text: who is john william schlitt ?   john william schlitt (born february 3, 1950 in lincoln, illinois) has been the lead singer of legendary christian rock band petra since 1986. before that, he was the singer of the band head east during the 1970s.  he joined petra on 1986 after greg x. volz, left for a solo career. since he had left head east in 1979, recovered from substance abuse, and become a christian, he took the lead singing duties of the band.  he has been married to wife dorla since 1971, and they have four kids together (kari, john kyle, kris and krey). they currently live in franklin, tennessee.  he graduated from the university of illinois in 1973 with a degree in civil engineering.  aside of his work with petra, he has released two solo albums, shake (1995) and unfit for swine (1996).