Chuck Girard: Voice Of The Wind
(06/11/2008)

Way back in 1972 (am I that old?) when Terry Capes sold me my first bass guitar (a white Univox Jazz imitation) I asked him to teach me a few songs. The first song I ever learned was "Little Country Church" by a band named "Love Song" from their debut album of the same name. Chuck Girard (http://www.chuckgirard.com/) was the lead vocalist and wrote the song in conjunction with Fred Field.

Love Song was the first Christian "mega-band." Almost overnight they reached a level of success that no one (especially them) expected. They are considered to have laid the groundwork for what would later become known as CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) and were instrumental (pun intended) in the founding of Calvary Chapel (http://www.calvarychapel.com/) and the Jesus Movement. Although fresh out of the hippie movement and mere "baby Christians" themselves, they were thrust into the limelight and soon found themselves in a spiritual leadership role for which they were ill-prepared. Although many mistakes were made, God still managed to use them in a powerful fashion.

Several of their songs had special meaning for me (" Little Pilgrim ," " Sunday Afternoon ," " The Cossack Song ") and songs from Chuck’s later solo projects became equally significant for me such as " Rock ‘N’ Roll Preacher ," "Slow Down," and one of my favorites:

"Lay Your Burden Down"

Some of them often find their way into my personal worship time even to this day.

So it was an unexpected gift when I recently discovered that Chuck would be playing at my church! It’s not often that I find myself genuinely excited at the prospect of a Christian concert (due to the current state of Christian music), but I was seriously pumped! To have the opportunity to hear the songs which I had listened to for most of my life by the person who wrote them in an up-close and informal forum…what a blessing!

I was anxious to do whatever I could to try and help with the arrangements. The coordinator allowed me to be involved (thanks, Bob!) and I was able to do a few things to help.

Chuck had agreed to lead the morning worship as well as play a full concert that evening. I walked in that morning and found him up on the stage surrounded by a group of people trying to help get everything working. He looked pretty much the same as I remembered…perhaps a little thinner and with a few more miles under his belt.

I had actually met him way back in 1978 at a breakfast meeting in Atlanta. I was playing with Rick Eldridge at the time and Les, the head of our booking agency "New Song" (no relation to the band "New Song") had arranged it. "New Song" had several bands in its portfolio at the time including The Pat Terry Group, Soncast, and others and they were all invited to meet with Chuck and, hopefully, benefit from his experience. I had also had the opportunity to hear Chuck in a solo concert some years later and, although I was running from God at the time, I remember weeping uncontrollably when he played "Lay Your Burden Down."

But 30 odd years later here was Chuck on a Sunday morning bravely trying to deal with the jet lag and the last minute technical glitches just minutes before the service began. For him, it was 7:00 a.m. and singing that early is no small feat especially when you’re 64 years old (although he appeared much younger). When the service began he introduced himself and explained who he was for the benefit of those who didn’t know. When he began to play, we all found ourselves quickly ushered into God’s presence. He played mostly his newer material which focuses on worship. But it was unlike many worship services today…it was a much quieter perhaps more humble entrance into the Holy of Holies. I thought of when Elijah was called to stand before the Lord. God was not in the earthquake nor the subsequent fire…but in the still small voice…the voice of the wind.

That evening was more of a concert and I was honored to be able to help by providing him with a friend’s keyboard for the evening (thanks again, Betty and Cliff). He played some of his older material as well as the new and when not using the keyboard he used tracks from his iPod played through the system. My son was able to attend the concert as well and I was very pleased to be able to worship with him through the medium of the songs which had meant so much to me. Chuck interjected memories and stories of the old days in between songs and the audience, most of whom had loved his songs as long as I, were thrilled for the peek "behind the scenes." The evening stretched on because neither Chuck nor the audience wanted it to end. However his voice couldn’t last all night so he finally took requests and it was great to hear the familiar songs performed by the one who wrote them. I requested "Little Pilgrim." What a blessing…

I bought Chuck’s latest CD "Voice of the Wind" and have enjoyed listening and worshiping to it. It’s a novel concept. He recorded a "live" worship service and then supplemented it in the studio with additional musicians and vocals. The result is a CD with the feel of a genuine worship service but with the quality of a studio production. His new CD "Evening Shadows" is a sequel and is due out any day.

I had the opportunity to talk with him a little over the course of his stay here and I felt very comfortable with him. There were no "airs" or pretension…he just seemed like another old road musician who loved the Lord. Maybe it was because I felt that I had glimpsed a little into his heart from all the years of hearing his songs speaking what the Lord echoed in my own. All too often you hear of people meeting "famous musicians" who have been a major influence in their lives only to find them so vain and egotistical that it sours the music or even their faith for the rest of their lives. Such was not the case here! I found Chuck to be a humble, self-effacing man who just wanted God to continue to work through him and his music as He had done for so many years. A gentle voice of the wind…

You remain in my prayers, Chuck…

Additional Information:

"'WELCOME BACK'- THE LOVE SONG HOME PAGE"
http://one-way.org/lovesong/

Downloadable MP3 Files of "Love Song"
http://www.one-way.org/mp3/

"Love Song: Chuck Girard Remembers His Days With The Pioneers Of Christian Rock" – Cross Rhythms
http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Love_Song__Chuck_Girard_Remembers_His_Days_With_The_Pioneers_Of_Christian_Rock/24251/p1/

Chuck’s Thoughts on CCM:
(Taken from an interview on http://www.one-way.org/jesusmusic/index.html by Dave Hollandsworth - July, 1998)

"DH: What are your feelings on the whole CCM industry, as we know it today?

CG: Well, it's pretty bankrupt as I see it. Although I'm no longer an expert, and certainly not a part of 'the scene' anymore, I am somewhat connected and I know what's going on. It's disheartening for me to see the direction things have taken. I hear a lot of justification for some of the business practices, and I hear many opinions that things are changing for the better, but with rare exception, I just don't hear it in the grooves, and certainly I don't see much fruit. It seems to me that the business mentality really runs things these days, and that not a lot of room is made to make way for a man's ministry. I am certainly not a part of it any more, partly by choice, but I also believe that I would have a hard time getting signed if I tried to get back in… so for whatever reason, I'm no longer an active part of that world. I think that Nashville was the worst thing that ever happened to CCM. That C&W spirit took over and seems to a great degree to have infiltrated the thinking of the artist to a degree, but mostly of the management and business side. It's produced a 'by the numbers' music that seems to reach for the goal of duplicating whoever's hot on the charts of the secular world. There's very little that's creative or original anymore. No, it's not exciting to me."