Randy Stonehill

Randall Evan Stonehill (born March 12, 1952) is an American singer and songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but some of his albums have focused on new wave, pop, pop rock, roots rock, and children’s music.

Randy Stonehill was born in Stockton, California. the son of Leonard N. Stonehill and his wife, Pauline Correia and is the younger brother of Jeffrey Dean Stonehill.

He graduated from Leigh High School, in San Jose, California, then moved to Los Angeles where he stayed with Christian rock singer, Larry Norman.

Stonehill’s first album, Born Twice was released in 1971, with financial help from Pat Boone. The album—one side a live performance, the other recorded in a studio—was recorded for a mere $US 800, and according to Stonehill, “sounds like every penny of it.”

A year later, Stonehill made his film acting debut in The Blob sequel, Beware! The Blob (also known as Son of Blob), with Cindy Williams, in which he performed the unreleased song “Captain Coke”. He also made a cameo appearance in the 1973 Billy Graham film Time to Run, performing his song “I Love You”.

In 1976, Stonehill released the Larry Norman-produced Welcome to Paradise, for which Andy Johns did the engineering. This became a landmark album for the songwriter and was voted the “third most important contemporary Christian album” in a mid-1980s poll of Christian music critics.

In the late 1970s, Stonehill joined forces with rock band Daniel Amos for the “Amos ‘n’ Randy Tour”. Daniel Amos went on to be Stonehill’s band for his next two releases, and Stonehill later provided backing vocals on a number of Daniel Amos’ projects.

1983 saw Stonehill’s popular album Equator debut and go very rapidly out-of-print. The album is still widely sought after in both vinyl and cassette form. No re-releases on CD were issued.

1984’s Celebrate This Heartbeat teamed Stonehill with longtime friend Phil Keaggy for the song “Who Will Save The Children?” In 1989 they formed The Keaggy/Stonehill Band with Daniel Amos bassist Tim Chandler and The Swirling Eddies‘ David Raven on drums. Keaggy and Stonehill also teamed up several other times, both live in concert and in the studio. They recorded and performed as Phil Keaggy and Sunday’s Child in 1988. They also joined singer Margaret Becker, drummer Joe English (former member of Paul McCartney and Wings) and several others that same year for the Compassion All Star Band’s album One by One.

Stonehill has been married three times, to Sarah Mae Finch, Sandra Jean Warner, and Leslie Sealander, with the first two marriages ending in divorce. His second marriage produced one daughter, Heather. Finch later married Larry Norman.

• McNeil, W.K. “Stonehill, Randy”, in Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music (Routledge, 2005):377–378.