Tony Congi

A brief Biography about Tony.

Tony Congi started playing the guitar in the summer of 1970 when two of his classmates invited him to sing with them. Tony tells the story best ...

"Their uncle was Bill Withers who taught me my first five chords while sitting in his living room. Then I started playing for folk masses and sitting in on jam sessions. It was not until the spring of '74 that a good friend, Danny Aderholt, asked me to consider writing a song for kids to sing at the local Young Life gathering. This was a non-denominational Christian outreach program for high school kids. He shared with me a phrase he had heard, "Jesus is the rock and He rolls my blues away," and suggested that I give it a try. That night while driving home, I had an idea for a rock/blues riff that stopped me cold on I-70. I wrote the song at midnight sitting on the guardrail. "Jesus is the Rock and He Rolls My Blues Away" was the first of many songs that I have written over these past thirty years, songs that have been uplifting and influential to me as well as to others.

"It still amazes me when people will seek me out to sign the inside covers of their bibles where the lyrics of a song I was blessed with has been written down as a constant encouragement and reminder of the one who made them. I have received hundreds of letters, phone calls, and emails from folks all over the world thanking me for how a particular song helped to change the direction of their lives. It is my prayer and hope that the music I write will always offer a simple perspective of God, love, life and the everlasting hope, who is Jesus Christ."

Tony Congi's music has been played before crowds as intimate as someone's living room or to a crowd of 80,000 at Giant Stadium. Some of the songs that have been played world wide are: 'Amazing, Jesus is the Rock and He Rolls My Blues Away, Surrender to Me, Born Out of His Love, Jesus (Oh Jesus), Fountain, My Brother, My Friend, are just to name a few. All of the above songs have been translated into several different languages: Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Russian, and South African dialects.

He has been leading worship groups for over 35 years. Tony has lead music on Young Life weekend camps and week long summer camps for a month at a time. He has been the worship leader at various men's retreats as well as other adult conferences. Tony is currently leading worship at his church Hopewell Reformed Church.

Tony Congi has been writing songs for worship and outreach all these 35 plus years. He has collected some of these songs in four independently recorded CD's entitled:

Aslan - It's Amazing
Found
Real Love
By Chance

Tony has played in many coffee houses across the country such as The Wheeling Power & Light, The Towne Crier, The Last Resort, The Upper Room, and The Last Stop just to name a few. Tony helped to lead music for 3 weeks of outreach camps in Italy at a US military base Camp Darby in the summer of 2005. Tony has received radio air play over the years at KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA; WWVA in Wheeling, WV; most recently on XM satellite radio The Message.

Tony has even had one of his songs (Jesus is the Rock) covered by The Simpson's TV sitcom.

Tony lives with his lovely and wonderful wife, Maryann, and his two beautiful daughters, Christina and Rebecca, in Stormville, New York. He is celebrating twenty-five years of teaching mathematics at Louis M. Klein Middle School in Harrison, NY.