Formed in 1969, the group played many shows under the names Pegasus and Mad John Fever before eventually settling on Starcastle.

The original lineup included former REO Speedwagon vocalist Terry Luttrell and computing author/programmer Herb Schildt.

[1] Their later albums Fountains of Light, Citadel, and Real to Reel did not sell as well as the first and they were often criticized for sounding too musically similar to Yes.

[1] They were opening acts for such bands as Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Fleetwood Mac, Kansas, Boston, Rush, Journey, and others.

This led to work on the band's final album Song of Times, before Gary Strater's death on September 19, 2004, from pancreatic cancer.