He is frequently listed as one of the top fingerstyle guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers' polls, but he is equally at home on electric guitar. Keaggy is noted for crowd-pleasing solo live performances where he makes extensive use of recording live layers of loops to accompany himself. To do this he uses only an acoustic guitar but is able to create electric sounds.
Keaggy began performing professionally in the late 60s with drummer John Sferra. The two friends, with the addition of bassist Dan Pecchio, formed Glass Harp in 1968.
A major turning point for the trio was winning an Ohio area's "Battle of the Bands." One of event's judges happened to be an associate of the celebrated producer Lewis Merenstein, who was alerted about the hot young threesome. At the time, Merenstein was fresh from producing albums for many successful artists including The Spencer Davis Group, Turley Richards and Van Morrison's Moondance (Merenstein produced Astral Weeks as well) and had just been voted Producer of the Year by Rolling Stone. Merenstein was persuaded to fly down from New York to see what the fuss was all about.
Upon hearing the band perform, Merenstein was so inspired that Decca Records signed Glass Harp to a multi-record deal. A short time later, the band found itself in New York's Greenwich Village recording its first album at Jimi Hendrix' Electric Ladyland Studio with Lewis Merenstein as producer.
As a Decca Records artist, the band began to open for such artists as Iron Butterfly, Yes, Traffic, and Chicago.[1] At one point, future James Gang guitarist Joe Walsh was being considered to join New Hudson Exit (the band Phil Keaggy was in prior to the formation of Glass Harp) but the other members of the band felt Walsh's style was too dynamic.
Years later, Amboy Dukes guitar player Ted Nugent was quoted as saying "I don't know what happened to that Phil Keaggy, he could have saved the world with his guitar" in Guitar Player Magazine.
On Valentine's Day in 1970, Keaggy's mother was involved in a fatal car accident. He was heavily involved in drugs at the time, and that same day was badly hurt by an LSD trip. In the midst of this tragedy his sister Ellen took the time to tell him about finding peace in Jesus, and he converted to Christianity.
Keaggy left Glass Harp in 1972 and released his first solo album the following year entitled What a Day. Keaggy married his wife Bernadette the following summer. He then took a brief vacation from recording on his own and only toured in support of other artists like Love Song, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Paul Clark, and Nancy Honeytree. Keaggy returned to the studio in 1976 with Love Broke Thru which included his version of the Randy Stonehill/Keith Green/Todd Fishkind classic song of the same name, which at Keith Green's insistence was the first released recording of the song. During the summer of 1977 Keaggy went on an eighteen-city tour of the western United States with 2nd Chapter of Acts and "a band called David". This was captured in the live triple album How the West Was One. The only release of the Phil Keaggy Band also occurred in 1977, Emerging. The Phil Keaggy Band consisted of Keaggy, Lynn Nichols, Phil Madeira, Dan Cunningham and Terry Andersen. In 1978, Keaggy released his first critically acclaimed instrumental album entitled The Master and the Musician.
The Keaggy family then moved to Leawood, Kansas in August,1979. Their first daughter, Alicia, was born there in March, 1980. The Keaggys left Leawood in 1983 and settled in Costa Mesa, California. Their second daughter, Olivia, was born on Valentine's Day, 1984, and their son, Ian, was born in 1987.
Keaggy was signed to the Contemporary Christian music label Sparrow Records in the 1980s, where he released a string of albums including Town to Town, Ph'lip Side, and Play Thru Me. In 1988, Keaggy would team up with Stonehill, drummer Joe English (who had previously played with Paul McCartney and Wings) , singer Margaret Becker, and others for the Compassion All Star Band's album One by One.
In 1988, Keaggy won his first Dove Award for his second instrumental project, The Wind and the Wheat. Keaggy's second Dove Award came in 1992 for his Celtic-influenced Beyond Nature. From 1998 to 2001, Keaggy dominated the "Instrumental Record" category in the Dove Awards winning awards for Invention, Acoustic Sketches, Majesty and Wonder, and Lights of Madrid.
In 1989, Keaggy teamed up with Randy Stonehill, Russ Taff, Derri Daugherty, Mark Heard, Steve Taylor, Rick Cua and other musicians to create Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child: a tribute of sorts to 1960s bands like The Beatles. That same year, Keaggy would hit the road with Stonehill for a tour by The Keaggy/Stonehill Band, which included Swirling Eddie David Raven on drums and Daniel Amos bassist Tim Chandler. In the fall of 1989 the Keaggys relocated once again, leaving the sunny shores and crowded freeways of southern California behind and moved to Nashville, Tennessee where they reside currently. A few years later, Keaggy would perform at former Beatle Paul McCartney's sister-in-law's wedding. Keaggy had met Laura Eastman, sister of Linda McCartney, while the former worked at CBN. After the wedding, Keaggy fulfilled a lifelong dream by jamming with McCartney in a bedroom at the Eastman family estate, site of the wedding.
Keaggy followed Sunday's Child in 1990 with all-out rock album Find Me In These Fields and in 1993 with Crimson and Blue, a bluesy rock album that included a cover of Van Morrison's "When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God". That album was also remixed and reissued as Blue, with the added Badfinger cover "Baby Blue". Once again, an impressive list of musicians joined Keaggy for these releases, including Steve Taylor, Rick Cua, Phil Madeira, Charlie Peacock, Sam Bush, John Mark Painter of Fleming and John, Ashley Cleveland, Jimmy Abegg, and fellow 1970s Keaggy Band members Lynn Nichols and Phil Madeira. Keaggy enlisted his old friend John Sferra of Glass Harp for the tour that followed. (The tour also featured Wade Jaynes from Chagall Guevara on bass and Phil Madeira on Hammond B-3 organ.)
In September, Glass Harp found itself in New York's Greenwich Village recording its first album Glass Harp at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios with Lewis Merenstein as producer. Years later, a story would circulate widely and persistently concerning Keaggy and Hendrix. It has been said that during an episode of The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson asked Hendrix, "Who is the best guitarist in the world?" Hendrix is said to have answered, "Phil Keaggy." Another version of the story has Hendrix being asked, "Jimi, how does it feel to be the world's greatest guitar player?" To which Hendrix supposedly replied, "I don't know, you'll have to ask Phil Keaggy!" This account is sometimes attributed to a magazine interview in either Rolling Stone or Guitar Player. Occasionally the story has the setting for the question being the Dick Cavett Show. Other versions have the question being posed to Eric Clapton. A more recent variant has Eddie Van Halen being asked the question by either David Letterman or Barbara Walters. Keaggy has long insisted that such stories are completely unfounded, noting that "it was impossible that Jimi Hendrix could ever have heard me...We...recorded our first album at Electric Lady Studios two weeks after his unfortunate death, so I just can’t imagine how he could’ve heard me. I think it’s just a rumor that someone’s kept alive, and it must be titillating enough to keep an interest there...So I don’t think it was said…and that’s it for that!"
Glass Harp reformed around 2001 and released a new album titled "Hourglass" in 2003.
In 2004, Keaggy guest performed with the indie band Dispatch for several songs during The Last Dispatch. It was to be Dispatch's last performance together and became the largest concert in independent music history.[citation needed]
As of 2009, Keaggy continues to record and tour regularly.
Full Circle
Phil Keaggy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I'm glad I've come this way.
There's no doubt that I've got more
Than I've ever had before.
You took my hand and led me
Out of darkness, oh yes.
Full circle, I have come,
And when I tell you that it's no lie
I've come full circle in my life.
I could hear your records play
Around the world and in the States.
And those days were like a dream,
At times you're up then down it seems.
Will this last, what will be
My life tomorrow, oh no.
Full circle, I have come,
You can ask me where I come from
And when I tell you that it's no lie
I've come full circle in my life.
With one touch of His hand
I was made a newborn man.
What I had gained I left behind
It's drifting further back in time, bye bye.
You took my hand and led me
Out of darkness, oh yes.
Full circle, I have come,
You can ask me where I come from
And when I tell you that it's no lie
I've come full circle in my life.
In Phil Keaggy's song "Full Circle," the singer reflects on his life's journey and the experiences that have brought him to where he is today. Looking back, he acknowledges that he has come a long way and is grateful for what he has gained along the way. The lyrics suggest that the singer has experienced both ups and downs, and has faced uncertainty about what lies ahead. However, he has found strength and guidance in a higher power, which has helped him to navigate through the challenges he has encountered.
The refrain "Full circle, I have come" emphasizes the theme of completion or wholeness, suggesting that the singer has finally come to a place of resolution and understanding. He may have been searching for something his whole life, and has finally found it. The line "with one touch of His hand, I was made a newborn man" highlights the idea of spiritual rebirth or transformation, suggesting that the singer has undergone a profound change that has allowed him to see his life from a fresh perspective.
Overall, "Full Circle" is a song about personal growth and the power of spiritual faith to guide us through life's challenges. It speaks to the universal human experience of searching for a sense of purpose and meaning, and offers a message of hope and renewal for anyone who may be struggling to find their way.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking back I can say
Reflecting on my past experiences, I am able to express my emotions towards them.
That I'm glad I've come this way.
I am pleased with the path that I have taken in my life so far.
There's no doubt that I've got more
I have gained more knowledge and experience than I previously had.
Than I've ever had before.
I have experienced things that were previously unknown to me.
You took my hand and led me
Someone guided me through difficult times and offered a helping hand.
Out of darkness, oh yes.
They were able to lead me out of a dark period in my life.
Full circle, I have come,
I have completed a cycle in my life.
You can ask me where I come from
Others can question my origins and past experiences.
And when I tell you that it's no lie
I am being truthful and honest about my experiences.
I've come full circle in my life.
I have completed a journey and arrived back where I started.
I could hear your records play
I was able to listen to your music being played on various media.
Around the world and in the States.
Your music was being played across the globe, including in the United States.
And those days were like a dream,
Those moments in time felt surreal and like they could have been just a dream.
At times you're up then down it seems.
Life can have its ups and downs.
Will this last, what will be
I questioned if my success and happiness would continue or if it was temporary.
My life tomorrow, oh no.
I was unsure of what my future held.
With one touch of His hand
Through a religious experience, I was transformed and changed.
I was made a newborn man.
I felt reborn and renewed after my spiritual awakening.
What I had gained I left behind
I let go of my previous beliefs and ways of living in favor of a new path.
It's drifting further back in time, bye bye.
My past is becoming further and further removed from my current life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PHILIP T. KEAGGY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carlos Alberto Godino
(Translate to Spanish)
Mirando hacia atrás puedo decir
Que me alegro de haber venido por aquí
No hay duda de que tengo más
De lo que he tenido antes
Tomaste mi mano y me guiaste
Fuera de la oscuridad, oh si
Círculo completo, he venido
Puedes preguntarme de dónde vengo
Y cuando te digo que no es mentira
He cerrado el círculo en mi vida
Podía escuchar tus discos sonar
En todo el mundo y en los estados
Y esos días fueron como un sueño
A veces estás arriba y luego abajo parece
Esto durará, lo que será
Mi vida mañana, oh no
Círculo completo, he venido
Puedes preguntarme de dónde vengo
Y cuando te digo que no es mentira
He cerrado el círculo en mi vida
Con un toque de su mano
Me hicieron un hombre recién nacido
Lo que gané lo dejé atrás
Está yendo más atrás en el tiempo, adiós
Tomaste mi mano y me guiaste
Fuera de la oscuridad, oh si
Círculo completo, he venido
Puedes preguntarme de dónde vengo
Y cuando te digo que no es mentira
He cerrado el círculo en mi vida
Tom Klock
I had forgotten how many amazing songs were on this album!
Jack Brown
Great singer, guitarist, songwriter -- I love every tune on this album, but this one's my favorite.
Carlos Alberto Godino
(Translate to Spanish)
Mirando hacia atrás puedo decir
Que me alegro de haber venido por aquí
No hay duda de que tengo más
De lo que he tenido antes
Tomaste mi mano y me guiaste
Fuera de la oscuridad, oh si
Círculo completo, he venido
Puedes preguntarme de dónde vengo
Y cuando te digo que no es mentira
He cerrado el círculo en mi vida
Podía escuchar tus discos sonar
En todo el mundo y en los estados
Y esos días fueron como un sueño
A veces estás arriba y luego abajo parece
Esto durará, lo que será
Mi vida mañana, oh no
Círculo completo, he venido
Puedes preguntarme de dónde vengo
Y cuando te digo que no es mentira
He cerrado el círculo en mi vida
Con un toque de su mano
Me hicieron un hombre recién nacido
Lo que gané lo dejé atrás
Está yendo más atrás en el tiempo, adiós
Tomaste mi mano y me guiaste
Fuera de la oscuridad, oh si
Círculo completo, he venido
Puedes preguntarme de dónde vengo
Y cuando te digo que no es mentira
He cerrado el círculo en mi vida
Lisa Bitter
Fall of my Senior year in high school. I would have been expelled from the Christian high school I attended if they knew I was listening to this music from Phil. Good thing I'm a "rebel" and knew good Godly music at a young age---apparently God let me have discerning even then <3 Keep rockin, Brother!
adventuresinbelieving
Boom! PTL
Mark Greer
another of phil's finest. simply a great song.
Tracking Station Neil Lindsay
I don't care how many fingers God left him with, he plays beautifully, and his singing & song writing are so beautiful that I don't even know a better term to describe his gift and dedication. Thank you so much Phil.
adventuresinbelieving
..bit like Elijah pouring water over the lumber for the burnt offering! Fire cometh!
repentandlive forjesus
PHIL,your one of the best guitar players around!
RobTackettCovers
Man, I forgot about owning this album at one time.