The progressive Christian rock band GLAD was formed on the campus of West Chester State University near Philadelphia during the early '70s; inspired by jazz and classical music and with a strong emphasis on complex harmonies, the group -- John Gates, Ed Nalle, Jim Bullard, Chris Davis and Paul Langford -- debuted in 1978 with a self-titled LP on the Myrrh/Word label. With their second effort, 1980's Beyond a Star, GLAD began a long tradition of including at least one a cappela track on each of their albums; with 1982's Captured in Time, they moved to the Benson label, their home for well over a decade. With 1988's all-vocal The Acapella Project, the group scored their most successful record to date, and in the future they alternated between cappella projects and full-band recordings. ~ Jason Ankeny