Ep 77: Artist and Musician Jimmy Abegg

Jimmy Abegg is a veteran of both the music and art worlds. He also has a heart of gold and is generous with everyone he meets. Currently Jimmy is in need of financial help to complete the building Blind Jimmy's Lighthouse, an art and music studio he's building behind his home. You can support Jimmy through direct donations on his website or by simply buying his artwork, such as hi-resolution prints of his album cover of Charlie Peacock's Lie Down in the Grass. Associated with Rich Mullins's Ragamuffin Band, Charlie Peacock, and the band Vector, our conversation intentionally focuses on his own art and music, especially his plans once his studio gets completed, including recording albums, offering art workshops to the community, finishing his podcast, and writing his memoir. Please take a look at the videos after the episode link for examples of his work throughout the years.

Other Jimmy Abegg related links:
Purchase Charlie Peacock's West Coast Diaries Vol. 1 on vinyl
Stu G's Beatitudes Project that Jimmy did artwork for
Jimmy's Between the Songs Podcast Interview about Rich Mulllins and the Ragamuffins

Also, please check out my book on the 12 days of Christmas

Subscribe to the podcast on itunes 

Check out the podcast page to subscribe on Stitcher, 
Google Play, Tunein, and PocketCasts.

Music Related Podcast Episodes:
Bonus: Stu G on the Beautitudes Project 

Ep 74: Charlie Peacock
Ep 73: Phil Joel of Newsboys and Zealand

Ep 52: Fernando Ortega's The Crucifixion of Jesus

Ep 55: Singer-songwriter Nathan Peterson

Ep 59: Jeremy Casella's New Album and Kickstarter Campaign

Ep 56: Andrew Osenga

Ep 53: The Mosleys—Husband and Wife Duo
Ep 67: Singer-songwriter John Van Deusen
Ep 70: Glenn Kaiser

Examples of Jimmy's work:

The Christian Music Supergroup

The release of Steve Taylor & the Perfect Foil's new album Goliath has got me thinking of an interesting phenomenon in the music world: SUPERGROUPS

Post-Humous Record Review: This Train's "The Emperor's New Band" and "Mimes of the Old West"

Post-Humous Record Reviews: a personal refection on a long-forgotten album in need of a resurrection.

The music of the rockabilly band This Train came about at an interesting time for me personally as well as for the Christian music industry (CCM) in general.

Interview--Reed Arvin: Recording Rich Mullins' A Liturgy, A Legacy, and A Ragamuffin Band

Rich Mullins' landmark album A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band turn 20 years old this month.  This interview is part 2 of my celebration of this anniversary.  

NOTE: A condensed version of this interview first appeared on Christianity Today's website and can be found here. 

My previous reflections on A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band can be found here. My essay on "The Theology of Rich Mullins" can be found here.  My article on the upcoming film about Mullins' life can be found here and my interview with the film's director can be found here.

Growing up listening to Rich Mullins' records there was always one name that kept standing out to me other than Mullins himself.  I was the kind of kid who poured through every word of the liner notes looking for hidden meanings and the fingerprints of everyone who made had made the album possible.  And so, every time I bought a Rich Mullins record I would inevitably read this: "Produced by: Reed Arvin."  Now I'm no fool--if Reed Arvin's name was constantly associated with my favorite music artist, then Mr. Arvin must be a high-quality upstanding individual himself.  As a budding musician I often dreamed of what it would be like to be Rich Mullins, but I also dreamed of what it would be like to work with Mullins and help him create his music.  There is only a hand full of people who would fall into that category: Beaker (David Strasser, Mullins' frequent co-writer), The Ragamuffin Band (Rick Elias, Jimmy Abegg, Mark Robertsons, and Aaron Smith), Mitch McVicker and the other Kid Brothers of St. Frank, and then Reed Arvin.


Over the years a number of questions began forming in my about how Mullins worked and how his albums came together. After a time I realized Mullins, even though he had long since passed, was probably not the best person to ask these questions to anyway, but that these were questions specifically for one person, Mullins' producer Reed Arvin.  So, I got up the nerve to contact Arvin with my questions and he was gracious enough to respond with his answers. (Arvin blogs regularly at http://notjusttalk.tumblr.com/)

Celebrating 20 Years of Rich Mullins' A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band

For part one in my series on Rich Mullins, go here. 

For my article on the upcoming film about Mullins 

go here and for my interview with the films's director go here. 

For my interview with Mullins' producer Reed Arvin, go here.

I believe music can change the way we see, hear, and feel about the world.  This essay is a personal reflection on one such instance, an instance I want to celebrate and share with others.

I had just purchased a cassette of Rich Mullins' 1993 album A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band at my local Christian book store.  I got into the car with my mom and grandma (my Granny), pulled it out of its squeaky cellophane wrapper, popped it into my yellow Sports Walkman, and listened to it in the car while my mom went through her round of afternoon errands.  I became transfixed.  I did not even care that we had to make a stop at the fabric store, a trip I usually loathed.  I just stayed in the car and listened.