The kings of Christian Rock... at least during The '90s. Originally forming as a Hip-Hop group in the late eighties under name of “dctalk and the one way crew”, dc Talk was comprised of rapper and frontman Toby McKeehan, gospel vocalist Michael Tait (later of the Newsboys), and the former singer for a rockband Kevin (Smith) Max.
They eventually grew out of their early influences becoming a successful pop/rock band, even gaining some mainstream radio play and selling upward of five million albums. Right at the peak of their success, when it seemed they could do no wrong, the three artists decided to call an “intermission” and pursue solo careers.
Although they were called a "band" for much of the career the individual members rarely played their own instruments and instead let session musicians and a live band play for them. They did however contribute a majority of their own lyrics and influenced the sound of each album from their own personal tastes.
Members
Band
- Jason Halbert - keyboard, organ
- Otto “Sugar Bear” Price - bass
- Mark Townsend - guitar
- Erick Cole - guitar
- Martin Upton - guitar
- Brent Barcus - guitar
- Will Denton
- Rick “Mayday” May - drums
- Ric “DJ Forms” Robbins - DJ
- Marvin Sims - percussion
- Grits - choreography
- Barry Graul - guitar
Albums:
- DC Talk
- Nu Thang
- Free At Last
- Jesus Freak
- Welcome to the Freak Show
- Supernatural
- Intermission: the Greatest Hits
Tropes related to the band and their music:
- A Cappella: Every once in a while the band would perform Acappella with Kevin usually standing out with his distinct Vibrato.
- Above the Influence: Their song "That Kinda Girl", from Free at Last, shows the guy breaking up with his date because she basically wanted to jump right into bed; considering it was implied to be one of their first dates... Yeah.
- Audience Participation Song: A handful of songs from Free at Last and Jesus Freak certainly qualify but the title track from the latter probably takes the cake.
- Boy Band: Though not often called one during the height of their career, they certainly fit some of the tropes, including being a mainly vocal group, choreographed dancing (this aspect was toned down in their later years), and even some of the boy band stereotypes.
- The Rebel - Kevin Max
- The Heartthrob - Toby Mac
- The Older Brother - Michael Tait
-
Breakup Breakout: Toby Mac has became one of the biggest names in Christian Music since the group went on hiatus, even to the point of nearly surpassing the popularity of the group.- The other two members haven’t faired horribly either with Michael Tait eventually landing the gig of front man for the Newsboys and Kevin Max fronting the Christian Rock group Audio Adrenaline before going solo and finding success in the indie/underground scene.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Their first two albums have been all but disowned by the band as they sound like a knockoff Christian version of New Kids on the Block.
