glass :: Blog
Cleveland's Glass Harp band
Glass Harp is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative rock bands to have ever emerged from the Cleveland rock and roll scene. Formed in Youngstown in the late Sixties, the band – Phil Keaggy on guitar, Daniel Pecchio on bass and John Sferra on drums – was a power trio in the tradition of Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and the James Gang. But the group – which is currently represented in the Museum’s Ohio exhibit -- went beyond the blues-based stylings of those bands to create a sound all their own. At the center of Glass Harp’s sound was Keaggy’s lyrical, inventive guitar playing. So admired was Keaggy that, when asked who his favorite guitarist was, Jimi Hendrix cited Phil Keaggy. Glass Harp released three critically acclaimed albums and was on the verge of breaking big on the national scene when, in 1972, Keaggy left the band to pusue a career in Christian music. Twenty-five years later, in January 1997, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened an exhibit called My Town, which focused on Cleveland’s rock and roll history. I contacted the band members, and they agreed to re-form the original Glass Harp for an ...
