The 2nd Chapter of Acts began as a result of the trio singing at home together as Annie played the piano. Following the death of their parents (Elizabeth in 1968 and Walter Ward in 1970), Nelly and Matthew, still
minors, moved in with their older sister, Annie, and her husband, recording engineer and producer, Buck Herring. Annie was a self-taught singer and songwriter who composed and played her songs around the family piano. Her brother and sister would often join in as she played, and eventually they developed extremely tight and intricate harmonies. They started singing for local coffee houses and small gatherings, then gained the notice of
Pat Boone who arranged a contract to record and release two singles with MGM, "Jesus Is" (1972) and "I'm So Happy" (1973). The fledgling trio also came to the attention of 1960s folk singer
Barry McGuire, who had recently become a Christian and was preparing to record his first Christian music album, produced by Buck Herring. The siblings provided background vocals for
Seeds and McGuire's 1974 follow-up
Lighten Up. The trio released their debut album,
With Footnotes, in 1974. This album featured "
Easter Song" which would become a signature piece for the group and has been recorded by many other artists since. This was followed up with
In the Volume of the Book in 1975, the year that also saw the release of a live album with Barry McGuire,
To the Bride, which included "
a band called David", who supported 2nd Chapter of Acts on tour. 2nd Chapter of Acts' first three releases were issued by
Myrrh Records, and the group toured with McGuire intermittently for three years. The group went on a touring hiatus in 1976. Annie released her first solo record on the
Sparrow Records label founded that year by the executive who had signed them to the Myrrh label,
Billy Ray Hearn. For the summer of 1977, they were joined on an 18-city tour by
Phil Keaggy and the result was the live triple album,
How the West Was One. Their contract with Myrrh fulfilled, they moved as a group to Sparrow. Except for two sabbatical years in 1976 and 1983, 2nd Chapter of Acts continued to tour until 1988. Their final concert was in Houston, Texas on August 12 of that year. Annie and Matthew also recorded several solo projects during the 2nd Chapter of Acts years. Both have continued to release new material and perform concerts as of 2011. == Roles of group members ==