MYLON LEFEVRE - REWIND

{{Mylon LeFevre}} grew up in a musical family, a southern gospel group known as The Singing LeFevre's. As a teenager, his family expelled him from the group for growing his hair too long. Then at 17, he realized his first musical dream, writing a gospel song called "Without Him," which was recorded by a well-known artist. "Elvis cut my song," LeFevre remembers. "Then 126 different people cut my song by the end of the first year."

Not long after this first success, LeFevre recorded his first album entitled We Believe. Included on the album is a gospel standard, co-written by LeFevre and the members of his band, "The Old Gospel Ship." "I did one of the first Christian rock records in the world. {{Larry Norman}} did one on the West Coast. We were doing our records at basically the same time. On secular labels those were the first two. However, I wasn't very sold out (to Jesus) at the time."

The career that followed was clouded by drugs and rock and roll excess, yet occasionally was penetrated by gospel music. Those early albums included Mylon & Holy Smoke, Love Rustler, Weak At the Knees and Rock and Roll Resurrection, many of which carried a gospel song. While never a superstar, LeFevre had a good run. "I played with the Rolling Stones and the Who. The list of people who played on my records is long. I don't think I have ever given anybody the whole list. You would have to come here to my study and read the names. Dylan, George Harrison, Little Richard, Ronnie Wood, Steve Winwood, Mick Fleetwood, and Alvin Lee."

In 1980, the God Mylon had been singing about on all those rock and roll albums penetrated his heart and Mylon was reborn. "When I got born again and left secular rock and roll, I became a janitor at my church in Atlanta," recalls LeFevre. "I went to every meeting I could. I learned a lot, but in the beginning I had been so stoned for so long that I couldn't think clear -- but the Word of God renewed my mind."

While at Mt. Paran he met some musicians with whom he began to write and play music. "I met those pickers in Bible study," says LeFevre. "We would be somewhere on a church retreat and someone would have an acoustic guitar and we would be jammin' around writing and stuff. The band (Broken Heart) just happened."

But it really happened. Successful records were followed by successful tours. His albums included the titles Brand New Start, ==Sheep in Wolves Clothing==, and ==Faith Hope And Love==, that sold hundreds of thousands of copies. And the band engaged in years of relentless touring that resulted in over two hundred and eleven thousand decisions. "We sold a few records," says LeFevre. "I wasn't {{Amy Grant}}, but I sold a few."

In 1993 things began to change again, in nearly as radical a way as his conversion. "The Lord had a conversation with me in 1993 that shook up my life. I was praying about 3 am in the morning and I had some kind of visitation or manifestation of the Lord. That was unusual for me."

"God told me that he was about to do something. He basically told me that He wanted me to spend more time in his presence unencumbered by all the things that were keeping my mind busy."

"God also told me I still thought that I had to write songs and produce records and have artist royalties and writer's royalties, production royalties, mechanical royalties, performance royalties, T-shirt sales and ticket sales. But He said, 'I am God and I want you to enter my economy.'"

"Of course, you can imagine, if you and woke up your family the day after you had a visitation from God and told them God told you to stop doing the things you make a living doing, what the response might be. And if you were supporting a lot of people, like a band, it might cause a few problems."

But LeFevre obeyed God. He broke up the band, gave away his bus and sold the band's ministry center. He moved to Ft. Worth Texas where he began {{Mylon LeFevre}} Ministries. He spends his time studying and writing (he has two books that are coming out soon through Harrison House, "How to Receive God's Best," and "Prayin' the Word") or getting out and preaching wherever he is invited to go. "I am very happy doing this now. It was just a hard transition for a little while. I have been loving it now for years."

After nearly seven years, music is a part of LeFevre's life again. "In the spring of '98 the Lord released me to go back into the studio. It is me and (former Broken Heart member) Scott (Allen). We are almost through with one album. There is a little celebration but it is mostly praise and worship. It is very contemporary but a little mellower than what I used to do."

"I hung up my rock and roll boots," says LeFevre. "I wasn't the greatest, but I was pretty good. I hung 'em up when I believed that I had fulfilled my mission there and God called me to something else. Most people didn't understand that. And for a while I didn't either. But I do know where God has called me. And that is where I am."

To find out more about Mylon, check out his website: http://www.mylon.org/