Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child (1988)

Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child is the eleventh solo album by Christian singer/songwriter/guitarist Phil Keaggy. It was released on September 27, 1988 by Myrrh/Word Records. The album was produced by Lynn Nichols (credited as L. Arthur Nichols).

It is the first of three "rock and roll" albums Keaggy was releasing, especially the vocal comparisons to Paul McCartney of The Beatles. Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child was recorded, as it's written on the album liner notes, "with the greatest of care on original Vox and Fender amplifiers matched with the original stock vintage 50's and 60's guitars as well as acoustic drums □ all recorded in a 'real' acoustic environment just like the old days when everyone played together in the same room □ imagine that! We've eliminated computers and drum machines altogether and relegated synthesizers to just one selection (we used the cheapest "low-fi" stuff we could find) so as to replicate those great honest sounds that we all loved about early rock-n-roll recordings □ you know the ones that made us all want to run out and buy a guitar! Of course, in the end, when it came down to mixing we used every known piece of technology at our disposal to make it sound really good!" Among those used is Ringo Starr's old drum kit.

The album was recorded between June and August 1988 and features an all-star cast of musicians and friends such as Randy Stonehill, Russ Taff, Steve Taylor (only on the hand claps on "Tell Me How You Feel"), James Hollihan, Jr. on guitar, Rick Cua on bass guitar, Mike Mead on drums and many others. Mark Heard wrote and contributed backing vocals on "Everything is Alright," the only track to use keyboards which Heard also played on. "Everything is Alright" is only on the CD and cassette versions. The track "I've Just Begun (Again)" is a refurbished Glass Harp song, which was Keaggy's first band when he first got his start back in the late 1960s. Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child debuted and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.

Track listing

1. Tell Me How You Feel (Phil Keaggy) -3:23

2. Sunday's Child (featuring Randy Stonehill) (Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehill) -4:01

3. I Always Do (Mark Heard) -4:53

4. I'm Gonna Get You Now (Phil Keaggy, Lynn Nichols) -3:49

5. Blessed Be the Ties (Phil Keaggy, Steve Taylor, Lynn Nichols) -4:04

6. This Could Be the Moment (Lynn Nichols, Angelo Palladino) -3:52

7. Ain't Got No (featuring Randy Stonehill and Russ Taff) (Randy Stonehill, Sandi

Stonehill) -3:32

8. Somebody Loves You (Phil Keaggy) -4:09

9. Big Eraser (Phil Keaggy, Lynn Nichols, Lance DeMers) -4:36

10. Everything is Alright (Mark Heard) -4:19 (not on the LP version)

11. I've Just Begun (Again) (Phil Keaggy, Lynn Nichols) -3:42

12. Walk In Two Worlds (Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehill) -3:41

13. Talk About Suffering (traditional; arranged by Phil Keaggy) -4:51

Radio singles

1988 "Sunday's Child" (featuring Randy Stonehill) -#12 Christian CHR, #10

Christian AC

1989 "Talk About Suffering" -#4 Christian CHR, #16 Christian AC

1989 "Tell Me How You Feel" -#8 Christian CHR, #29 Christian AC

The above three songs charted were credited as Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child.

Previous release: Way Back Home (1986)

Next release: Find Me in These Fields (1990)