Toby McKeehan
Kevin Max
Michael Tait
DC Talk's Jesus Freak went gold within 30 days of its initial November 1995 release.
Since the release of Jesus Freak alone, dc Talk has received a Grammy Award, Dove Awards for Artist of the Year, Song of the Year ("Jesus Freak") and Rock Recorded Song of the Year ("Jesus Freak"). 1997 Dove Awards for dc Talk include Rock Recorded Song ("Like It, Love It, Need It"), Pop/Contemporary Song ("Just Between You And Me"), Rock Album (Jesus Freak), and Short Form Music Video ("Jesus Freak"). Jesus Freak was named Billboard's #1 Top Contemporary Christian Album in 1996, and the "Jesus Freak" video received the Billboard award for Best Contemporary Christian Clip.
Recently, the members of the group were also recognized by Christianity Today magazine as three of the Top 50 Up & Coming Evangelical Leaders in the United States under the age of 40. Most notably, dc Talk inked a deal with Virgin Records for the general market while simultaneously renewing their worldwide Christian market contract with ForeFront.
Against this backdrop, Virgin Records has reissued Jesus Freak in the general markets. Brandishing raw energy and introspective themes, the album encompasses all the elements which make dc Talk's music simultaneously thought-provoking and pulse-raising. Already, the debut mainstream single "Just Between You And Me" has found mass acceptance at popular radio while the song's video has received airplay on MTV and VH-1. Based on that song's success, a new single and video for dc Talk's "Colored People" have now followed.
From ForeFront (quotes): "dc Talk has always been a pop group expressing our faith and we always will be," acknowledges Toby McKeehan, the group's unofficial leader. "But we've followed our collective artistic pull a lot more on Jesus Freak. We've experimented with elements that span the full range of the musical spectrum."
Throughout the album, McKeehan and his band mates -- Michael Tait and Kevin Smith -- confidently navigate a strikingly diverse terrain. "Just Between You And Me" underscores the trio's deft pop songcraft and lyrical sensibilities, while at the other extreme "Jesus Freak" provides a powerful confession of commitment, fueled by snarling guitars and accompanied by an appropriately hard-hitting video clip.
In many ways, the edgy eclecticism of Jesus Freak represents a natural progression from the group's platinum-selling 1992 album Free At Last, which sported a mix of hip hop, rock and soul. "I think that the years since the release of Free At Last have been a time of definition and maturity for us," says Smith. "We all took some time off and pursued other creative outlets. Michael did a lot of songwriting , Toby launched Gotee Records, and I published a book. When we came back together to do dc Talk, it was with a fresh perspective and a fresh energy."
The new approach also brought some formidable challenges. "I had my apprehensions going into it," admits McKeehan, "because I've typically used a rap style and sung background on our previous projects -- with the exception of "The Hard Way" on Free At Last -- but we had decided that I should take more lead vocal sections this time around."
The broad scope of Jesus Freak reflects the distinct personalities of three young men who first met during the mid-1980s while attending Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. After releasing their eponymous debut album in 1989, the trio notched gold-record sales with Nu Thang, their 1990 sophomore album. 1992's Free At Last set the stage for Jesus Freak's watershed artistic and commercial success.
From the group's inception, dc Talk hasn't been content to merely sing about their beliefs -- they have tried to live their ideals on a day-to-day basis, especially when it comes to the issue of racial harmony. "Toby, Kevin and I met and became friends in college, before we ever started pursuing music together," says Tait. "So when we eventually formed dc Talk, it was natural for us to use it as a platform to address problems of racism. Being on stage together makes a big statement in itself. We're up there as band members and best friends. We call it 'living integration.' It's right there in front of people, and it tends to have impact that words alone never have."
Through their music, their actions, and their faith, dc Talk encourages each listener to reach outward and appreciate humanity's shared beauty, while looking inward toward his or her own conscience and heart. At its core, Jesus Freak reaffirms the power of all individuals to lift themselves -- and their society -- to the highest peaks of their hopes and dreams.
Kevin Max Smith
Michael Tait
From-Washington DC
Birthday-October 22, 1964
From-Grand Rapids, Michigan
Birthday-August 17, 1967
From-Washington DC
Birthday-May 18, 1966
Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Smith met at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. The three of them became best college buds and formed the band of "decent christian" talk in January of 1989. They signed a record deal with Forfront Records, moved to Nashville, TN, and a new music group with a passion for Christ, and for rock music, began. DC Talk has continually pushed the envelope of Christian music, starting out as a rap group, then moving into the grunge area of rock with the Jesus Freak album. Their 1998 release, Supernatural reached Number 4 on the Billboard charts. Soon following the first "Greatest Hits" album, Intermission, contained songs from their past 3 albums. They're newest release was their second "Greatest Hits" project, which only included a few lost songs that should have been placed on Intermission. Currently, the three singers/songwriters are still working throughout their own solo careers, producing uplifting and powerful music.
Tait's Official Site
Toby's Official Site
DC Talk Links
DcTalkUnite
dc talk-links and sites
DC Talk Forever - Awesome fan site!
DC Talk, 12 Stones, and Pillar!
ChristianMusic's dc talk page
dc talk Experience
dcTalkphreak fan site
FreakMusic
dc Talk da zone
Veronica's dc Talk site
Missy's dc talk webpage
dc Talk Music Page
