The Crystal City Rockers

David Zaffiro (guitarist) and JT Taylor (drummer) of Bloodgood first played in the The Crystal City Rockers and opened up for Darrell Mansfield, Servant, Randy Stonehill, Petra, Jerusalem, Daniel Amos and Rez Band, which is how JT and Michael Bloodgood met. The entire story of how JT Taylor and David Zaffiro from The Crystal City Rockers ended up in Bloodgood is below. It's a fascinating back story. You'll understand when you read it why Bloodgood would have never existed had THE CRYSTAL CITY ROCKERS never been a band.
All great bands are born from the union of musicians who find their way through the various pathways of life that often surprise and amaze us, as we take a look back in retrospect. Such is the case with metal icons Bloodgood, who were born from the seeds planted by drummer JT Taylor. In April 1980 in Seattle, Washington, JT meets bassist Greg Reed and guitarist David Zaffiro, who brings on board guitarist Rob Cochran, and after a jam session, The Crystal City Rockers, named after the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation, are born. Finding their musical voice from endless jamming trying to yield original songs in the vein of REO Speedwagon, Journey, and Pink Floyd, and later in a more New Wave sound ala the Cars and the Police, The Crystal City Rockers start to gel as a band. But when Greg leaves the band and takes his PA System they were using, JT must go back to the drawing board to find not only Greg's replacement, but also a need to purchase a PA System. Enter Craig Finley, a musician JT knew through his time spent playing in The Robert Case Band. Sharing lead vocals between JT, David, and Rob, The Crystal City Rockers become the House band at Seattle's Calvary Fellowship playing with legacy artists such as Petra, Daniel Amos, Randy Stonehill, Servant, Jerusalem, Darrell Mansfield, and many more!
Through the local Christian music concert circuit, JT meets bassist Michael Bloodgood, who played in a band named Cypress, and the two hit it off sharing their love of the music of The Beatles. Soon a demo cassette tape, with the aid of Robert Case, is recorded in 1982 and sold at concerts, but no record deal came and JT decided to leave the band to join a musical production company in Florida. David, Rob, and Craig find another drummer and continue to play concerts locally. When JT returns in 1984, he hangs out with Michael Bloodgood, who tells JT he's starting a metal band. Soon JT and Michael enlist David Zaffiro and after jamming, they agree all the pieces gelled together well. All that was needed was a lead vocalist. Through an ad placed in the paper, an amazing vocalist singing in night clubs, Les Carlsen, is found. Les makes it clear, that if he's singing in the band, then the band must play for Jesus! And this is how The Crystal City Rockers morphed into the metal missionaries we now know as Bloodgood!