sTORY OF LOVE SONG
LOVE SONG
When Chuck Girard, Tommy Coomes, Jay Truax and Fred Field first stepped out onto the stage at Calvary Chapel one evening back in 1970, it’s not likely that the few hundred people gathered there had any idea they were about to witness the beginning of a new era in gospel music. You don’t usually think in those terms when you hear a group for the first time. Now, had you been there, you probably would have come to the conclusion that these four young men who called themselves LOVE SONG were pretty good. Exceptionally good. They played soothing, intensely personal music that spoke to the heart and echoed the timeless themes of God’s love. At the same time, it sounded very much like the music the professional rock and folk rock groups were playing.
That was perhaps the most intriguing part of it. Music like LOVE SONG was playing had formerly been reserved for the pop airwaves; it had, at that time, no place in the Christian scheme of things. But here was this group, weaving a tapestry of close harmonies, pulsating rhythms and intricate guitar patterns, all tied together with an undeniably clear gospel message.
The audience felt something vibrant, something fresh, something uniquely positive about this music. For the moment, it was beautiful praise music befitting the atmosphere; beyond that moment, the newly conceived sound was to become the forerunner in contemporary gospel music. That’s quite a statement, but consider the facts: In 1972 LOVE SONG’s first album would be released. Sales would catapult the record to the top, where it would remain for more than a year as the best-selling gospel album in the nation. And between the albums, hundreds of thousands of people around the world had witnessed the group’s dynamic performances.
The formation of LOVE SONG was the result of a series of events leading Jay, Tommy, Fred, and Chuck in to personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Chuck, a successful singer had gained a
2)
considerable amount of recognition in the music industry. It was during this time Chuck was first introduced to Jay Truax. “When I first met him in 1967,” Jay recounts, he’d already had a couple of hit records, like ‘Little Honda’ with the Hondells and ‘Sacred’ and ‘So This Is Love’ with the Castells.” “He’d been singing and playing music for a long time, and I was playing in the night club situations.” Jay was with a rock group called Spirit Of Creation who played with many top rock groups of the day. “We were both wanting change—a fresh direction in our lives.” At the suggestion of a friend, Jay and Chuck got in to the Bible leaving everything behind including old friends.
For the next few years they went through all kinds of changes. Chuck read in Luke 18:18-25 the story of the rich man who was told to sell everything he had in order to follow Jesus. Jay and Chuck (and several friends) followed suit, sold everything, and went to Hawaii. They believed Hawaii to be the spiritual center of God’s then current activity. They were genuinely searching for God and truth.
Having been left empty from years of drugs, and Eastern religion, Jay and Chuck were ready for what would come next. Back now in Southern California, Chuck and Jay had met Tommy Coomes and Fred Field. Along with a few others, they moved into a house together in Laguna Beach, California. One day they were arguing over a Bible doctrine. Someone suggested they seek counsel at a Christian commune in nearby Newport Beach. Their reception at the commune and later at Calvary Chapel was unlike anything they had ever experienced. As Chuck describes it, “ I must admit I was very skeptical at first, but I’ll never forget the feeling of love in
that church. It was unlike any love I had ever experienced. God was obviously there and it felt like He was having a great time too!” Chuck had expected truth to come through a guru or a spiritual master. But through the simple tunes the people were singing that night, and the love of God preached by Chuck Smith,
3)
God was able to cut straight to the heart. “I accepted Jesus that night as my only God, my total Lord. All the rest of the mystical theories seemed pale by comparison to what I was experiencing that night.”
With Chuck, Jay, and Fred all having received Christ as saviour, the three began playing at Calvary Chapel. About a month later they asked Tommy if he would play with them at the Orange County fairgrounds. He agreed and it was while performing with the group that Tommy personally experienced the real love and power of God. “I realized during the last song of the evening, ‘Think About What Jesus Said,’ that I hadn’t given myself totally to the Lord. I hadn’t made a full and genuine commitment. During the song, I broke down in tears, took off my guitar and made my decision for Jesus.” Shortly thereafter, John Mehler, the drummer from “Spirit Of Creation”, was added. The band was now in place, and was born out of a desire to share the gospel
Things happened quickly from this point on. Chuck Girard was already signed as a writer with United Artists Records, and through this connection met a man named Freddie Piro. The group met with Piro, shared the love of God, and subsequently he became a Christian. Through this encounter, the vision for a Christian record label was born. Piro also introduced the group to guitarist Bob Wall, who was already a Christian, and the rest is history. Distributed by Word, Good News Records released their first album, self titled LOVE SONG. Together, Chuck, Jay, Tommy, John, and Bob launched into an unprecedented and unique time of leading thousands to Christ, and providing new inspiration to a disillusioned generation.
Over the next year LOVE SONG would be interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine, pictures would appear in Look Magazine and other national publications. Meetings would be taken with Atlantic Records, Columbia Records, and many others. LOVE SONG was hurled into instant visibility.
4)
Although “baby” Christians themselves, LOVE SONG sang at UC Berkley and many other universities. They encountered Black Panthers, atheists, and hate groups as well as the “love” movement. LOVE SONG would go into bars and clubs and preach Jesus and be invited back. Their popularity was spreading like a fire. Months after LOVE SONG’s first album was released, the title song, “A Love Song” made it’s way to Manila in the Philippines, where it quite literally skyrocketed to number one on the pop charts. It surpassed the success of such notables as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. LOVE SONG accepted the invitation by local missionaries to go to the Philippines where they were met with news reporters, photographers, and sixty-foot billboards which heralded the five American musicians who had “come out of the hippie movement into a personal and meaningful relationship with Christ.” Over 50,000 people flocked to the week-long “Love Song Festival” at Manila’s Rizal Stadium. The group also ministered to over 100,000 students at various campuses in the area.
In June of 1972 LOVE SONG was invited to perform at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas for Explo ’72 where nearly 100,000 people gathered to celebrate the Lord. Bob describes it this way, “Ministering to all of those Christians was like being in a giant upper room meeting-everyone felt so close. And yet there were so many people, the feeling was so tremendous. Standing out on that stage was like walking out on the nose of a 747 with a guitar hanging around my neck and then having the thing take off into the air. Just unreal!”
Back in Southern California, LOVE SONG prepared for yet another first in the history of Christian music. Of course, no one realized that the May evening concert billed as “The Love Song Festival” at Knott’s Berry Farm was going to be such a big deal. Four Maranatha groups were scheduled to perform in various parts of the park, with LOVE SONG playing in the 2,000 seat John Wayne Theater. All attendance records were shattered that night. More than 20,000 people, the largest single crowd in Knott’s 53 history,
5)
poured through the gates to see the festival. “The Knott’s Berry Farm concert was unprecedented,” says Chuck. “It was the first time a Christian music festival had been held in a popular amusement park, where Christians were able to share their testimonies as a body.”
Following an extensive tour of the southeastern states, Bob left LOVE SONG to spend more time with his family. LOVE SONG continued on without Bob for some time. A friend told the group about an article they had read in which Phil Keaggy, a renowned guitarist from the group GLASS HARP, had been quoted as saying that his favorite group was LOVE SONG. Phil joined LOVE SONG for the last few months of it’s fulltime touring ministry. The Northwest tour was to be LOVE SONG’s last. Add to that one more “Love Song Festival” at Knotts drawing 45,000 people in two days, and many incredible moments spent uplifting the name of Jesus.
The album “Final Touch” came out after the group disbanded. Over the years, LOVE SONG has released a “live” album, and a remake in the mid 90s titled “Welcome Back”.
People of all ages came to know Jesus Christ in a personal way because of LOVE SONG’s message. “When we saw the good our music was doing,” states Chuck, “we came to realize more seriously the reality of our ministry and the awesome power of God, who touched lives totally independent of our efforts.” That is how all of the band members feel about it.
LOVE SONG was about Jesus and His message; and through music that touched hearts, broke down traditional barriers that helped start a Jesus revolution. LOVE SONG along with others were called “Jesus Freaks”, and this new era of “Jesus Music” was born for His glory.
(Bio taken from Dave Hollensworth and Love Song home page. Additions also from Paul Baker’s “Why Should the Devil Have All The Good Music”,)
When Chuck Girard, Tommy Coomes, Jay Truax and Fred Field first stepped out onto the stage at Calvary Chapel one evening back in 1970, it’s not likely that the few hundred people gathered there had any idea they were about to witness the beginning of a new era in gospel music. You don’t usually think in those terms when you hear a group for the first time. Now, had you been there, you probably would have come to the conclusion that these four young men who called themselves LOVE SONG were pretty good. Exceptionally good. They played soothing, intensely personal music that spoke to the heart and echoed the timeless themes of God’s love. At the same time, it sounded very much like the music the professional rock and folk rock groups were playing.
That was perhaps the most intriguing part of it. Music like LOVE SONG was playing had formerly been reserved for the pop airwaves; it had, at that time, no place in the Christian scheme of things. But here was this group, weaving a tapestry of close harmonies, pulsating rhythms and intricate guitar patterns, all tied together with an undeniably clear gospel message.
The audience felt something vibrant, something fresh, something uniquely positive about this music. For the moment, it was beautiful praise music befitting the atmosphere; beyond that moment, the newly conceived sound was to become the forerunner in contemporary gospel music. That’s quite a statement, but consider the facts: In 1972 LOVE SONG’s first album would be released. Sales would catapult the record to the top, where it would remain for more than a year as the best-selling gospel album in the nation. And between the albums, hundreds of thousands of people around the world had witnessed the group’s dynamic performances.
The formation of LOVE SONG was the result of a series of events leading Jay, Tommy, Fred, and Chuck in to personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Chuck, a successful singer had gained a
2)
considerable amount of recognition in the music industry. It was during this time Chuck was first introduced to Jay Truax. “When I first met him in 1967,” Jay recounts, he’d already had a couple of hit records, like ‘Little Honda’ with the Hondells and ‘Sacred’ and ‘So This Is Love’ with the Castells.” “He’d been singing and playing music for a long time, and I was playing in the night club situations.” Jay was with a rock group called Spirit Of Creation who played with many top rock groups of the day. “We were both wanting change—a fresh direction in our lives.” At the suggestion of a friend, Jay and Chuck got in to the Bible leaving everything behind including old friends.
For the next few years they went through all kinds of changes. Chuck read in Luke 18:18-25 the story of the rich man who was told to sell everything he had in order to follow Jesus. Jay and Chuck (and several friends) followed suit, sold everything, and went to Hawaii. They believed Hawaii to be the spiritual center of God’s then current activity. They were genuinely searching for God and truth.
Having been left empty from years of drugs, and Eastern religion, Jay and Chuck were ready for what would come next. Back now in Southern California, Chuck and Jay had met Tommy Coomes and Fred Field. Along with a few others, they moved into a house together in Laguna Beach, California. One day they were arguing over a Bible doctrine. Someone suggested they seek counsel at a Christian commune in nearby Newport Beach. Their reception at the commune and later at Calvary Chapel was unlike anything they had ever experienced. As Chuck describes it, “ I must admit I was very skeptical at first, but I’ll never forget the feeling of love in
that church. It was unlike any love I had ever experienced. God was obviously there and it felt like He was having a great time too!” Chuck had expected truth to come through a guru or a spiritual master. But through the simple tunes the people were singing that night, and the love of God preached by Chuck Smith,
3)
God was able to cut straight to the heart. “I accepted Jesus that night as my only God, my total Lord. All the rest of the mystical theories seemed pale by comparison to what I was experiencing that night.”
With Chuck, Jay, and Fred all having received Christ as saviour, the three began playing at Calvary Chapel. About a month later they asked Tommy if he would play with them at the Orange County fairgrounds. He agreed and it was while performing with the group that Tommy personally experienced the real love and power of God. “I realized during the last song of the evening, ‘Think About What Jesus Said,’ that I hadn’t given myself totally to the Lord. I hadn’t made a full and genuine commitment. During the song, I broke down in tears, took off my guitar and made my decision for Jesus.” Shortly thereafter, John Mehler, the drummer from “Spirit Of Creation”, was added. The band was now in place, and was born out of a desire to share the gospel
Things happened quickly from this point on. Chuck Girard was already signed as a writer with United Artists Records, and through this connection met a man named Freddie Piro. The group met with Piro, shared the love of God, and subsequently he became a Christian. Through this encounter, the vision for a Christian record label was born. Piro also introduced the group to guitarist Bob Wall, who was already a Christian, and the rest is history. Distributed by Word, Good News Records released their first album, self titled LOVE SONG. Together, Chuck, Jay, Tommy, John, and Bob launched into an unprecedented and unique time of leading thousands to Christ, and providing new inspiration to a disillusioned generation.
Over the next year LOVE SONG would be interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine, pictures would appear in Look Magazine and other national publications. Meetings would be taken with Atlantic Records, Columbia Records, and many others. LOVE SONG was hurled into instant visibility.
4)
Although “baby” Christians themselves, LOVE SONG sang at UC Berkley and many other universities. They encountered Black Panthers, atheists, and hate groups as well as the “love” movement. LOVE SONG would go into bars and clubs and preach Jesus and be invited back. Their popularity was spreading like a fire. Months after LOVE SONG’s first album was released, the title song, “A Love Song” made it’s way to Manila in the Philippines, where it quite literally skyrocketed to number one on the pop charts. It surpassed the success of such notables as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. LOVE SONG accepted the invitation by local missionaries to go to the Philippines where they were met with news reporters, photographers, and sixty-foot billboards which heralded the five American musicians who had “come out of the hippie movement into a personal and meaningful relationship with Christ.” Over 50,000 people flocked to the week-long “Love Song Festival” at Manila’s Rizal Stadium. The group also ministered to over 100,000 students at various campuses in the area.
In June of 1972 LOVE SONG was invited to perform at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas for Explo ’72 where nearly 100,000 people gathered to celebrate the Lord. Bob describes it this way, “Ministering to all of those Christians was like being in a giant upper room meeting-everyone felt so close. And yet there were so many people, the feeling was so tremendous. Standing out on that stage was like walking out on the nose of a 747 with a guitar hanging around my neck and then having the thing take off into the air. Just unreal!”
Back in Southern California, LOVE SONG prepared for yet another first in the history of Christian music. Of course, no one realized that the May evening concert billed as “The Love Song Festival” at Knott’s Berry Farm was going to be such a big deal. Four Maranatha groups were scheduled to perform in various parts of the park, with LOVE SONG playing in the 2,000 seat John Wayne Theater. All attendance records were shattered that night. More than 20,000 people, the largest single crowd in Knott’s 53 history,
5)
poured through the gates to see the festival. “The Knott’s Berry Farm concert was unprecedented,” says Chuck. “It was the first time a Christian music festival had been held in a popular amusement park, where Christians were able to share their testimonies as a body.”
Following an extensive tour of the southeastern states, Bob left LOVE SONG to spend more time with his family. LOVE SONG continued on without Bob for some time. A friend told the group about an article they had read in which Phil Keaggy, a renowned guitarist from the group GLASS HARP, had been quoted as saying that his favorite group was LOVE SONG. Phil joined LOVE SONG for the last few months of it’s fulltime touring ministry. The Northwest tour was to be LOVE SONG’s last. Add to that one more “Love Song Festival” at Knotts drawing 45,000 people in two days, and many incredible moments spent uplifting the name of Jesus.
The album “Final Touch” came out after the group disbanded. Over the years, LOVE SONG has released a “live” album, and a remake in the mid 90s titled “Welcome Back”.
People of all ages came to know Jesus Christ in a personal way because of LOVE SONG’s message. “When we saw the good our music was doing,” states Chuck, “we came to realize more seriously the reality of our ministry and the awesome power of God, who touched lives totally independent of our efforts.” That is how all of the band members feel about it.
LOVE SONG was about Jesus and His message; and through music that touched hearts, broke down traditional barriers that helped start a Jesus revolution. LOVE SONG along with others were called “Jesus Freaks”, and this new era of “Jesus Music” was born for His glory.
(Bio taken from Dave Hollensworth and Love Song home page. Additions also from Paul Baker’s “Why Should the Devil Have All The Good Music”,)