Ragamuffin Archive: Classics
Rich Mullins on Open Line (1995)
Originally aired on Moody Radio | Re-aired September 26, 1997 & September 19, 2014
We’re thrilled to include this long-beloved favorite in the Ragamuffin Archive: Classics series—Rich Mullins’ 1995 appearance on Moody Radio’s Open Line with host Chris Fabry.
The broadcast, just over 40 minutes long, was recorded shortly after the release of Brother’s Keeper and features a relaxed, insightful Rich in top form—candid, thoughtful, and warmly funny. Joining him in studio is longtime friend and musical companion Beaker. Together they perform three songs from the new album: Rich plays “Eli’s Song” solo on piano, then he and Beaker offer acoustic renditions of “Let Mercy Lead” (written for Beaker’s son Aidan), and the title track “Brother’s Keeper.” The intimate arrangements add emotional depth to an already personal project, and hearing Rich talk about the stories behind the music makes this one of my all-time favorite interviews of his—a must-listen for any fan.
This recording holds a special place in the Archive’s history. It was part of the original batch of bootlegs sent to me in 2009 by Christina Marie, whose generous contribution became the foundation and inspiration for the Ragamuffin Archive. The version Christina sent me had been taped off the radio on September 26, 1997, just one week after Rich’s death, when Open Line re-aired the interview in tribute. That fan-made recording was passed around in trading circles for years before it made its way online. In 2011, I uploaded it to YouTube, where it has since become one of the most viewed audio clips in the Archive.
Then, in a surprising twist of fate, this conversation found its way back to its original host. In 2014, Chris Fabry—by then hosting his newer show Chris Fabry Live—interviewed David Mullins to discuss the Ragamuffin biopic. During the broadcast, Chris mentioned he had once interviewed Rich but no longer had a copy. A listener quickly emailed to say the full show was already on YouTube. Chris found our upload and, despite the lo-fi quality, made plans to re-air it that year. But days before the anniversary, Moody Radio producer Nate McMillan discovered a 1997 safety cassette of the original broadcast—preserved in pristine quality.
On September 19, 2014—17 years to the day after Rich’s death—Moody re-aired the interview in high fidelity on Chris Fabry Live. A year later, while working at KHAC Radio in Tse Bonito, New Mexico (just down the road from where Rich had lived and served on the Navajo Reservation), I reached out to Chris to request a copy of that higher-quality version. He graciously obliged, and we were able to re-air the interview across the Navajo Nation on the 18th anniversary of Rich’s passing, along with inserting the acoustic songs into our regular music rotation.
That Moody-sourced copy sat on my hard drive for more than six years. Then, on January 1, 2022, I uploaded it as part of a massive New Year’s Day Archive dump—a long overdue moment for one of the best Rich Mullins radio appearances ever captured. Today, we’re officially including it in the Classics series and, for the first time, making both the 1997 Open Line broadcast and the 2014 Chris Fabry Live rebroadcast available together on our Mixcloud page.
And for those curious, the original lower quality 2011 YouTube upload is still online as an unlisted video. You can check it out here.
Thanks again to Christina Marie for sharing this broadcast with me all those years ago—and to all the fans who never stopped passing it along. And special thanks to Nate McMillan and Chris Fabry for locating and sharing a pristine copy with the world.
Listen to Rich Mullins: Open Line on YouTube:
Listen to the 1997 Open Line broadcast on Mixcloud:
Listen to the 2014 Chris Fabry Live rebroadcast on Mixcloud: