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The songwriter and vocalist Chuck Girard was born on 27th August 1943 in Los Angeles and grew up first in southern and later northern California.
He began playing music at the age of 10, and in 1959, along with four school friends from Santa Rosa High School, Tom Hicks, Warren Hays, Bob Ussery and Jeff Bush, he formed the vocal group The Castells. Chuck's mother then financed a demo recording which the group used to obtain a recording deal with Hollywood-based Era Records.
The Castells (now a four-piece following the departure of Jeff Bush), went on to score five Hot 100 singles, including two top-twenty hits, “Sacred” (1961) and “So This Is Love” (1962).
As a consequence, while still a teenager, Chuck Girard found himself appearing on the same bill with such stars as Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Vee, Jackie Wilson, Bobby Rydell, Dick & Dee Dee, Jan & Dean, The Beach Boys, The Righteous Brothers, The Rivingtons, Dobie Gray, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Brenda Lee and many more.
In March 1964, the group released the well-received but surprisingly non-charting “I Do” - produced by Chuck's close friend, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and written by Wilson and Roger Christian, but in 1966, following the falure of their single "Life Goes On", The Castells decided to go their separate ways, although Chuck and Joe Kelly (who had joined the group in 1962) continued to record as the duo Chuck and Joe and later as (amongst others), The Devons, produced by songwriter Gary Usher who had already penned several songs for the Beach Boys, Frankie Avalon and Wayne Newton.
By now, Chuck had built a successful career as a studio singer and musician, singing the lead on the Hondells’ first two albums and their biggest hit, “Little Honda.” However, in his early twenties, he had also embarked on a hippie lifestyle, experimenting with drugs and Eastern philosophies iver a five-year period.
That came to an end in 1970 at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. By now, he was part of a band that would eventually be renamed Love Song, and although Chuck had been raised as a Catholic, one by one, the band members gradually underwent separate conversions, shifting their message from “peace, love and LSD" to Christianity, and in so doing, helped blaze the path for what became known as both the Jesus Movement and contemporary Christian music. Love Song became the house band at Calvary Chapel, and their songs “A Love Song,” “Little Country Church,” “Welcome Back,” and “Let Us Be One” resonated deeply particularly with young people.
In 1975, he began a solo career with a self-titled album that featured “Sometimes Alleluia” and “Rock ’N’ Roll Preacher,” both written and performed by him and featuring the band Ambrosia. He also started to release albums - Glow in the Dark, Written on the Wind, Take It Easy, The Stand, The Name Above All Names, Fire & Light, Voice of the Wind, Heart of Christmas, and Evening Shadows - and contributed as songwriter, producer, vocalist, and instrumentalist for many other artists and projects. In his later years, he continued to minister through music, worship, and teaching around the world, while his daughter, Alisa Childers, embarked on a career as a songwriter and member of the Christian girl group ZOEgirl.
Chuck Girard always possessed a rare combination of musicality, heartfelt simplicity, and spiritual conviction. His melodies carried genuine warmth, and his lyrics spoke plainly yet powerfully. His talent helped bridge secular musicianship with evangelical faith at a pivotal moment in American culture, lending authenticity to what would become a major genre.
In the history of popular music, he was a quiet but important pioneer - someone whose influence spread not through flashy stardom but through soul-stirring sincerity, and whose work helped build the foundations for contemporary Christian music as both art and ministry.
Chuck died at the age of 81, on the 11tjh August 2025, in Southern California, USA, of lung-metastasized cancer.
The above is just one of the many profiles of leading songwriters, singers, musicians and music industry personnel, published by the International Songwriters Association and "Songwriter Magazine". Please click HERE for more.
© Jim Liddane
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