PAGE 5

    The History
    With Tommy's rebirth came Love Song's official beginning. "There were now four of us who were ready and willing to play completely for the Lord," Jay remembers. "We decided to form a permanent group, and as a result, Love Song was born" So it was that Jay, Fred, Chuck and Tommy introduced themselves together as Love Song to a Calvary Chapel audience in the spring of 1970. As they sang, it became evident that their music was speaking to the hearts of those who were there:

    Jesus puts the song in our hearts
    Jesus sets us free
    Jesus puts the song in our hearts
    Jesus brings a joyful melody
    Hey, have you seen the changes
    All your friends who have a happy glow
    Hey, haven't you been wonderin'
    What it is they found and what they know

    "Thinking back on how our ministry really got going, I guess you could call it a natural progression," says Tommy. "We'd been playing at Calvary Chapel on a regular basis; then, after the service, people would come up to us and ask if we would come and play at their church, coffeehouse, school or conference. " One engagement led to another as more and more people heard Love Song's music, and in a matter of weeks the group had committed themselves to a heavy schedule of concerts. In a very real sense, each member of Love Song became a minister of God. They first came to grips with the fact that their music and testimonies were direct instruments in the service of God when they began seeing the results in the audiences who came to hear them. People of all ages were coming to know Jesus Christ in a personal way because of Love Song's message. "When we saw the good our music was doing," Chuck states, "we came to realize more seriously the reality of our ministry and the awesome power of God, who touched lives totally independent of our efforts."

    It is no accident that the entire movement which embraced this new style of music was activated during the months of Love Song's beginning. It was in fact, Love Song who became one of the leaders in setting the era of "Jesus Music" into motion. The group's original blend of rock, pop and country music, coupled with gospel lyrics, typified the new feeling of tolerance and acceptance which churches like Calvary Chapel extended. No longer were traditional barriers the issue. The question was one of genuine commitment to Christ; all other matters of dress, appearance and style of music became secondary:

    Little country church on the edge of town
    People comin' everyday from miles around
    For meetins' and for Sunday School
    And it's very plain to see
    It's not the way it used to be
    Preacher isn't talkin' 'bout religion no more
    He just wants to praise the Lord
    People aren't as stuffy as they were before
    They just want to praise the Lord

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