Michael Tait | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Michael DeWayne Tait |
Born | Washington, D.C., U.S. | May 18, 1966
Genres | CCM, Christian rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer |
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 1988–present [1] |
Member of | DC Talk, Newsboys |
Formerly of | Tait |
Michael DeWayne Tait (born May 18, 1966) is an American contemporary Christian music artist. Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan in 1984 when he was in high school. Both Toby and Michael met Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the late 1980s, and together they formed four-time Grammy winning band DC Talk, with whom Michael Tait has released five acclaimed studio albums. Tait is the current lead singer of Newsboys, and one third of Christian rock group DC Talk (though the group has been on hiatus since 2000). Tait also has had success in his solo career, founding a band called Tait in 1997. He toured as a solo act until 2007. He became lead singer of the Christian pop rock band Newsboys in 2009. [2] Aside from singing, Tait is also a self-taught guitar player. Tait also has a sister Lynda Randle, who is a Southern Gospel singer.
Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan in 1984 while he was in high school in the Washington, D.C. area, and together they began creating music. Michael Tait and Toby McKeehan both met Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the mid-1980s. Together, all three formed the four-time Grammy winning band DC Talk [3] and released 5 acclaimed studio albums. In 2000, the band announced a hiatus with the release of Intermission: the Greatest Hits while all three members devoted themselves to solo projects. The band has not toured together since 2001 (except for one time in Redmond, Washington in 2005 and when TobyMac made a surprise guest appearance at Winter Jam in 2010 in Nashville and sang "Jesus Freak" with Tait). The three have recorded four songs together since the announcement of the hiatus including the remix of "Atmosphere" on TobyMac's 2004 album Welcome to Diverse City , a cover of the Prince song "The Cross" on Kevin Max's 2007 album The Blood , "Love Feels Like" on TobyMac's 2015 album This Is Not a Test and "Let's Roll" following the September 11, 2001 attacks. [4]
After DC Talk's hiatus was announced, Tait dedicated more time to his band Tait (which he named after his father, Nathel). [3] Tait had partially formed this band around 1997. One of the original members was guitarist Pete Stewart (from the hard rock band Grammatrain), who is featured on the first album, but absent from the second one due to his departing the band to work on his own solo projects. In 2006, Tait announced that they were working on an album titled Loveology. Though Michael is now touring as frontman for the Newsboys, he still has plans to release Loveology. In an interview with John Dibiase of Jesusfreakhideout.com, he stated that Loveology is still in the works, and will be a separate project from the Newsboys. In the interview Michael said, "Loveology is going to become something we're going to be writing about very soon. I can't tell you now, but it's a project with the boys and I and Ben Moody, which is another whole music project."
An official statement was released on March 9, 2009 that announced Michael Tait as the new lead singer of Newsboys. Coincidentally, Tait's former group, DC Talk toured with Newsboys in the 1990s. On March 7, 2009, Tait surprised the crowd by performing as Newsboys' lead singer for the first time and announcing that he would be the band's new lead singer. [5] In the official statement released on March 9, Tait said, "For years DC Talk and Newsboys have been family and thus shared the same fans. When I received the initial call from Newsboys to consider joining the band as lead singer, I was speechless! I immediately sought wise counsel and flooded the heavens with endless prayers for insight and vision, and I soon received a clear and definite peace. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to perform my first show as Newsboys' front man to an audience of 12,000 people. I was completely wrapped in love and support by Newsboys' fans, who are clearly the best fans on the planet. Now I know this is exactly where I belong in this new and wonderful moment in my life's history. This is a definite highlight of my career and for my 20+ years of walking with Jesus, and I am humbled, proud and privileged to call myself a Newsboy." [6]
Former Newsboys lead singer Peter Furler still provided lead vocals on the 2009 album In the Hands of God, though Michael Tait provided supporting vocals, along with Jamie Rowe of Guardian. [2] Furler's last performance as lead vocalist took place during a performance at Disney's Night of Joy 2009. Michael performed lead vocals for most of the songs, but Peter did come out to sing lead on the song "Breakfast".
In 2010, the reborn Newsboys announced information about their 15th studio album (and first with Tait on lead vocals), Born Again , which was released on July 13. That was followed by Christmas! A Newsboys Holiday , including a previously recorded Tait song. In 2011, God's Not Dead , and the live follow-up, Newsboys Live in Concert: God's Not Dead in 2012, Restart in 2013, and Hallelujah for the Cross in 2014.
After the release of Love Riot , and United, the Newsboys released Stand on October 1, 2021. [7] The band released a special version of the title track "Stand" with Toby Mac as a guest. [8]
Tait has also starred as Hero in !Hero . He also contributed to various books, including the popular Jesus Freaks and Jesus Freaks II books. He has also contributed to the books Under God and Living Under God with DC Talk bandmate TobyMac.
Tait has five sisters, one of them is Southern gospel alto singer Lynda Randle. [9] [10] He also has three brothers.
Tait told Fox News Radio host Todd Starnes in February 2016 that he supported Ted Cruz for president in the 2016 election. [11] Tait signed a letter opposing President Donald Trump's impeachment in December 2019 and also participated in the Evangelicals for Trump rally in January 2020. [12] [13]
In 2021, he appeared on Candace , a political commentary show hosted by conservative activist Candace Owens.[ citation needed ]
DC Talk is the first studio album released from vocal trio DC Talk. It is the most hip hop-oriented of all of their albums as each later album gradually progressed into a more rock-centered sound. Michael Tait stated that their original goal for the album was to sell 10,000 units. It sold 7,142 units in 1989. After their popularity spiked with the release of Free at Last, back sales increased although it is the only of their studio albums to not reach RIAA gold status.
DC Talk is a Christian rap and rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They released five major studio albums together: dc Talk (1989), Nu Thang (1990), Free at Last (1992), Jesus Freak (1995), and Supernatural (1998). In 2002, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music called dc Talk "the most popular overtly Christian act of all time."
Jesus Freak is the fourth studio album by the American Christian rap and rock trio DC Talk, released on November 21, 1995, on ForeFront Records. The style was a marked departure from the group's previous releases, incorporating a heavier rock sound and elements of grunge that was popular at the time.
Kevin Max Smith is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length studio albums, including a Christmas album. From 2012 until 2014, he was the lead singer of the band Audio Adrenaline.
Newsboys are a Christian rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, the band has released 17 studio albums, 6 of which have been certified gold. As of 2023, the band consists of lead vocalist Michael Tait, drummer and percussionist Duncan Phillips, keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein, electric guitarist Jody Davis, and bassist Adam Agee(formerly of Stellar Kart and Audio Adrenaline) no founding members are featured in the lineup. In addition to performing music, the band has appeared in the films God's Not Dead, God's Not Dead 2, and God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness.
Kevin Michael McKeehan, better known by his stage name TobyMac, is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. His road band is known as Diverse City. He was first known for being a member of the Christian rap and rock trio DC Talk, staying with them from 1987 until they went on hiatus in 2000. He has since continued a successful solo career with the release of ten studio albums: Momentum (2001), Welcome to Diverse City (2004), Portable Sounds (2007), Tonight (2010), Christmas in Diverse City (2011), Eye on It (2012), This Is Not a Test (2015), The Elements (2018), Life After Death (2022), as well as five remixed albums: Re:Mix Momentum (2003), Renovating Diverse City (2005), Dubbed and Freq'd: A Remix Project (2012), Eye'm All Mixed Up (2014) and The St. Nemele Collab Sessions (2019). He became the third Christian artist to have a No. 1 debut on Billboard 200 chart with Eye on It.
Free at Last is the third studio album from DC Talk, which was released in 1992. Music videos were filmed for "Jesus Is Just Alright", "The Hardway" and "Luv Is A Verb". In 1994, DC Talk released a long-form video of the "Free at Last World Tour" entitled Narrow is the Road, in which all three music videos can be seen.
Welcome to the Freak Show is a live audio and video recording by DC Talk. Chronicling the Jesus Freak Tour in the spring of 1996, they were released separately two months apart in 1997 on CD and VHS, respectively. A DVD version was later released in 2003. Each version has been certified gold by the RIAA. Track listings differ slightly between the two. Select videos included a bonus audio disc that remains one of the rarest recordings in the DC Talk catalog. The audio version won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album.
Audio Adrenaline was an American Christian rock band that formed in 1986 at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. The band gained recognition during the 1990s and received two Grammy Awards and multiple Dove Awards. Audio Adrenaline were regular performers at the annual Creation Festival, Spirit West Coast festival, Agape Music Festival, and Alive Festival. In 2007, the group disbanded due to lead singer Mark Stuart's spasmodic dysphonia. During this time, they released eight studio albums.
Welcome to Diverse City is the second full-length studio album released by Christian singer TobyMac. The songs on this album deal with racial tolerance in society and a desire to know God better. Several other Christian artists appear on this CD, including Bootsy Collins, Coffee from GRITS, DJ Maj, Papa San, Paul Wright, Superchick, and T-Bone . TobyMac also reunites dc Talk on vocals in a remix of his song "Atmosphere", the last track of the album. The album has sold over 600,000 copies in the United States.
Gotee Records is a record label of Christian hip-hop, based in Franklin, Tennessee in the United States.
Tait was an American Christian rock band formed by Michael Tait, one of the members of dc Talk and the lead singer of Newsboys since 2009.
"Jesus Freak" is a song by the American contemporary Christian music group DC Talk. Released on August 1, 1995, it was the lead radio single from the group's fourth album. The song was written and produced by Toby McKeehan and Mark Heimermann. Lyrically, the song is about standing up for the belief in Jesus Christ in the midst of persecution. Musically, the song has been described as alternative rock and grunge. It received airplay on both contemporary Christian music and alternative rock stations, formats that rarely interact. "Jesus Freak" earned DC Talk three GMA Dove Awards.
"Jesus Is Just Alright" is a gospel song written by American singer Art Reynolds and first recorded by Reynolds' group, The Art Reynolds Singers, for their 1966 album, Tellin' It Like It Is.
"Between You and Me" is a song by the American contemporary Christian music group DC Talk. Released in 1996, it was the second radio and commercial single released from the group's fourth album, Jesus Freak. After the unexpected success of the grunge rock single "Jesus Freak", "Between You and Me" helped to bring DC Talk to a new level of success and solidify them as mainstream artists. The song later earned DC Talk a GMA Dove Award and is the only DC Talk single to have charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was also a Christian radio success and peaked at No. 1 on both the Christian adult contemporary and Christian Contemporary Hit Radio CCM Magazine charts.
The discography of DC Talk, a Christian music band formed in the late 1980s in Lynchburg, Virginia, consists of five studio albums, three extended plays, and twenty-three singles. The group consists of Toby McKeehan, Kevin Max, and Michael Tait. They began as a hip hop group, but in the mid-90s they reinvented themselves as a pop/rock group. In both instances, they found critical and commercial success in both the Christian music industry as well as the general market.
"What If I Stumble?" is a song by the American contemporary Christian music group DC Talk. Released in 1995, it was the third radio single from the group's fourth album, Jesus Freak.
God's Not Dead is the fifteenth studio album by the Christian rock band Newsboys. It was released on 15 November 2011 and is the second full-length album with lead singer Michael Tait. The album featured songs by Jared Anderson, Daniel Bashta, Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan, Jennie Lee Riddle, Jonathan Lee, Sarah Hart, Ben Cantelon, Ben Glover, Norm Miller, as well as multiple compositions and arrangements by Seth Mosley of Me in Motion. The album produced one music video for the title track. Kevin Max of dc Talk does background vocals on "God's Not Dead".
Newsboys Live In Concert: God's Not Dead is the second live album from Australian Christian rock band Newsboys. It was recorded in July 2012 at Sonshine Festival and Lifest and released through Sparrow Records on 22 October 2012 and features songs from their albums Born Again (2010), God's Not Dead (2011), and live recordings of Michael Tait singing "He Reigns" and "Something Beautiful".
This Is Not a Test is the seventh studio album by American recording artist TobyMac. The album was released on August 7, 2015. It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. In February 2016, it won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. The standard edition was released with 11 tracks, including "Feel It", "Beyond Me", and "Move ". The deluxe edition was released with 15 tracks, including "Lift You Up" featuring Ryan Stevenson, "Fall", and "Beyond Me" and "Like A Match" remixes by Soul Glow Activatur and David Garcia respectively. McKeehan says he is leaning towards soul music in this album, but it will still have his signature mixture of pop, rock, hip hop, EDM, and funk.
For years now, my sister Lynda has truly been the inspiration for my occupation.
Sibling singers Lynda Randle and Michael Tait of Newsboys fame dish on hot topics like family dynamics, race relations and the unifying power of music.