re: Underrated guitar players

Vince Gill's ability isn't exactly a secret

Mike Oldfield

I’ll mention someone that most people have never heard of, Phil Keaggy. He was in a band called Glass Harp and has lots of solo albums, I believe about 55. A lot of his music is prog rock and he has released a bunch of Christian albums too. I accidentally stumbled upon him channel surfing about 30 years ago and saw him on a show on the Catholic Network. I was amazed and subsequently saw him live two times after that. He is the best nine fingered guitarist you’ll ever hear. He lost half a finger when he was four. His dad wanted to buy him a drum set later but he insisted on learning guitar, even with the extra challenge of a missing digit.

“We lived on a farm in Hubbard, Ohio which had a big water pump, and I was climbing up on it. As I was kneeling on top of the platform, it broke and the faucets came crashing down on my finger and cut it off. I can remember it very vividly—as if it happened yesterday, and I can see my dad running down the hill, rescuing me, and taking me to the hospital. I can recall having a white cast and bandage; it was gigantic! They tried to sew it on, but it didn't take, so I grew up with nine fingers. As a young kid, I was embarrassed about it a lot, especially when I was beginning to get into guitar.”


This song doesn’t show off his guitar skills, but I love the melody and it is very relaxing. Youtube Link