Kenny Gilchrist picked up his first guitar at age 11.  He was a quick learner, as his guitar teacher earnestly discovered.  Soon after, the youngster went on to learn harmonica and flute.  At present day, besides his main instrument of guitar (both acoustic and electric), Kenny has added accordion, mandolin, bass guitar, lap steel, classical guitar, melodica, and assorted percussion to his repertoire of instruments.  He graduated from SUNY in Binghamton, NY with a BA in music theory.  During these college years, he played guitar for the jazz ensemble; which, among many places, also performed in Puerto Rico.

        During his teen years, Kenny Gilchrist met Ron Clark, both natives of Binghamton, NY.  Ron was four years

     Gail Anderson, of nearby Apalachin, NY, had spent her youth singing in the school choir, county choir, and church choir.  She saw the ad in the newspaper, and responded to it.  This was her chance to sing with a band, something she always wanted.  Now to get a bass player and a keyboard player, and the band would be on their way.

     After months of auditioning bass and keyboard players, the three came up emptyhanded.  In the meantime, Ron became restless and was invited to join up again with his old heavy metal band.  So, with a friendly departure, the three became two.

     Kenny and Gail decided to see if they could join some local bands that already existed.  They spent about one year performing with various local bands, but they wanted more...to write and record their own tunes.  So, Kenny convinced Gail that forming a duo would not only earn them a living, but would also be a way they could perform their originals while continuing to write more.

     They put the duo together with Kenny on guitar, harmonica, and vocals; and Gail on vocals, percussion, and some keyboard.

     Their idea was to perform locally and mostly on the weekends, but within the first month of performing in Binghamton, an agent saw them and asked them if they'd like to put their show on the road.

     Over the next few years, they performed at various nightclubs, hotels, and resorts throughout the eastern and midwestern United States.  This road experience proved to be quite valuable, ensuring that they become seasoned live performers, as well as giving them time to grow and write together.

     In the summer of '88, they decided to stop touring and settled in Nashville, TN. They continued performing live, but also began recording their original compositions.

     In February of '92, Kenny and Gail decided to move once again. This time they chose Allentown, PA.  Allentown looked desirable to them since it was centrally located to many cities which meant alot of gigs. And, sure enough, Kenny and Gail have been performing full time in PA, NJ, NY, and DE since their move to Allentown, as well as continuing with their writing and recording.  And since Allentown is only a couple of hours from Binghamton, they could get their longtime friend, Ron Clark, to record and arrange the drums!

     The duo finally found a home in the Lehigh Valley where they could live their lives just the way they always dreamed of ... plenty of rooms to work in, a little bit of country as well as a little bit of city, wonderful people to make friends with, and all for a reasonable cost of living. 

     In addition, since their move to Allentown, the duo has appeared on several local television shows including Phil Stahl's Starlight Stage on PCTV (Public Channel Television), and Sam Lesante's Spotlight Talent Show out of Hazleton, PA.

     In October of '02 , the duo performed at the 4th Annual Lehigh Valley Music Awards.  Their song, "Fire In Your Eyes" (from their Spinning Tales CD), was chosen as one of the best of the Lehigh Valley Music Awards, and was included on the LVMA CD 1, along with 17 other original compositions from the area's bands/musicians.  Then in November of '03, they were nominated for the 5th Annual Lehigh Valley Music Awards as one of the best in 3 categories: best duo, best female vocalist, and best harmonica player.  And in November '04, they performed their ravely reviewed original songs, "Outlaws", and "Mad Mad Dog" at the awards ceremony.

     Forward Thrust continues performing live and working in their studio producing high quality recordings. They released their first full length CD, Forward Thrust "Spinning Tales", in May of 2000; and in August of 2005, they released their second CD, Forward Thrust "Underwater", a two disc set.  Both CD's were written, recorded, engineered, produced, and mastered by Forward Thrust.

     At their live shows, Forward Thrust performs a variety of music from classic to modern rock...Rolling Stones, Doors, Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd...right up to Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt, Garbage, Tom Petty, Santana, and much, much more!  And, of course, they perform many of their own compositions.     

Check 'em out!!