OUR BAND
HOW IT All BEGAN…
Back in the day, Deb and Bill used to be neighbors on Charles Street in Huntington, IN. Deb was a teenager and Bill was newly married when their paths first crossed, so to speak. Bill was, should we say, “wild” in those days and Deb’s first impression was to stay away! Strange that now the two stand side-by-side singing praises to the Lord!
Bill moved to Markle, IN and began operating his own body shop and wrecker service. When Terry’s mother was in need of the wrecker service, Bill and Terry met. Their mutual interest in music led to a friendship that has lasted over the years. The two of them played in a rock-n-roll band together and “jammed” in Bill’s garage!
In the meantime, Deb was married to Hal and also moved to Markle. She became a member of her husband’s church, the Markle United Methodist Church. A few years later, Bill and his wife, Cindy, also started attending services there. And some years after that, Terry and his wife, Susan, came to the church as well.
When the members of the church decided it was time to create an alternative to the traditional Sunday morning worship, a contemporary Tuesday night worship service was created. Pastor Kaye Patton and her husband Richard were trying to form a praise team to lead the music. Deb offered to play guitar and Bill and Terry were asked to join the band. They came expecting to be a part of a band and found out they were the band! A few singers were added to the group, including Callie, and the team began to lead worship. Bill shared some of the songs he was inspired to write and the group performed these as well. On occasion, the group would sing at area churches and the rescue mission in Ft. Wayne. It became a regular commitment to present music for the mission each month and eventually only Bill, Terry, and Deb were available to attend. As the three played together often, the music began to take on a life of its own. It soon became apparent that the three had a job to do sharing the messages that God laid upon their hearts through music and testimony. The band was born!
NEW ADDITIONS:
Off and on we discussed adding a drummer to the band and the general consensus was he or she would have to be the right person and that if God wanted us to have a drummer, that person would come along. To make a long story short, three drummers came and went! Then came Rob! Rob answered our ad prior to the third drummer joining us but decided the traveling distance was too far to join us. On the day our third drummer resigned, Rob called again. Thankfully, he decided to join us and what a blessing he has been.
Last, but not least, Callie is our newest (and youngest) addition. As mentioned earlier, Callie sang with the church praise team. Then she moved away and we didn’t see her for a while. As it happened, Callie was visiting the worship service on a Tuesday night and Deb felt led to ask her if she’d be interested in singing again – not with the praise team, but with the band. After hearing the details, Callie was in! We are so excited to have her join us. (We will soon begin work on a new cd that includes Rob and Callie. In the meantime, you can listen in on a bit of our practice that we recorded at the JamCrib in Ft. Wayne.)
FUTURE PLANS
We are not sure where the Lord is leading this group, but we are open to His plan. We will go where we are called and will do what He prompts us to do. We are looking forward with great anticipation as God’s plan for us unfolds! If you believe we can serve you in any way, please feel free to contact us!
Sincerely HIS,
Laced with Grace
MEMBERS
Bill Foshee (Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals, Harmonica) began playing music at ten years of age. His father played Gospel and Bluegrass. His mother and her three sisters sang with his father. In addition, Bill’s grandmother played piano and his grandfather played harmonica. Bill grew up listening to their music and learning from all of them. As an adult, Bill performed with a band called Flashback for several years. Later, Bill was inspired to write the words God placed on his heart. When he began to reveal this music at church, it became obvious that these messages were intended for the ears of a hurting world. Bill now shares these words through the ministry of Laced with Grace.
Terry Brown (Bass Guitar, Vocals) grew up in a musical family. His grandfather was an orchestra leader. His mother and father met while playing in his grandfather’s orchestra in the 1930’s and continue to perform now in their 80’s! Terry received his first bass guitar in 1968 and played with his family band for twenty years. They played in venues all over the tri-state area. Terry also played in several local rock-n-roll bands. He hooked up with a rock band from Houston, TX called JEXX. He played with them for six years, finally locating in Nashville, TN. Terry then returned to his roots on the family farm and now performs with Laced with Grace.
Deb Schwartz (Rhythm Guitar, Violin, Background Vocals) started playing music at the age of four. Her grandmother played viola in the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic and began to teach Deb on a hand-made, one-quarter size violin. Deb also played clarinet in the school band for eight years. While in college in 1977, she bought a guitar from her cousin and taught herself to play. She joined other musicians in her dorm and church group to learn more and played mostly for a hobby. Finally, while playing guitar for the praise team at church, Deb was led to begin performing with Laced with Grace.
Callie Stockman (Vocals) started singing at the age of ten. She has performed at the Pulse Opera House, Wagon Wheel Theatre, and the Honeywell Center Theatre. She has been a member of the Huntington Children’s Choir, the Huntington Theatre Guild and the Huntington North High School Varsity Singers show choir. Callie now brings her vocal talent to Laced with Grace.
Rob Headford (Drums) has been playing drums since the age of seven. He played in his Jr. High School swing band and later performed with several local bands. Rob has played in Metal, Rock, Alternative, and Christian Rock bands. Rob left the music scene for about fifteen years while he served in the United States Air Force and raised his family. In 1992 Rob got back into music playing drums for his church and local bands. Rob recently joined Laced with Grace in the later part of 2007, bringing his drumming style to the band that he learned from his favorite drummers: David Silveria (Korn), Danny Carey (Tool), and Neil Peart (Rush).
So, ATTENTION evil-doers! Rob is here wearing his Australian hat of kindness and playing his Ludwig drums of justice! Together with his band, Laced with Grace, he is here to help fight the good fight using music as a weapon to combat evil wherever it rears its ugly head. So grab a snack and a drink, get on your feet, and get ready to rock out and listen to Laced with Grace while they swat evil on the snout with the rolled-up newspaper of Goodness!
Mike Swartout (Sound) Mike offers his time to run sound for us! We appreciate his work to insure our best presentation as well as provide technical assistance! Thanks for all you do, Mike.
