The name PETHEAD was born February 25, 2000, by Nancy Kucharski of Indiana.
She had traveled to Streator, IL to see John Schlitt in concert and, like most fans, was talking with John after the show. John told her that he was rather shocked that she would travel such a long distance just to see him perform.
Nancy replied "Well, it's sort of like being a Deadhead" (fans of the Grateful Dead, who are famous for traveling hundreds of miles in rickety old vans to attend a concert.). John's reaction was classic - he laughed and laughed and thought it was the SO appropriate!
"Petra fans are sort of like Deadheads - they will travel hundreds of miles for a Schlitt or Petra concert, so instead of being Deadheads, we'll call ourselves PETHEADS!"
The next day he was scheduled to play in Sheboygan, WI. Nancy relayed the story to Sue Dempster, who in turn joked with John about it while in town that day. John was highly amused, saying that it was a very clever play on words and most appropriate for crazy Petra fans!
In the days to come, the story was posted on the chat board CCMusic.org, the fore-runner of The Petra Zone. Internet fans started using the term to describe themselves, and John himself picked it up, coining the term and asking fans at concerts "Are you one of those crazy Petheads?"
In time, the whole band came to use the term to describe their fans, and a year or so later when "Revival" was released, the first printing of the word PETHEAD appeared in the media.
Today, PETHEADS are found on every continent and are known throughout the world for their dedication and support of Petra - but more importantly - they are known for their love of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the amazing way He has used Petra to accomplish His purpose.
© 2003 the Petheads