Speaker Bios

Randy Stonehill Stonehill, whose discography spans over thirty-one years, first took to melding his honest lyrics of faith, struggle and hope with rootsy folk-rock music in 1970 under the tutelage of his friend and fellow Jesus Rocker Larry Norman. Alongside a small cadre of Christian artists considered too “Christian” for the mainstream and too “Rock and Roll” for the church, Stonehill blazed trails that are now easily traveled by Christian musicians, influencing countless young fans and future artists along the way.

The first decade of his career saw him release a string of records with Norman’s help, including the groundbreaking and massively influential Welcome To Paradise album of 1976. Stonehill’s deft touch with a lyric, his unique and engaging voice and his endearing wit and spirit made him an early and long-time favorite of thousands.

In the 80’s Stonehill developed further as one of the premier artists in the emerging “contemporary Christian music” subculture via a long-term relationship with Myrrh Records and a string of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums, including Equator, Celebrate This Heartbeat, Love Beyond Reason, and Return To Paradise. Rock fans loved his commitment to guitars, hooks and classic sounds, and his lovingly subversive humor. Christian radio embraced his ballads and pop ditties for their spiritual meat and their irresistible tunefulness. Live audiences packed into churches, schools and theaters where the songsmith would leave them laughing, thinking and humming all at once, night after night. Compared favorably to veteran rock and pop artists like Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Paul McCartney and Elton John, Stonehill seemed to get better with age.

The nineties saw Stonehill stay his course as a thoughtful, organic singer-songwriter despite massive changes in the industry he had inadvertently helped to birth. Continued incessant live performances and a string of the most acclaimed records of his career dominated the third decade of the southern California native. With his 1991, Terry Taylor produced masterpiece Wonderama, and his 1998 Rick Elias-produced classic Thirst, Stonehill grew elegantly into one of the true statesmen of contemporary Christian music.

On the thirtieth anniversary of his music ministry Stonehill took another in a series of bold steps in his career. His irascible inner child came scampering to the surface in the persona of “Uncle Stonehill” via an independent concept album “for children of all ages” called Uncle Stonehill’s Hat. “Many people who started coming to my concerts years ago in high school or college,” the now officially “whacky” uncle explains, “are returning these days with their own kids.” Again, with the help of Terry Taylor, Stonehill challenged the status quo in Christian music, especially the kiddie type. “Children really seem to connect with the kid in me,” the singer adds, “so he’s coming out to play more!” The independent CD (released in limited quantities through his own Holy Sombrero imprint) did indeed capture the imaginations of young people and not-so-young people alike, and was even developed as a full production stage musical in the fall of 2002. “It was really exciting to see how well it worked in that capacity,” Stonehill enthuses. “We’re not sure how God might grow the vision for this aspect of my music, so we’re really casting our bread upon the water as it were.” Stonehill has spent the last four years creating the wonderful world inside Uncle Stonehill’s Hat and exploring just how far down the mythological pathway he can go. All the while, however, he has maintained a constant concert schedule, criss-crossing the country performing his classics, like “Shut De Do,” “King Of Hearts,” “Great Big Stupid World” and “American Fast Food.”

Laurell A Vancouverite and first generation Canadian whose parents sailed from Liverpool, Laurell found herself singing along to the Beatles as soon as she could talk. Living in the Northwest exposed Laurell to the elements: snowboarding, surfing, wake boarding, hiking, and dirtbiking. It was these elements that shaped her appreciation of acoustic, rock, folk, hip-hop, punk, and pop music. Her classical background and jazz-based schooling provided a framework for all of these inspirations to take shape, and today, Laurell's music has found its way to a playful, acoustic pop sound, while never losing the honesty she so clearly draws from.

With three albums to boast, hundreds of U.S. and Canadian tour dates under her belt, a cluttered shelf of accolades, and a growing grassroots following, singer/songwriter Laurell is finding herself on new ground and jumping in with both feet.
After being named "Vancouver Idol" in 2001 on TV's popular reality show Canadian Idol, Laurell took fate into her own hands and independently released her first full-length album, Into Your Love. The spiritually-reflective recording had 500 CD's snatched up the day it dropped, and with band-in-tow, Laurell crossed the country to a hugely warm reception and further success in CD sales. That year, the album's single, "Great 'I AM'" won Song of the Year at the Canadian People's Choice Gospel Music Awards (Shai).

Eleven months later Laurell released The Fool In Me, and a playful experimentation of instruments, grooves, and subjects emerged. Once again, the CD sales exploded at her release, and Laurell went on to tour the west coast of Canada and the U.S. multiple times, sharing bills with numerous bands and songwriters.
In November 2007, Laurell dropped Fears Aside - a beautiful collection of five more self-penned songs - into the hands of her waiting fans. The album immediately gained her international recognition, winning the We Are Listening songwriting competition for her title track, landing her the $10,000 grand prize in MSN/Sympatico’s indie artist search, and earning her a Western Canadian Music Awards nomination for Outstanding Pop Album.
Recently, Laurell was invited to Toronto and LA to write with numerous established songwriters. The outcome is a 12-song CD entitled Can't Stop Falling.

Phil Callaway Phil Callaway is an award-winning author, speaker, and daddy of three. The best-selling author of twenty-four books, Phil has been called "the funniest Canadian alive," but never by his school teachers. He is a frequent guest on national radio and TV, and his humorous stories on family life have been featured in hundreds of magazines worldwide. But he insists that his greatest achievement was convincing his wife to marry him. Phil lives in Alberta, Canada with his high school sweetheart. They are married.

John Mays John Mays, VP of A&R for Centricity, is one of Christian music's most respected executives, having worked in A&R at Word, Sparrow, and Star Song Records before serving as president of Benson Records. Over his 35-year career, Mays discovered and signed Point Of Grace, Scott Krippayne, Cindy Morgan, Matt Redman, Nichole Nordeman, Warren Barfield, and the Passion worship recordings. Mays helped found Centricity Music in 2003. He began his career in music at 17 as a musician, eventually landing jobs as a bass player with several bands and many Christian music recordings during the '80s. Along the way, he co-wrote "Love In Any Language," a career song for Sandi Patty included in CCM's list of 100 greatest Christian songs.

The Andrews, TX, native has been married to Dianne for 32 years and continues to brag on his two kids, Kelsey and John Austin, now both in college.
When asked about his life philosophy, John says, "There aren't too many problems that can't be helped by a Mac computer, some Mexican food, or a trip to Texas." Smart man, that John Mays.

Phil Keaggy Phil Keaggy is perhaps one of the most admired guitarists in music today. His fans range from those who aspire just to be able to play Keaggy’s mistakes, to professional musicians who have been strongly influenced by his style. And in between are those who don’t play guitar, yet find solace in his beautifully penned lyrics and memorable melodies.

Phil’s solo career has spanned more than 30 years, and has included over 50 solo albums, both vocal and instrumental, as well as 8 releases with his band, Glass Harp. One of the most sought after studio guitarists, Phil also continues to sell out concerts all over the United States, with his ever-changing style, ranging from rock-and-roll to fully orchestrated instrumental compositions.

Born on March 23, 1951 in Youngstown, OH, the ninth of ten children, Phil grew up in a home filled with music. On Phil’s 10th birthday, his brother, Dave returned home with a Sears Silvertone guitar. That’s when the magic began.

Phil spent most of his younger days involved in music, and at the young age of 13, he joined his very first band, the Keytones. He later went on to join such local groups as The Vertices, The Squires, and the Volume Four, who later changed their name to New Hudson Exit.

But it wasn’t until 1970, when Phil’s band Glass Harp (with childhood friend John Sferra on drums, and Dan Pecchio on bass) recorded their self-titled first album that people really began to take notice of this incredibly gifted guitar player. Glass Harp gained more popularity in the Ohio area, opening for such bands as the Kinks and Yes, and even performing at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Over the next few years, they recorded two more albums entitled “Synergy” and “It Makes Me Glad”.

By 1972, Phil saw his life going in a different direction, and made the tough decision to leave Glass Harp and pursue a solo career. His first solo album, “What A Day”, was recorded in just a week’s time during January 1973. He married his sweetheart Bernadette that summer, and the following year, they moved to Upstate New York and joined a Church community called Love Inn.

During his years there, Phil took a break from recording his own music. It wasn’t until three years later in 1976 that Phil would record his second solo album, “Love Broke Thru”, which was soon followed by a string of albums, including the acclaimed instrumental album, “The Master And The Musician”.

With the Christian Music industry really beginning to grow, Phil won his very first Dove award in 1988 for his instrumental album, “The Wind and the Wheat. Phil’s second Dove Award came in 1992 for his Celtic-influenced, “Beyond Nature”. Each year from 1998 to 2001, Phil has dominated the “Instrumental Record” category at the Doves, winning for “Invention”, “Acoustic Sketches”, “Majesty and Wonder”, and most recently “Lights of Madrid”. For three years in a row, Phil was voted one of the top fingerstyle guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers.

These days, Phil Keaggy continues to delight audiences all over the US performing primarily acoustic shows, and occasional concerts with a band. He is aware that God gave him a calling to deliver the Gospel through his music, and for over 30 years, Phil Keaggy has been grateful to do just that, and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come.