It was the fall of 1972, and I was just launching into my freshman year at West Chester State (now West Chester University). That’s Philips Hall in the photo above … where I would later see Billy Joel on his original “Piano Man” tour and perform as Thomas Jefferson in “1776” my senior year.
The original members of GLAD — Bob Kauflin, John Bolles, Tim Coble, Brad Currie and I — met each other for the first time and rehearsed together the same day. None of us had been introduced in any way before then (remember, this was about two decades before email and 35 years before the iPhone). I recall learning a James Taylor song and a tune from “Godspell.” The Godspell tune probably had some connection with Bob’s ever-present Godspell T-shirt. I don’t remember ever seeing him without it during our college years. It should be enshrined somewhere if it’s not too threadbare to hold together.
What brought us together? George and David King, two brothers I had met through Youth for Christ in the DC area, had formed a touring group called “The Fellowship” while attending Philadelphia College of the Bible. George and David had a vision for forming several musical groups and approached me about forming a band to do Christian music in the northeastern U.S. This was in my second year out of high school, while I was working for Peninsula Youth for Christ in Newport News, Virginia.
The term “Contemporary Christian Music” had been coined around this time and perpetuated by an eponymous magazine. CCM had taken hold on the west coast with artists like Barry Maguire, Love Song, Second Chapter of Acts, Larry Norman and others, but seemed slower getting traction in the east. The Fellowship auditioned musicians up and down the east coast, came up with a shortlist, got me involved, and were the major impetus behind forming the group that would become GLAD (not our original name, more on that later).
I can’t remember much else except that I could tell from that first rehearsal that vocals would be our strong suit. Everyone could sing and sing well. Hmmm…
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About Samuel Lee
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