Mylon LeFevre : then and now...

Mylon R. LeFevre was born on October 6, 1944. Mylon grew up in a home of a gospel singing family known as the Singing LeFevres. Mylon's dad started out singing on the Grand Ol' Opry in 1921. Mylon's grandfather on his mother's side was a preacher.

Mylon spent time in a reform school and had been kicked out of private religious high school. But during this time in his life, Mylon was already getting a reputation for being a good songwriter. In 1962 Mylon graduated from High School. At age 19 Mylon had arranged and produced his first solo album.

“At the end of the concert Buck Herring led the people in a prayer and Mylon prayed along and in his words ‘I made that prayer mine and I have never been the same since.’”

Mylon went out and did some recording with a group of musicians which would later be known as the Atlanta Rhythm Section. This was Mylon’s first attempt at blending gospel music with Southern Rock. This album was entitled “Mylon, We Believe” and was released by Cotillion in 1969/70. According to CCM, some have said this was the first true “Jesus Rock” album.

When Mylon was 25, he finally left his father’s group due to strains and differences over music and Mylon being told to “get his hair cut”. Mylon signed a record deal with Atlantic Records. Mylon soon formed a band called “The Holy Smoke Doo Dah Band”. They began playing Jesus rock for top secular bands.

Though Mylon believed in God and that Jesus was the Son of God, he wasn’t living an obedient Christian life. He was taking drugs and drifting further and further away from his roots and from reality. Mylon was probably one of the first to try to fuze Christian music with Rock’n’roll, but it wasn’t working for him. Mylon was urged and pressured from management and media to dump the religous stuff from his act. Mylon’s drug use escalated and he continued to experience more success in rock.

Throughout the 1970’s Mylon sold millions of records and recorded and performed with various performers such as: George Harrison (of the beatles),Alvin Lee,Mick Fleetwood (from Fleetwood Mac), Ron Wood(from the Rolling Stones, Boz Burrell (from Bad Company) Steve Winwood (from Traffic), Ian Wallace(from King Crimson), Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Little Richard, ZZ Top, Grand Funk Railroad, Mountain, and The Who.

In 1973 Mylon had over a million record sales and he was being treated as a star. But while touring in the south of France, Mylon overdosed and his heart had stopped beating. After receiving medical attention, Mylon woke up 28 hours later. Because of the length of time that Mylon had not been breathing he suffered some brain damage. He suffered from memory loss and couldn’t even remember the lyrics to some of the songs he had written. In Mylon’s words “suddenly it was all over, I had wrecked my hopes and drugged away my dreams.”3 Mylon had some sense to realize that he had made some mistakes and started reading a Gideon Bible that he had picked up in his travels.

Mylon’s life was a wreck. He was 6’-1” and weighed 137 pounds. He had developed bleeding ulcers at age 27. So Mylon committed himself to a drug treatment program that year. Seven months later, towards the end of 1973, Mylon came out clean.

The whole time that Mylon was in the program, there was a quote from the Bible that he couldn’t shake from his mind. He remembered it like this, “God’s Spirit will not always strive with men.” Mylon for the most part had always tried to be a Christian, but up until now it had not been working.

In the late 70’s Mylon’s dad retired from the gospel music circuit. Mylon’s father had always been a performer of Christian music, yet to him it was more of a way to make a living. He wasn’t really religious. But finally in his later years he decided to straighten out his own life with God and try to patch things up with Mylon. Mylon saw his dad become a true Christian and it began to impact him. Mylon’s dad became very sick with cancer and through love and visiting between Mylon and his father, Mylon began his transformation. One night after leaving his dad at the hospital Mylon went home and prayed “Lord, if you can take my daddy, who has been such a jerk to me, and change him like that, I don’t want to wait until I’m old and dying. I want you to change my life now. Don’t let this be a disappointment. I want you to really be God.”

When you read the lyrics to Without Him and look back over Mylon’s life, the song reads like a prophecy for his life:

Without Him I could do nothing. 
Without Him I’d surely fail;
Without Him, I would be drifting.
Like a ship without a sail.

Jesus, Oh Jesus, do you know him today?
You can’t turn him away, oh Jesus, oh Jesus.
Without him, How lost I would be.

Without Him I would be dying.
Without Him I’d be enslaved;
Without Him life would be hopeless.
But with Jesus, thank God, I’m saved.

Jesus, Oh Jesus, do you know him today?
You can’t turn him away, oh Jesus, oh Jesus.
Without him, How lost I would be.

Years later, Kenneth Copeland pointed out to Mylon about this song that it was a song about his life. Mylon tried to do things on his own. He pursued his music ambitions apart from God’s leading and so Mylon did become enslaved to drug addiction and all the other trappings that the fame of being a rock star brings. Life became hopeless for Mylon and eventually it did lead to Mylon overdosing and almost dying.

In 1980 Mylon finally and completely surrendered his life to Jesus Christ at a Second Chapter of Acts concert. At the end of the concert Buck Herring led the people in a prayer and Mylon prayed along and in his words “I made that prayer mine and I have never been the same since.”

From that point on Mylon submitted to Jesus as the Lord of his whole life. He made radical changes in his life. He immediately started attending church. He quit rock’n’roll and served as a janitor for almost two years at his church in Atlanta. Mylon was very hungry for the word of God and attended Bible studies fives day a week. Some of the other guys involved in that Bible Study would become a part of the band that Mylon would form in 1981 called Broken Heart.

In 1982 Mylon and his new band ‘Broken Heart’started recording and began touring and ministering to kids. The band’s name “Broken Heart” was taken fromPsalm 51:17 which states:” The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise.” In May of 1982 Mylon released the album “Brand New Start”.

Over the next 10 years Mylon and Broken Heart would see more than 200,000 kids come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. Mylon and Broken Heart would be featured in concerts, new media reports, Christian TV Programs, and radio interviews. Mylon truly had seen God do some amazing things with his life. But more was to come. Though Mylon knew Jesus as his Savior and Lord, he was unsure about Jesus as healer of his body. He had struggled with the question of whether it was God’s will to always heal. He was able to continue on in ministry avoiding that issue until one fateful day in August of 1989.

Late one August evening while traveling to Nebraska withWhiteheart on the what was ironically named the “Heart Attack Tour” Mylon experienced a heart attack. He was sitting in the back of the tour bus, talking with some of the band members when he became paralyzed by a heart attack. Mylon thought he was on his way to meet God. (The photo above is from the tour with Whiteheart. Here both bands are closing the concert by singing a song of worship together. It was a great concert at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC.)

Later a CT Scan showed that only two-thirds of his heart was working. The other third of his heart was black which means there was no blood flowing through it. Doctors informed Mylon that this was due to his past lifestyle of drug abuse. They warned Mylon that should he continue touring he was going to die! But against the physicians advice Mylon honoured his schedule and completed his obligations and finished his concert tours. The timing of this diagnosis couldn’t have been worse it would appear. Here God was blessing Mylon’s ministry. Mylon and Broken heart had sold millions of records and had earned two Dove Awards and one Grammy. Many young people were making decisions to follow Christ. Mylon was being obedient to the Lord and was doing all he could for him. Yet right while all seemed to be doing so well, Mylon is told he has a serious heart condition. It would seem like a major set back had just happened. But that is not the end of the story, that is not the end of Mylon’s personal ministry. Some faith lessons were about to be learned and God would make some changes in Mylon’s life and ministry. God always responds to a hungry heart. As Mylon drew near to God in looking for answers regarding healing and needing a miracle, God drew near to Him and had some divine appointments lined up as we shall see.

In January of 1990 Mylon and Broken Heart were scheduled to go to the Philippines for a crusade. Doctors warned him about going, but again Mylon wanted to go as this trip was previously scheduled.

After flying for nearly 30 hours, Mylon arrived in the Philippines extremely tired. Before checking in Mylon walked around the lobby and went into a little gift shop. While walking around the store his eyes were drawn to a little book.

This was the only book in the shop that was in English. It wasn’t by the rest of the books but was by the shaving creams etc. The book was called “God’s Medicine” byKenneth Hagin. At the time Mylon didn’t know Kenneth Hagin. Mylon went to the counter to pay for the book. The cashier informed Mylon that they don’t sell those kind of books in their store and that he could have the book. Mylon checked in and went to his Hotel room and read the entire book. Reading this book brought hope to Mylon about healing though some of the things he read had never been taught to him Though Mylon didn’t understand it all, it started a process through which Mylon became more open to the word of faith. He would check out the scriptures and would even read the entire chapters to insure proper context.

After the completion of the week long crusade in the Philippines, a total of over 10,000 kids gave their lives to Jesus. But Mylon physically felt sore all the time.

Back in the US, Mylon continued following doctors instruction for diet, exercise, etc. But Mylon continued to dig deeper into the book byKenneth Hagin and deeper into the Bible.

In March of 1990, Mylon went to stay with his brother in Panama City Beach in Florida. Mylon was using this time off to fast and pray and seek God. He was reading a book by T.L. Osborne entitled “Healing the Sick”.Though he didn’t know at the time but Kenneth and Gloria Copeland were ministering in Panama City and were staying in a condo just 100 yards from where Mylon was staying. About the third day into his fast, Mylon prayed and asked the Lord for the ability to understand what he had been reading on healing. He said that if God had to, he could send an angel to him to help him understand.

Later that day as he was walking along the beach he walked by a woman who he would be later introduced to. This woman was Gloria Copeland. As the two walked past each other, the Lord spoke to Gloria and gave her instructions that she was to minister healing to this man. Later by divine appointment Mylon met the Copeland’s and this is what Gloria told Mylon. “God spoke to me that He had called you to do something, that there was something wrong in your body, and that He wanted to heal you. God also told me that I should teach you what He had taught me about the things Jesus said and did concerning sickness, disease, and healing. God told me I was to lay hands on you, and he was going to heal you.”

Kenneth Copeland wanted to insure that Mylon was no longer hoping but believing for his healing. So he took him through different scriptures until Mylon understood that healing was part of salvation. Mylon prayed according to Mark 11:22-24. The Copeland’s laid hands on Mylon and prayed. Though physically Mylon didn’t feel much different. Something had changed in his spirit. The next day he was inspired and the song Invincible Love came to him.

During that time different well meaning Christians challenged Mylon that he was putting God to a foolish test by continuing to minister and not listen to the doctors. But Mylon’s reply was “God said, I sent My Word and healed them, and My Words are life to them and health to all their flesh” (Psalm 107:20;Prov 4:22)

Over a period of time and standing on the Word of God did Mylon indeed see his body line up with the word of God. Mylon was healed! Mylon learned a lesson that so many of us have yet to learn; that God is waiting for us to seek Him and believe Him. God responds to those who believe and apply His Word.

In 1991 Mylon changed some direction with his ministry. He and Broken Heart sensed the original ministry vision God had given them was complete. His band Broken Heart was disbanded and Mylon put together a new music project with some new musicians. The album was called Faith, Hope and Love. Enclosed with the album is a summary of events from Mylon. In it he states;

“This album is the reflection of the changes God made in me, my family, and my band by the promises and provisions in his Word. These songs simply testify to God’s power, love and faithfulness to us. Praise God for the victory we have in Christ Jesus, He is Lord!

I feel like a new man and I thank God for this new direction,new friends, new music and His fresh new anointing....”

In the years to follow Mylon would make a significant change in his life in regards to ministry. He left Contemporary Christian Music and went into full time preaching. Since Mylon received his healing he now is as strong as ever and enjoys all types of outdoor activities such as: tennis, racquetball, downhill skiing, scuba diving, and riding his Harley.

Because of the relationship that was formed with Ken and Gloria Copeland, Mylon and his wife Christi moved from Atlanta and arenow under the Copeland’s spiritual covering at Eagle Mountain International Church in Texas which is led by Pastors George and Terri Pearsons.

Today Mylon and Christi minister the Word of faith in churches all over the world. They have ministered on Christian TV, at revivals, crusades, Bible Schools, Worship Seminars, Motorcyle Rallies, NFL and NBA chapel services, Nascar chapel services and ladies meetings. They are also committed to minister with Mike Barber Ministries which ministers in prisons across America. Mylon and Christi have also had numerous missionary opportunities in various parts of the world.