Chuck Girard, Christian Music Pioneer, Dies After Cancer Battle
He was part of the Jesus Movement that began in Southern California
Chuck Girard, a pioneer of contemporary Christian music, died on Monday after battling cancer. His wife, Karen, shared the news on social media.
“It is with great sorrow, yet also great joy, to let you know that Chuck has moved to Heaven and will be eternally with Jesus!,” she wrote. “He left this earth at rest and in total peace, surrounded by family. We praise the Lord for His great mercy and for His gift of Chuck’s music, message, and heart. `To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.’ We’re grateful for Jesus who paid the price for all who receive Him. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for Chuck and held us in prayer.”
Girard was part of the Jesus Movement that began in Southern California and is featured in the “Jesus Revolution” movie. He shared his story several years ago in an interview with “Metro Voice.”
“By a process of elimination and study, it was an organic process of the Holy Spirit directing and guiding us,” he said. “We came out at the other end with the ultimate truth of Christianity. God took a bunch of hippies and changed a lot of things in music. It was from the heart, and it was not lorded over by executives. The 1970s were a great decade in Christian music.”
The Jesus Movement, when Christians realized it was OK to have long hair and play rock music in church, continues to reverberate today. Few names are more synonymous with that momentous era than Girard. As a founding member of Love Song, widely regarded as the first Christian rock band, and later as a solo artist, he is known for such songs as “Rock & Roll Preacher,” “Little Pilgrim” and “Sometimes Alleluia
Decades after helping launch contemporary Christian music, his songs continue to resonate.
“I’m always amazed at how much activity there still is on my Spotify account and how often people respond on Facebook,” Girard said. “I think it’s more my generation, although there are some kids who are interested in the historic music. Most of the audience are people who were into the into the music or their parents were. There still are people who order physical copies off Amazon. I’m surprised that there is as much interest as there is.”
One of his final projects was producing a three-part documentary titled “A Band Called Love Song,” which will be released on Prime Video in September. For more information, visit A band called LoveSong.
–Alan Goforth
