JL4 began when John Lambert began looking for a venue to express his love for Jesus Christ through his original compositions. Playing guitar and keyboards in the Peace United Methodist Church "Praise Team" in Kaukauna, Wisconsin at the time, John recruited Pete Mooney (bass) and Tim Van Schyndel (drums) from the Praise Team to form the "John Lambert Trio". The Trio performed at church services at PUMC while refining their trademark sound.
In the summer of 2004, Michael Schultz (guitar and tenor saxophone) joined the band to fill out the current lineup. Realizing that "Trio" no longer reflected the number of members, the band was rechristened "JL4".
