Lightspeed

In late 1989, a chance meeting of two musicians gave birth to the Canadian band Lightspeed. While in a local pub, Rod Chappell was introduced to Terry Crawford and the two discussed their mutual appreciation for various styles of music. They decided on a get-together to listen to each other's original songs and the meeting proved quite fruitful, as the two immediately began writing new songs together. They soon had enough music to produce a demo with music reminiscent of legendary bands ranging from Deep Purple to Yes.

Rod’s long time friend John Persichini was asked to record with them, as the need for a lead vocalist was apparent . . . Rod and Terry were musicians first, front-men second. John’s powerful and soulful voice, along with an amazing ability to play the Saxophone was a perfect match for the style of music that Terry and Rod had created.

Another long time friend, guitarist Gene Murray, was called upon to add his unique blend of screaming blues and rock styling. Sandy Nemechek and Willy Frydryk were then brought in to add additional keyboards and flute tracks.

The initial Lightspeed demo was quite well received in regional Canadian markets and there was a need for live performances to promote their music. Lightspeed's popularity quickly grew and recording a full CD was in the near future. "So...Exactly Where Are We?" was released in 1992. The album was well received in Europe and Japan and was accorded critical acclaim in several international magazines. A follow-up entitled "On Second Thought" was released in 1995 with matching success.

The band decided to take some time off from its heavy schedule to work on other projects. Terry took time to expand his recording studio, in which he used to work on his solo album entitled "Circadian Rhythm." John, Gene and Rod did session work as well live performances with other bands and side projects.

The time apart brought about a change in direction for Lightspeed. Once he was able to fulfill previous obligations, Rod’s brother Gary Chappell was brought into the band to handle keyboard duties. Gary helped greatly in creating a new sound for the Lightspeed with his style of playing and his song writing talents. Several months in the studio brought about the 2004 recording “Waves” and Gary has become a permanent, integral member of the group.