Phil Keaggy

Phil Tyler Keaggy 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.

Playing the guitar since he was ten, Phil gained national fame in the power trio, Glass Harp, who released their first album in 1970. 1970 was also the year Phil became a Christian, and three years later in 1973 he released his first solo album (What A Day). Over the years Phil's recorded output has embraced a multitude of styles from pop to rock to blues to classical to jazz. He also has made guest appearances on many other artists' recordings. He is often referred to as the greatest guitarist on the planet due to his virtuosity of the instrument, especially the acoustic guitar. He mainly tours as a solo act, but also tours from time to time with his old band, Glass Harp, who released the album, Hourglass in 2003. In 2004, Phil released a live concert DVD from a performance in Philadelphia, PA, and in 2005, a DVD was released of a concert with Phil and Randy Stonehill. In 2007, in a poll conducted by the rock magazine Rolling Stone, Phil placed #25 in the "The Top Twenty-Five Most Underrated Guitarists" list.

As a solo artist, Phil has recorded more than 50 albums, crossing generes from rock to contemplative. Many of his albums are instrumental projects. A prolific artist, Phil records many of his albums in his home studio.

Phil became a Christian in February 1970, a week after his mother was killed in an auto accident. This followed a very dark time in his life, a time filled with drugs, fear, and isolation. By 1971, however, Phil's new found faith was beginning to surface in the music of Glass Harp, who was now opening for bands such as The Kinks, Iron Butterfly, Yes, Grand Funk Railroad, and Chicago. Glass Harp became known as a jam band, with many live performances lasting over 30 minutes. In 1972, Keaggy would leave the band, because "although we enjoyed playing together... spiritually we were going in different directions."

1973 marked a new beginning for Phil, as he married his witve Bernadette and also released his first solo album What a Day. He also took a break from his solo career and only toured to support bands like 2nd Chapter of Acts, Love Song, Paul Clark, and Nancy Honeytree.

Keaggy returned to the studio in 1976 and released Love Broke Thru, the title track of which was later made popular by Keith Green and Randy Stonehill. This album would go on to be listed in CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. Later, in 1978, Phil released his first instrumental album, The Master and the Musician, which would go on to be the best-selling album of his career.

During the 1980's, Phil would release ten albums including The Wind and the Wheat, a "new age" style instrumental album and Sunday's Child, a Beatle-esque project with Randy Stonehill, Russ Taff, Rick Cua, Derri Daugherty, Mark Heard, and Steve Taylor.

The early 90's saw Keaggy focusing on the rock side of his career with Find Me In These Fields, Crimson and Blue, and Revelator. Many of these projects saw Phil team up once again with his friends from Glass Harp. He also released his third instrumental album, Beyond Nature which reflected a more Celtic-influenced sound. in 1997 Glass Harp was featured in a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit showcasing the music of Cleveland, Ohio. Phil played several concerts at the museum during the following years.

Keaggy continues to be an innovative music maker, and still tours extensively.