• 1987-

  Toby McKeehanVocals1987-

  Michael TaitVocals1987-

  Kevin MaxVocals1988-
• The Christian hip-hop/pop-rock trio dc Talk formed in 1987 at Liberty University, a private Christian school in Virginia co-founded by evangelist Jerry Falwell. Toby McKeehan and Michael Tait started out as a duo, peddling a two-track demo titled Christian Rhymes To A Rhythm that featured the McKeehan-penned track "Heavenbound," before their classmate Kevin Max Smith left his own campus rock band to join the group. "Heavenbound" ultimately became their first single after they signed a contract with ForeFront Records and issued their debut, self-titled album in 1989.
• They were originally called dc Talk and the One Way Crew, with "DC" standing for District of Columbia - a nod to the US capital city where McKeehan made the rounds as a rapper. When they signed their record deal, however, the meaning behind the truncated dc Talk was altered to reflect their Christ-centered image: Decent Christian Talk.
• The CCM group Sonicflood originally formed as dc Talk's traveling band in 1997 before branching off on their own later that same year (under the name Zilch).
• They originally recorded the Supernatural track "The Truth" for the 1998 X-Files movie soundtrack (the chorus lyric incorporates the series' tagline "The truth is out there"), but it was rejected because of its overtly Christian theme.
• Unlike some of their contemporaries, dc Talk didn't obscure their message with ambiguous lyrics for mainstream appeal. In fact, their landmark album, Jesus Freak, boldly asks, "What will people do when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?" on its title track. The question didn't turn people off - the album, which incorporated elements of rock and grunge, was a huge crossover hit and won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album.
• DC Talk wasn't the first Christian rap act, but they popularized the genre within the CCM community and found mainstream success in the '90s with Free At Last and Jesus Freak. Still, they weren't accepted by everyone... namely MTV. According to Michael Tait, the network that championed the message "Free Your Mind" didn't follow through when it came to dc Talk. He told Barry Alfonso, author of The Billboard Contemporary Guide To Contemporary Christian Music: "Our platform is our Christian belief and you know they never gave Courtney Love or Tina Turner a hard time about being Buddhist."
• They never officially disbanded, but the trio announced in 2000 that they were taking a break to pursue solo careers. Their Solo EP showcased songs from each of their debut solo albums.
• McKeehan - whose real name is Kevin McKeehan - records under the stage name TobyMac.
• In 2009, Michael Tait joined the Australian Christian pop-rock band Newsboys as their new lead singer, replacing Peter Furler. His first album with the group was 2010's Born Again, which featured a cover of dc Talk's "Jesus Freak."
• Tait's sister Lynda Randle is a Southern gospel singer who appeared on Bill Gaither's Homecoming concerts and videos, and won a Dove Award for her 2004 tribute to Mahalia Jackson.
• Kevin Max was the lead singer of Audio Adrenaline from 2012 to 2014. His sole album with the band was Kings & Queens (2013).

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