Love Song (band)

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For other uses of "Love song", see Love song (disambiguation).

Love Song was one of the first Christian Rock bands, founded in 1970 by Chuck Girard, Tommy Coomes, Jay Truax, and Fred Field. Additionally the earliest members included David Ingram on keyboards, Ernie Earnshaw on drums and Jack Schaeffer on bass. It was Schaeffer who came up with the group's name. Field was replaced by Bob Wall, who played guitar on the "Love Song" and "Final Touch" albums. Drummer John Mehler (who had joined the fledgling group in its infancy, then left with Field) rejoined in time to play on "Final Touch" and "Feel the Love." Another latter-day member was Phil Keaggy, who joined to replace departing Wall.

They were a part of the Jesus Movement of the late 60s and early 70s, coming out of Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel. Their classic debut album, Love Song (1972), is considered one of the greatest Christian music albums of all time. The group toured heavily in the early 70s, becoming very popular both in the US and abroad. By 1976, the Jesus Movement was being replaced by Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) as the leading style of Christian Rock, and it was becoming more business than ministry. Many of the bands that had started the movement began to break up, and after a final "Reunion Tour" which resulted in the Feel The Love double live album, Love Song was no more. Many of the original members continued with solo careers and a few are still performing today (2005). In 1994, the band recorded another reunion album, Welcome Back.