The Moppy-Haired Music Man

Some big things happened in my life when I was 10. As mentioned in my last post, I performed in my own recital. I had spent 2 years preparing and practicing for it. In anticipation of this event, I felt nothing but nerves - after it was over, nothing but joy and relief and a sense of accomplishment. Also at the age of 10, my mom and dad took my sister, Tricia, and I to our first Jesus West Coast. This was a weekend long festival of Christian music and teaching. We camped there as a family for 3 days.

I'm sure there were many wonderful Christian artists and speakers that weekend. But they all faded in my memory in comparison to the moppy-haired man who played the piano and sang. His name was Keith Green - he was largely unknown at the time (hard to imagine, huh?), as his first album had just been released. As he stepped to the piano and prepared to play, I had no idea what was about to hit me. His "performance" was electric with passion. He burned up the piano with his playing, and his personality was almost manic with excitement about Jesus.

We went home from Jesus West Coast with a Keith Green album (supposedly for my parents) and a Music Machine album (remember that?) for my sister and me. Little did my parents know how much Keith Green's performance had affected me. I went home, and played the Keith Green album incessantly, and I'm afraid Music Machine saw very little light of day :)! Soon, my parents ordered me a Keith Green music book, and I learned every song in it.

As mentioned before, I learned to sing and play these songs for church. My dad, sister and I sang many of them together, while I accompanied at the piano. We eventually signed up for his newsletter in order to be informed every time a new album was released. We ordered them all, as well as all the music books. To say these albums were favorites of mine would be an understatement. My memory is a bit foggy, but I think we saw him in concert at least 2 more times. I remember he preached more than he sang and played, but I enjoyed seeing his passion, no matter what form it took. Through his newsletters, we followed his life as he moved from So. California to Texas, and as he and his wife had their first child, then another, then another. Coincidentally, his second child was born within a few months of my youngest sister, in 1980, and they have the same name, Bethany Grace.

I will never forget where I was on a summer day in 1982, when I found out that Keith Green had been killed in a plane crash. I was at home, and my mom was watching Good Morning America. They reported the crash in the news portion of the program. He, his 2 oldest children, and another entire family were killed. His pregnant wife and youngest child were not in the plane. I was shocked and distressed, to put it mildly. I immediately went over to my friend's house down the street and told her, and we both cried and listened to his albums and sang his songs together, while I played the piano. My good friend, Nancy, was almost as big a fan as I was.

His last album was recorded shortly before the crash, but had not been released. We already had an order in for it, even before he died. As soon as it arrived, I took it over to Nancy's house, and we listened to the whole thing together. The album was his first, and last, worship album. It still is my favorite of his.

Keith Green was not necessarily an idol of mine, like Cindy was. I just loved him. At the tender age of 10, his music spoke to my heart and urged me into a vibrant relationship with Jesus. I desperately wanted to have that same relationship with God and passion that Keith Green had. I can still remember how my soul seemed to swell with life whenever I listened to his music.

My husband grew up with Keith Green's music, as well. The REALLY neat thing is now our children have grown up with his music. For some reason, his music has never gone out of style! And all my kids love it almost as much as I did when I was their age! I thank the Lord Jesus for ministering His grace to me through Keith Green's music. God, you are so Good to me!