Glass Harp & Wally Bryson come together for John Lennon’s birthday @ Roots of American Music benefitFor decades legend has had it that Jimi Hendrix was quoted as saying Glass Harp’s Phil Keaggy was his favorite guitarist. There’s no written record of that, and, obviously, it can’t be proven now. But just the fact that people who have heard Keaggy play have been so willing to believe it shows just how good Keaggy was – and still is.
Glass Harp recorded three studio albums for Decca Records, plus a live concert recorded at Carnegie Hall in the early 1970s, but the group split up when Keaggy decided to devote his time and talents to Christian rock. But the group has reunited a few times, selling out venues to its large and devoted following. The group will reunite again, on Sat 10/9, this time as a fund-raiser for the non-profit music and education organization Roots of American Music (http://www.RootsOfAmericanMusic.org). The concert takes place at the Beachland Ballroom (15711 N. Waterloo Rd., Cleveland).
Glass Harp’s original three members – guitarist Phil Keaggy, bassist Dan Pecchio and drummer John Sferra – will perform old and new Glass Harp songs, and as a special treat, Wally Bryson, lead guitarist of another legendary Cleveland-based rock group, the Raspberries, will join Glass Harp at this concert for a set of Beatles songs to commemorate what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday.
Roots of American Music (ROAM), based in Cleveland Heights, brings groups of professional musicians into schools to teach subjects, such as history, through American roots music, and to teach music through subjects like history. Its programs range from year-long classroom residencies to single assembly performances, often in schools that offer no other music instruction or performance. Through ROAM, thousands of children are exposed to types of music they probably would have never heard otherwise.
Since this concert is a fund-raiser for ROAM, there will also be a benefit party you can attend in the adjacent Beachland Tavern, including dinner, valet parking, special concert seating, and drink tickets.
A silent auction, available to everyone at the event, will feature many music-related items such as guitars, including one signed by Jackson Browne and David Lindley.
The concert starts at 7:30PM; the VIP party begins at 6PM.
Seating for this Sat 10/9 event is extremely limited. Tickets for the Glass Harp concert, only, are $50 ($25 tax-deductible). For concert-only tickets, contact the Beachland at 216-383-1124 or http://www.BeachlandBallroom.com. For VIP tickets (including dinner, valet parking, special concert seating and drink tickets) – at $125 each ($100 tax-deductible) – call 216-321-9353.
David Budin is a freelance writer and a folk and rock musician, whose folk group, Long Road, performs occasionally. He is a former editor of Northern Ohio Live and Cleveland Magazine. His writing focuses on the arts, and especially on pop culture and pop music history. He is currently working on two pop-music-related books.