#324 A Tribute to my dad, Chuck Girard 1943-2025

The Alisa Childers Podcast

Alisa Childers

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality

4.8 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, I share a very personal tribute to my dad, Chuck Girard. From his teenage years as a session singer in Los Angeles, to his encounter with Jesus during the Jesus Revolution, to a lifetime of ministering through music, his story is not only a testament to how one man can impact the world, but also how the faith of a father can shape the lives of his children.But beyond the music and ministry, I also share some of the little things that made him him—the quirks, the humor, and the unique personality that only those close to him got to see. I also open up about his last days at home in hospice, and some of his final words. This episode is both a celebration of my dad’s fascinating life and a glimpse into the man behind the music, whose trust in Jesus shaped everything he did until his very last breath.Go Fund me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-chuck-girards-fight-against-cancerLove Song documentary: https://abandcalledlovesong.comCCM Tribute: https://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/chuck-girard-pioneer-of-contemporary-christian-music-enters-heaven-at-81-amy-grant-bryan-duncan-john-schlitt-and-more-share-tributes/Variety Magazine: https://variety.com/2025/music/obituaries-people-news/chuck-girard-dead-christian-rock-pioneer-love-song-hondells-1236488323/Celebration of Life Services: Tuesday, August 26 at 2:00 PM at The Gate Church in Franklin, TN. All are welcome.The Gate Church4040 Murfreesboro RdFranklin, TN 37067There will also be a memorial service in Southern California sometime in September that we will try to livestream (date to be announced).To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music (http://www.alisachilders.com/music)There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/alisachilders (http://www.patreon.com/alisachilders)To order “Another Gospel”: www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/ (http://www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/)To order “Live Your Truth": www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/ (http://www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/)To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/ (https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/)For Alisa's Merch: https://alisachilders.creator-spring.com (https://alisachilders.creator-spring.com/)To see what gear Alisa uses to record her podcast, go to:https://kit.co/alisachilders (https://kit.co/alisachilders)Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/ (https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/)Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, everyone. Welcome to the Elisa Childers podcast, where it's always my goal to help equip Christians to identify the core beliefs of historic Christianity, discern its counterfeits, and proclaim the gospel with clarity, kindness, and
0:21.6	truth. And I think one of the main reasons that I'm able to do that on this podcast is because
0:26.7	of the influence of my dad, Chuck Gerard. And today's episode is going to be my best attempt
0:32.8	to give a tribute to his life, maybe give some inside information about what it was like growing
0:40.8	up with him as my dad, share some of my favorite memories.
0:44.9	I want to share a bit about his last week here on Earth, and yeah, I'm going to do my best
0:53.1	to do that.
0:58.5	He, on August 11th, around 1115, he breathed his last breath on this earth after being diagnosed with stage four cancer last fall and undergoing a series
1:04.6	of chemotherapy treatments, which proved ineffective. And then early spring, he was put into hospice.
1:10.0	So he died at home. And yeah, I just want to
1:13.9	share about him. If anyone is unfamiliar with my dad, he was one of the founders or you might say
1:21.4	pioneers. And I would say unintentional pioneers of the contemporary Christian music industry or CCM.
1:27.2	Of course, those guys back then
1:28.4	weren't trying to found an industry or anything like that. They were just hippies that had been
1:33.4	saved by Jesus and were singing songs about it and wanted to share their songs with the world.
1:38.1	And the CCM industry was born out of that and has turned into what it is today.
1:42.7	But ever since, for about 50 years or so,
1:45.2	my dad has made records singing his songs and has always done that. Even after he left the
1:51.7	spot, you know, the major spotlight of the industry decades ago, he has never stopped
1:57.2	ministering in music, traveling to different churches, making records, and sharing
2:02.8	his music with the world. And if anyone is familiar with the Jesus Revolution movie,
2:08.8	you will remember the band in the movie called Love Song. That is my dad's band. And I'm going to
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