Difference between revisions of "Afterglow"

Latest revision as of 15:20, 4 October 2024

Joel McCausland and Kevin Peay are the voices of Afterglow, a duo who began singing together during high school in Pleasant Grove, Utah. They formed a small group with two girls (twins Kelly and Kori Collett) and performed for school assemblies, community groups, fairs, and Latter-day Saint firesides. The group disbanded when McCausland and Peay served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before beginning their service, they were approached by a member of Joel’s ward after one of their performances. He handed them a check for $500 and said, ‘I’d love to see you guys get in the studio and record this (meaning the fireside program), but if you can’t make that happen, take this money as a donation for your missions.’

The recording was done in Joel’s Aunt Judy's living room. “It probably wasn’t the most professional recording we’ve ever done,” Joel recalls, “but it was exciting for a couple of kids from a small town to actually get to put something like this together!” They recorded two cassettes (the media of the time) under the name "Afterglow" and sold them to friends and family. To Our Friends was a collection of some of their favorite songs to sing, both inspirational tunes and some in a more popular vein, and A Worship in Song was a re-creation of the fireside programs they had been performing regularly over the previous year (they averaged four or five fireside performances per month in the year before departing for their missions at year's end in 1980).

The simple cassette tapes had been shared more widely than they could’ve expected during their missions, and they returned to find that their albums were among the first contemporary Latter-day Saint projects ever distributed by Deseret Book. They now juggled more fireside and live performances with their respective educations, careers, and growing families.

Their first studio album, Someone is Listening, found widespread success among Church members interested in music that spoke to their faith, but with a more modern style than the well-known hymns.

In 1984, Deseret Book signed the two to a recording contract. They have recorded numerous albums, including five that were recorded in England with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. They recorded two love song albums and have also recorded two country albums as McCoslyn and Paye.

Some of their album titles include A More Perfect Light, Love at Home, Forever Christmas, Another Witness, and most recently Mercyville. They also produced several special edition CDs. They have performed throughout the United States, Canada, England, Japan, and Brazil.

Their latest album, Come and See, was released in spring of 2024 and features both new original songs and a few fresh arrangements of beloved hymns like "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" and "It Is Well With My Soul." They are also preparing for the release of a new podcast, "Stories and Songs by Afterglow Music," which is launching in the fall of 2024.

Kevin Peay and his wife, Cindy, are the parents of four children. Joel McCausland and his wife, Kelly, are the parents of six children.

• Afterglow Website

• Meridian Magazine, “Afterglow’s Legacy: How Two Friends Created Latter-day Saint Music History”