Not long after Larry Norman’s 1969 debut album, “Upon This Rock”, a Southern Boy from a Gospel Music Family, Mylon LeFevre, would come out with his own version of Christian Rock called, Mylon (We Believe).
Mylon R. LeFevre was a Christian Rock Musician best known for his band, Mylon and Broken Heart. His band received a Grammy Award in 1987 and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2005. As a preacher and teacher, he traveled around the United States, ministering at Bible Schools, Worship Seminars, and various Sports Chapels, as well as several Countries.
Beginnings
Mylon was born October 6, 1944 in Gulfport, Mississippi to a Southern Gospel family known as, “The Le Fevres”, the youngest son of Eva Mae and Urias Le Fevre. His dad appeared at the Grand Ol’ Opry in the 20s. He also had a preaching grandfather who built 39 churches for the denomination “Church of God”. His parents met in Bible College and married in 1934. He began to sing at 5 and when he was old enough, he began to sing and play guitar with the group.
As a teenager, Mylon was expelled from the Academy at Bob Jones University when his father took him out to be with the family while they performed. He also spent time in a reform school in Tallulah Falls, Georgia and attended 11 different schools before he graduated. Though an Outsider, and often mocked by his peers for his hand-me-down clothes, he was already developing a reputation for being a good songwriter.
After graduating in 1962, and at just 17 years old, Mylon joined the Army. It was at this time that his life would forever change; he wrote the Gospel song, “Without Him”. While stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, his parents group, The Le Fevres, were scheduled to sing at the National Quartet Convention in Memphis. That weekend, Mylon traveled some 500 miles to sing his song, not knowing that Elvis Presley was in the audience.
After the concert, Elvis asked his manager, Colonel Parker, to arrange a meeting with Mylon after the show. Mylon believes that God gave him favor with Elvis and what a boost it was for his self-esteem. Shortly thereafter, Elvis would record the song and include it on his album, “How Great Thou Art”. During the next year, a number of other artists would record the song and see it on over 100 albums. As the royalty money began to pour in, Mylon would go from making $84/month to $90,000 in the first 3 months. According to LeFevre, writing the song took about twenty minutes!
With that money, he purchased a Corvette Stingray and speedboat, and at 18, would leave the Army. Mylon was still singing with his family, but his ideals were becoming quite different from them. For the next 6 years he would stay with “The Le Fevres” and also become a member of the famed Stamps Quartet. In 1964 Mylon released his first solo album, “New Found Joy” and in 1968 his follow up, “Your Only Tomorrow”.
At that time, there were no Praise Bands in churches; especially the South. Music in Church was limited to just a piano or organ; maybe a choir. Mylon wanted to write and sing contemporary music, but there wasn’t a place for it—or his long hair and sideburns—in his family or in the Church. Mylon said: “You couldn’t just write a song and sing it in church in those days. Most churches sang out of hymnals.” He couldn’t find an outlet for his creativity.
So Mylon began to pioneer his own style of music that he believed young people could relate to. He once described it by using the title of a Larry Norman song: “Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?” He began working with several musicians (later known as the Atlanta Rhythm Section) and formed his own group. He signed with Atlantic Records and then recorded his first album, “Mylon (We Believe)”. It was released in 1969/70 by Atlantic/Cotillion Records, and some say, was the first “Jesus Rock” album. Of course, if you know of Larry Norman’s “Upon This Rock”, that claim would be argued!
70s and 80s
When Mylon was 25, he left The Le Fevres due to differences over music and being told to “get his hair cut”. So in 1970, Mylon formed the “Holy Smoke Doo Dah Band” and signed with Columbia Records. Throughout the 70s he recorded and performed with the following artists: George Harrison (Beatles), Eric Clapton (Cream), Steve Winwood (Traffic), Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac), Duane Allman (Allman Brothers), Alvin Lee (Ten Years After), Billy Joel, Elton John, Grand Funk Railroad, Little Richard, The Who, and ZZ Top.
In 1973, both Alvin Lee (Ten Years After) and Le Fevre teamed up and released the album, “On the Road to Freedom”. It was produced by Lee and had noted musicians George Harrison, Steve Winwood, and Mick Fleetwood playing on it. During this time, Mylon experienced great success in the rock music business. He had sold millions of records, but his personal life was spinning out of control. He was overwhelmed by the stress and loneliness of touring, and the constant pressure of recording an album each year to tour on.
Though Mylon believed in Jesus, he wasn’t living as a Christian. He was taking drugs and drifting further from the roots of his Christian upbringing. He was being pressured by his management and the media to dump the religious stuff from his act. His drug use continued to grow, helping him deal with stress and the ability to fit in. His drug use escalated to a near-fatal heroin overdose so he committed himself to a drug treatment program that year. Seven months later, LeFevre came out clean.
In 1980, Mylon attended a concert by 2nd Chapter of Acts, a popular Christian Music Group at the time. By their appearance and the kind of music they played, he could tell they weren’t concerned with outward appearances, but with issues of the heart. At the end of the concert, the Band’s Manager, Buck Herring, led the people in prayer. Mylon prayed along with them surrendered his life to Christ and made Jesus his Lord.
From that time onward, Mylon began to make radical changes in his life. He started attending church; he turned his back completely on rock’n’roll and its lifestyle. But it also came at a steep cost. To get out of legal obligations, he had to agree to a deal that essentially gave up all the royalties from his songs, publishing, and recordings. He had become a New Creation!
