.[30][31]
In March 2012 Keaggy, Sferra and Pecchio performed four concerts in the Eastern U.S. billed as "The Phil Keaggy Band" rather than "Glass Harp".[32][33][34]
Glass Harp remain semi-active as of 2016[update], performing one-off headlining shows and short tours. In addition, Daniel Pecchio and John Sferra occasionally appear with Phil Keaggy for an electric set during the guitarist's solo performances in or around Ohio. In an August 2012 interview, Keaggy said "Especially this past year I've gotten extra comfortable playing with Glass Harp, we've been lifelong friends. We really love each other as friends and brothers."[35]
Discography
"Where Did My World Come From?"/"She Told Me" 1969 (single). Available for free mp3 download at the band's website
Philip Tyler Keaggy is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 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-two "finger-style" and "finger-picking" guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers' polls, and due to his complex and virtuosic playing, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with KK's Priest, Spirits of Fire, the Three Tremors and A New Revenge. He first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest and then Iced Earth. He took the nickname "Ripper" from the Judas Priest song "The Ripper" during his time in the tribute band British Steel.
Christine Ellen Hynde is an American-British musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band The Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alongside drummer Martin Chambers. She is the only continuous member of the band, appearing on every studio album.
James Gang was an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh, Tom Kriss (bass) and Jim Fox (drums). Dale Peters replaced Kriss on bass for the band's second and third albums. Two of the band's songs, "Funk #49" and "Walk Away", continue to be popular on classic rock and AOR stations.
O.A.R. is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, and saxophonist/guitarist Jerry DePizzo. Touring members include trumpet player Jon Lampley and keyboardist Mikel Paris. Together, the band has released ten studio albums. The band is well known for their live shows and extensive summer touring; they have released six live records, with the latest release, Live From Merriweather, in November 2019. Four of the band members grew up in Rockville, Maryland, and attended Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School. After graduating, they went on to study at Ohio State University, where they met the fifth member, saxophonist/guitarist Jerry DePizzo from Youngstown, Ohio.
Jason Truby is an American guitarist. He began his career in 1989 with Living Sacrifice as lead guitarist. He was also a member of P.O.D., but has also performed with Phil Keaggy, David Beegle, Ashley Cleveland and her husband Kenny Greenberg, and was a guest performer with Phil Keaggy's band Glass Harp at the First Annual Denver Guitar Festival.
Michael Stanley was an American singer-songwriter, musician, radio and television personality. As a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band (MSB), and Michael Stanley and the Resonators (MS&R) his brand of heartland rock was popular in Cleveland, Ohio, and around the American Midwest in the 1970s and 1980s.
The All Saved Freak Band was one of the earliest influences in what has since become a distinct sub-category of Rock and Roll, Contemporary Christian Music. Broadcasting their first recorded songs on WREO radio in Ashtabula County, Ohio, in the fall of 1968, ASFB joined Larry Norman and the California group, Agape, as one of the original "pioneers" of Jesus music, birthed in that same year.
The Agora Theatre and Ballroom is a music venue located in Cleveland, Ohio.
Revelator is the title of a 1993 EP by guitarist Phil Keaggy, released as a "sneak peek" at his next full-length album, Crimson and Blue.
Crimson and Blue is the 1993 album by guitarist Phil Keaggy, released on Myrrh Records.
Blue is a 1994 album by American guitarist Phil Keaggy, released on Epic Records. Blue was released in the mainstream market simultaneously with Keaggy's album, Crimson and Blue, which was geared to the Christian market. The most significant differences are the inclusion of three different songs and the exclusion of five songs from Crimson and Blue In addition, several of the tracks on Blue are reworked.
It Makes Me Glad was an album released by Glass Harp in 1972. It would be the last studio album released by the band until Hourglass in 2003.
Neil Zaza is an American guitarist known for his instrumental rock compositions as well as his adaptation of classical works by Bach and Mozart into his own blend of neo-classical, melodic, guitar instrumentals.
Tin Huey is an American experimental rock and new wave band from Akron, Ohio, United States, that formed in 1972 and disbanded in 1982.
This is a listing of official releases by Phil Keaggy, an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist.
Jonah Koslen is an American singer-songwriter and musician best known for his work with the Michael Stanley Band and Breathless in the 1970s and 1980s.
Glass Harp is the debut album by American rock band Glass Harp. It was released in 1970 on Decca Records. The album was produced by Lewis Merenstein and engineered by Ron Johnsen at Electric Lady Studios.
Marc Lee Shannon is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and author from Akron, Ohio who was a member of Michael Stanley’s band the Resonators for more than 25 years. A person in long-term recovery, he is an advocate for people with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and Mental Health Issues (MHI).
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