| Interview
Phil Keaggy
Who would have guessed the
boy who lost a finger at age four would be hailed by Musician Magazine
as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century? Phil
Keaggy’s thirty-plus-year career encompasses a staggering musical spectrum.
From hard-edged rock, to classical, to the gentlest of worship songs, with
unexpected twists in astonishing instrumentals, his work appears on more
than 37 albums and has received more that 27 awards and nominations,
including 7 dove awards, a Nashville Music Award and several Grammy
nominations.
When asked, Keaggy says, “To
me, my religion is a living faith. I hope to always convey that through my
music and through my heart.” Indeed, Phil’s genius is tempered only by his
humility. Rock & Sling was honored to catch up with him between concerts
this spring.
R&S: You come from a large family—the
ninth of ten children. Music and family are invaluable gifts. Tell me about
your roots both in family and music.
PK: Yes, I was the 9th of 10 children,
and music was always in the house. Both older sisters, Mary Ellen and Peg,
loved to sing, but Mary Ellen went on to be a professional singer and
actress (check out her speaking bit in The 10 Commandments—‘I hope
it’s not an alligator’—where the handmaids find baby Moses) while Peg
married and began having children, two of them close to my age. Brother
Dave, who was a lover of music (both classical and popular styles), had
quite a record collection. He also played the guitar some. Dave bought me my
first electric guitar in 1962. Brother Mike also loved to sing, so there was
always music in our home. Mom loved it and so did Dad, especially guitar
music, since his dad was a guitar player. Dad was an iron worker and didn’t
play any instruments but could make the best trombone sounds with his mouth.
Sister Kathy loved to dance and met her husband at an American Bandstand
type of show, where they danced to the hit songs. I became a musician around
10 years of age. My younger sister Geri is also a songwriter in a modest
fashion. We’ve co-written a number of tunes together.
R&S: Frequently, pain is a common
denominator in change. In what ways has pain changed the course of your
life?
PK: My wife Bernadette and I experienced
heartache and pain when we lost babies three times in the mid ‘70s. It’s
hard to say how it changed me but I know that it did. Makes me appreciate
our three grown children in a very special way. We are all so close.
I first experienced physical and emotional pain when I
was four or five years old. At that time I lost my middle finger on my right
hand as a result of an accident involving a hand water pump out on
our Hubbard, Ohio farm. It made me very self-conscious in grade school, but
it didn’t stop me from becoming a guitarist and singer.
I also became a follower of Jesus in 1970 as a result
of my mother’s death, due to a head-on collision involving a drunken driver.
That was extremely traumatic as I was only 18 years old at the time. Grace
did win out, and my emptiness was filled with God’s presence. A year later I
met the fine young girl that became my wife. I doubt I would have met
Bernadette apart from the events that took place the year before.
R&S: Everyone wants to know about
your lost finger. How has that handicap affected you?
PK: As I mentioned, the water pump took
my finger. I don’t feel it has hindered me all that much—although there are
certain classical guitar techniques I’ll never be able to achieve.
R&S: My background is classical
guitar. After a period of study I stagnated because I didn’t understand
music theory and couldn’t play by ear. How did you enter into the world of
music?
PK: I became an ear musician all the
way—can’t read a note. Even tabs confuse. As a young musician, I started to
play and practiced as I played. I learned from records and watching others.
I was fascinated by the sounds of music, first electric sounds, then
classical, then acoustic techniques. Today I incorporate all I've learned in
my present styles. I’m a sponge and soak it all in. My influences are vast
and diverse.
As far as entering the world of music—I more or less
fell into it. At a young age I had the opportunity to record with my band
The Squires. Pretty exciting stuff for an 8th grader. Also at that time
I began messing around with tape recorders. By 9th grade I was recording
“sound on sound” where I'd record the rhythm guitar part, then the lead.
Today, after all these years, I still make most of my recordings at my home
studio. I recorded my first “pro” recording for the Date record label
in 1967 with my band, The New Hudson Exit—a song called, “Come with
Me.” Then, in 1970, I was signed to the Decca record label with my
then-band mates in The Glass Harp. We recorded three studio albums
and one live recording in New York City. The live recording was when we
opened for The Kinks at Carnegie Hall in November, 1971.
I recorded my first solo effort in January, 1973—“What
a Day.” That was my first album expressing my faith in nearly every song. I
played all the instruments and sang all the vocals.
R&S: Does your passion for music stem
more from the release music brings or from the joy of creating?
PK: First of all from the joy of
creating, then from experiencing it objectively. That’s why I love the
process of recording. Some recordings capture the moment—moments that may
never be played again in the exact same way. I have made many such
recordings. Some may be released; others will age and ferment and, perhaps,
may someday find a palette full of appreciation. Or at least I might. I’ve
rediscovered songs that were ideas waiting to be resurrected again—case in
point, the song "As Warm as Tears” on my Beyond Nature CD. I wrote
the music in 1970, then a friend from those old days reminded me of it 20
years later. So I recalled it and recorded it in 1990.
R&S: It is sobering that abstract
things like art and music may in some sense be our best view of God. How has
music shaped your view of God?
PK: To me, Art exists for our sakes. God
has allowed it, interwoven throughout our lives. We are sub-creators with
Him. It’s His very nature to create, and we are created in His
image—imagining, being creators ourselves. We must worship something,
someone—hopefully; He alone is worthy.
We are born worshipers, and we are born creative. It's
in out nature—we must. It’s sad when things of the world have robbed people
of their creative abilities. My view is that all are gifted; they, we, just
need to discover those gifts and grow in them. Music has shaped me,
influenced me. At times it has meant more to me, and at certain times less.
I can't determine when I'll have a creative season, but if I give creativity
the time, something very well may come about and voila!—music—something
new, something old. Lately I’ve made up songs and melodies that sound like
they were composed in a different century.
I don’t think music helps me “view” God. Revelation
does—people do as well. To me music is my or someone else’s expression of
what’s deep in the soul. I do believe it can bless God and bless people, can
even, in fact, aid in the healing process in some area, whether physical or
emotional. Take the example of David and Saul in the Bible.
R&S: Who is the first person you play
a new song for?
PK: Usually my wife Bernadette because
she’s closest to me.
R&S: Do you have a favorite key?
PK: Actually, no. If I’ve recorded a new
instrumental, then get away from it, I find myself curious as to what key I
wrote it in, because I often use alternate tunings and capos—case in point,
my most recent recording for Autumn Records, to be released in
a few months.
R&S: What do you consider the most
important thing to practice? How long do you play every day?
PK: I find that I work hardest on the
song or project at hand. If I’m in concert, I work hard at that—at that
moment. I practice a lot in public—not a good habit to get into though!
Still, being quite spontaneous, something may be created, and because my
sound people record my sound checks and concerts, I have come across some
things [that are] new and refreshing.
I never have a regular practice time—I should, because
I need to spend more time reviewing songs I just might pull out of the hat
in concert. Plus, because I’ve written so many songs, it would be a good
idea to refresh myself with the tunings and the lines in my studio room.
R&S: What do you think of capos and
alternative tunings? Any favorites?
PK: I enjoy the use of capos and
alternate tunings. These can help get any player out of a rut—it has worked
for me. On occasion I use two capos at once, one that is normal and one that
is notched. Alternate tunings are a luxury guitarists can enjoy, unlike
other instruments which can't be re-tuned. I have nearly 30 alternate
tunings. Here’s a fave tuning: 1,3,7,2,5,1 and DADGAD.
R&S: Do you ever go through periods
of writer’s block? How long does it usually last, and what do you do to get
past it?
PK: I have my limitations; I’m really an
average songwriter. I know this because most of my songs appear to have
mainly catered to my performances of them. Not many are radio friendly
either. I have had a few real gems along the way like, “Let Everything Else
Go.” I seem to flow easily through melodies and instrumental pieces. I have
found that if I write a song for someone else, it can come very easily and
quickly. As far as “writer’s block” goes, I know everyone goes through that,
including me. The remedy for me is try writing a song for someone—a birthday
tune or a song of love to your spouse, son, daughter, wife, sister, brother
or friend. That can really help. Or try taking a piece of poetry and putting
music to it. How about a scripture passage—that’s a great way to memorize a
special verse as well. And like I said earlier, try de-tuning a string or
two on your guitar. And, I can guarantee you this: PRAY. Talking to God,
listening to His still small voice, however that manifests …
At least, “Be still and know He is God.” His love is
creative love.
R&S: You are known for exquisite
improvisation. Do you prefer improv or fixed structure in live performance?
What is your approach to improvisation?
PK: I have my tunes, but I enjoy the
freedom of acoustic concerts the most, utilizing my looping gear like my
Jamman and various effects. In many concerts, I’ve taken an old song and
just improvised around to keep it interesting for me. As a result, those
improv moments have actually been a time where the audience themselves feel
like they’re “in on something” taking place right before their very ears.
There are times when I feel it’s more special to be heard and not seen—in a
way.
I must confess, I miss the younger days, but I have to
accept my aging and, fortunately, my audience has aged right along with me.
Occasionally, I am aware that there are younger listeners coming around and
getting a taste of my music—the good and the attempt to be good.
R&S: What are you currently trying to
master?
PK: My most recent recordings—the
project at hand. I want to retain the vintage work combined with the new.
Like the old me and the ever renewing of me in the now. Does that make
sense?
Should you answer his question?
R&S: You are an artist who has
enjoyed success in both the secular and Christian music scene; how has that
affected you as a musician and as a Christian? What are you most frustrated
with right now? In an interview with Randy Brandt in 2003 you said, “I have
strong feelings pro Christian music and then I have my misgivings about the
business of it all.” Talk about this.
PK: My musical career has mainly been
“Jesus music” genre to the present CCM [Contemporary Christian Music] genre
… 1970s to the present. My career as mainstream artist was short lived. In
fact, my guitar playing didn’t really begin to mature until I was “born
again.” I mean, God breathed new life in me. It wasn’t just a religious
experience, but a life-change that affected the person—me.
I am grateful! I have no regrets. My life has been a
blessing—one after another. I was never awarded anything for my singing or
songs, but I was recognized as a guitarist in a world of guitar players—and
there are thousands of us.
Mainly my feelings of frustration have more to do with
an industry that has forgotten aging artists because they are not
financially profitable to them anymore. Sometimes I am sad for the CCM world
and, at the same time, I applaud the mainstream for still appreciating their
own. But business will be business. I do honor my fellow artists who have
hung in there and found their value in God and just kept faithful—doing what
they love and doing it as unto the Lord regardless. That's what I'm trying
to do.
R&S: Would you consider yourself a
people person? Who is the optimist in your family; who is the realist?
PK: Yes, I believe I am a people person,
and I do enjoy meeting people. I just returned from a trip to Canada and,
[while] looking for a breakfast table at our hotel, was invited to eat with
a fellow guitarist,Tony, whom I'd never met before. I accepted his
invitation and we had a very nice conversation. He made it known to me that
this occasion meant a lot to him. I was happy to be free and available to
visit with him. It’s not all about the stage; it’s about people—our brothers
and sisters.
I realize that I’m not as young as I used to be, but
I’m still out there; I’m still here, by God’s grace, and I will continue to
do what I know to do and try to do it well. My wife is the realist in our
family. She’s an optimist as well. I am an optimist, then a realist second.
It works well for us. We are about to celebrate our 33rd year of marriage. I
am grateful! She has taught me very much, and I think we have learned a
great deal from each other.
R&S: What things do you do when you
are finished with music for the day?
PK: It may be 4:00 in the morning …
sometimes … I make a mix, transfer it to my iPod, pour a glass of red wine,
sit out on the deck with my pipe and listen as if I were someone else … and
just take in the moment. After that, the next day, I’ll make changes to my
work, if need be.
R&S: I’m quoting from your website:
“I must say that I believe the art of being has to do with the art of
giving, the art of loving, and with being in love.” Tell us what this means.
PK: I think we create, not just for
ourselves, but to benefit and somehow beautify our world. And that doesn't
necessarily mean making music, but perhaps visiting a friend who is ill in
the hospital, or making that phone call to a family member who wishes to
hear your voice. Loving is what God is all about in our lives: [God] loving
us—loving through us—[us] giving till we’re “broken bread and poured out
wine,” as Oswald Chambers said. Then we truly feel a sense of being.
R&S: What is the most important thing
you do?
PK: Breathe!
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