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.
baby blue
Phil Keaggy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kept you waiting there too long my love.
All that time without a word,
Didn't know you'd think that I'd forget,
Or I'd regret the special love I had for you,
My Baby Blue.
All the days became so long,
Dixie, when I let you go,
Thought you'd realize that I would know,
That I would show the special love I have for you,
My Baby Blue.
What can I do, what can I say,
Except I want you by my side.
How can I show you, show me a way,
Don't you know the times I've tried.
Guess that's all I have to say,
Except the feeling just grows stronger every day.
So, just one thing before I go,
Take good care, baby, let me know.
Let it grow, the special love you have for me,
My Dixie, dear.
The lyrics to Phil Keaggy's "Baby Blue" express remorse and longing for a lost love. The singer acknowledges that he kept the woman waiting too long and didn't communicate with her during that time. He didn't realize that she would think he had forgotten about her and the "special love" they shared. Despite this, he wants her to know that his feelings for her have only grown stronger and he wants her by his side. In the end, he asks her to take care of herself and let their love grow.
The theme of lost love and regret is common in many songs, but what stands out in "Baby Blue" is the sincerity and vulnerability in Keaggy's voice. The lyrics are straightforward and heartfelt, reflecting the pain of losing someone you care about. The repetition of the phrase "my Baby Blue" adds to the emotional depth of the song and emphasizes the singer's longing for his former love.
Overall, "Baby Blue" is a poignant ballad that speaks to the universal experience of lost love. It shows that even when we make mistakes and lose what we hold dear, we can still hope for redemption and a second chance.
Line by Line Meaning
Guess I got what I deserved,
I acknowledge that the consequences I am facing are as a result of my own actions.
Kept you waiting there too long my love.
I am sorry that I made you wait for me for such a long time, my love.
All that time without a word,
I am sorry for not communicating with you when I was away.
Didn't know you'd think that I'd forget,
I did not realize that you would think that I had forgotten about you when I was away.
Or I'd regret the special love I had for you,
I did not realize that I would regret the love that I had for you.
My Baby Blue.
My endearment for you, my love.
All the days became so long,
The days seemed long to me without you.
Did you really think I'd do you wrong.
I hope you did not think that I would intentionally hurt you.
Dixie, when I let you go,
When I left, I hope you knew that I did not want to leave you behind.
Thought you'd realize that I would know,
I hoped that you knew I was aware of how special you were to me.
That I would show the special love I have for you,
That I would display my affection for you.
My Baby Blue.
My endearment for you, my love.
What can I do, what can I say,
I am at a loss of what to do or say.
Except I want you by my side.
I know that I want you by my side.
How can I show you, show me a way,
I need guidance on how to convince you of my love.
Don't you know the times I've tried.
I hope you understand how much I have tried to make things right between us.
Guess that's all I have to say,
I have said all that I have to say.
Except the feeling just grows stronger every day.
My love for you continues to grow with each passing day.
So, just one thing before I go,
Before I leave, there is one more thing I would like to say.
Take good care, baby, let me know.
Please take good care of yourself and keep me informed of how you are doing.
Let it grow, the special love you have for me,
I hope that your love for me will continue to flourish.
My Dixie, dear.
My endearment for you, my love.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER WILLIAM HAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Davicito
This is wonderful. Big fan of Badfinger AND Phil Keaggy. Now I'm imagining Phil covering "No Matter What" and "Day After Day."
ServeChristAlone
I've listened to this cover many times. Phil was faithful to the original power pop masterpiece and his inspirational solo beginning at 4:18 took it to the next level.
Lüttge
Quite possibly my favorite song of all time, and certainly my very favorite version.
Guilherme Rodrigues
What a tribute... Simply hearbreaking!
Michael Eshom
How does this video only have 26 views? A legend like Phil Keaggy covering a 70s rock classic (and doing a great job of it at that) deserves more publicity. Thanks for uploading!
REVW196
6,882 views as of 8/29/18 ..
mary warren
Phil Keaggy - the best guitarist in the world that nobody ever heard of.
theeasybeats
Didn't think anyone would improve on this Phil can just about improve anything
Grammer Nazi
The outro is a fantastic touch on an already-good song and would've been a treat on the original!
Richard Grandmont
Love that outro, so true to the spirit of the song!