Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group

dc Talk DC Talk (stylized as dc Talk) is a Christian hip hop, Christian rap and Christian rock, rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by tobyMac, Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max, Kevin Max Smith ...

. 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.

Early life

Adopted as a baby to Max and Elaine Smith, Kevin Smith was raised in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, Michigan. Kevin went to high school at Grand Rapids Baptist (now Northpointe Christian). He went to college at Liberty University in Lynchburg Virginia. Kevin Max Smith legally changed his name to "Kevin Max" in 1997 as a tribute to his adoptive father, Max Smith.

Career

dc Talk years (1989–2001)

While at Liberty University, he met fellow

bandmates: Toby McKeehan ("tobyMac") and Michael Tait. They formed DC Talk in 1988 and went on to achieve great success in both

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and mainstream music winning numerous Dove Awards and Grammys. The band went on to win 4 Grammy Awards, 16 GMA Dove Awards, and other recognition. The band went on hiatus in 2000 to pursue solo careers.

Going solo (2001–2012)

Max's first solo album, ''

Stereotype Be ''Stereotype Be'' is the solo debut album of Kevin Max. The album blends progressive rock, world music (particularly Middle Eastern), spoken word, and traditional pop, with spiritual lyrics. Track listing Demo Sessions track listing ...

'', released on August 28, 2001, was praised by Allmusic for " ombiningpop, rock, and world music to create a versatile and intriguing project.". Artists Adrian Belew and Tony Levin of King Crimson,

Larry Norman Larry David Norman (April 8, 1947 – February 24, 2008) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Christian rock music and released more than 100 album ...

and drummer Matt Chamberlain contributed to the album along with Max's collaborator Erick Cole. It became a turning point in Max's career, as the project was a foreshadowing of Max's own brand of alternative music. While ''Stereotype Be'' has developed a considerable cult following, it was not well received in the Christian music market. Soon after its release, Max was dropped from his Christian label, Forefront Records. Undeterred, Max began to slowly build his solo career through live shows and word-of-mouth. He released independent albums via his website, including ''

Between the Fence & the Universe ''Between the Fence & the Universe'' is an EP by recording artist Kevin Max, initially released independently in 2004 and later by Northern Records in 2005. It is a compilation of previously unreleased songs that Max initially recorded for his sec ...

'' and a spoken-word collaboration with Adrian Belew, ''

Raven Songs 101 Raven Songs 101 is a spoken-word album by Kevin Max and Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist ...

'', both in 2004. In fall of 2004, Max's word-of-mouth strategy finally began to pay off. He played the title role in the Visalia Theatre Company / Hutson-Cavale Productions revival of the classic

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

and

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

musical ''

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Thi ...

''. Later that year, he signed a new deal with

Northern Records Northern Records is an independent record label in California. It was founded in 1999 and is distributed in the United States and Canada by RED Distribution ( Sony BMG). Releases See also * List of record labels * RED Distribution R ...

and released a second full-length album, '' The Imposter'' on October 11, 2005. He released a Christmas album, ''Holy Night'', in time for the 2005 Christmas season. In April 2007, Infinity Music announced that Max had been signed to their label for his next project. ''

The Blood The Blood are an English, London-based punk rock band, formed in 1982. Led by Cardinal Jesus Hate and JJ Bedsore (AKA Colin Smith and Jamie Cantwell), the band formed in the early 1980s under the name "Coming Blood". Their music is a blend of ...

'' was released on December 26, 2007. According to Max, "The Blood is not a classic hymns cover project or a white/homogenized version of black gospel or soul music. It's a sensitive and stylized adaption of the music that was at the root of rock and roll, blues and popular culture." Max has attempted to create a name for himself apart from

DC Talk DC Talk (stylized as dc Talk) is a Christian hip hop, Christian rap and Christian rock, rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by tobyMac, Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max, Kevin Max Smith ...

. While he does not shy away from vocally defending his faith, he has expressed a desire to create art with a universal appeal. He insists, "My music is for a

and a Buddhist to pick up and still enjoy, as well as for an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

. But it is there to prod and ask questions: What is my worldview? What do I believe in, and why do I believe it?" In February 2008, Max starred in the independent film '' The Imposter''. In the film, Kevin plays a character named "Johnny C", a singer who becomes addicted to OxyContin and loses his family and job as a Christian music star. The movie also features Tom Wright and Troy Baker. In 2009, Max released

Crashing Gates ''Crashing Gates'' is an extended play, EP by Kevin Max, released on December 9, 2008 on iTunes Store. It is a continuation of ''The Imposter (album), The Imposter''—"a more focused collection of songs about the Apocalypse." According to Max, ...

through dPulse records. It was critically praised as returning to his experimental side in the rock and pop genres. In February 2011, Max formed a

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

with Broadway singer Tony Vincent and longtime collaborator David Larring. The band was tentatively named "Bad Omens". The three were writing songs when Vincent decided to drop out to pursue theater interests, leaving the new band in a state of pause. A song, "Control", can be heard on Max's SoundCloud. On February 27, 2012, Max released ''Fiefdom of Angels-Side One'', the first of two albums to coincide with the forthcoming novel series of the same name. The overall project were chosen covers of well known 80's rock songs, with one Kevin Max original and a Muse cover set to lush orchestration. Ology Magazine describes the work as "a new wave mix-tape played at full volume through the Sistine Chapel".

Audio Adrenaline years (2012–2014)

In August 2012, Max became the new lead vocalist in a reunited Audio Adrenaline. He continued with the band until June 2014, when the band opted to take a different creative direction. Max has also contributed vocally to other artists projects including Mark Heard, Jonathan Thulin, Marc Martel, Michael McDonald,

3kStatic 3kStatic is an electronica music group founded in 1998, consisting of Dean Capone, Jeremy Dickens, Justin Katz. History In 2004 they release the album ''Perversion: for Profit''; uses audio sampled from the 1965 propaganda film Perversion for Pr ...

, and many others.

Return to solo career (2014–present)

In late 2014, Max released two singles, "Infinite" and "Light Me Up". On March 10, 2015 the album ''

Broken Temples ''Broken Temples'' is the sixth album from Kevin Max Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) 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 ban ...

'' was released. In 2015, Max released another studio album of covers of pop standards ''Starry Eyes Surprise''. Max released ''Playing Games With the Shadow'' in 2016, ''Serve Somebody'' in 2017, and both ''AWOL'' and ''Romeo Drive'' in 2018. In 2020, Max released spoken word album ''Radio Teknika'' with electronic pioneers 3Kstatic and in the same summer released ''Revisiting This Planet'' a tribute to legendary rock artist

. Later that year, Max announced a new indie rock band called Sad Astronauts. In 2022, Max released the album ''FANTASY'' with co-production by Old Bear Records, Chris Hoisington. Singles ''Pure Imagination'' and David Bowie's ''As The World Falls Down'' were also released. A Kickstarter campaign was successful in supporting the new album ''Winter Woods'' to be released before December 25, 2022. In a statement made on his Facebook page, Max announced that he would be creating an album with Father John Misty Bassist, Eli Thomson in the Spring of 2023. Elijah Thomson was also featured on Max's album The Imposter.

Personal life

In 1997, Max married Alayna Bennett. They divorced in 2003. In April 2005, he married Amanda Lynn MacDonald, but stated in an interview that earlier the two had "a secret wedding and marriage vows were spoken and we had binding agreement together in front of a spiritual leader, but we decided to go with the public ceremony a little bit later." They have four children. In August 2010, Max and family moved back to

, Michigan. In 2016, Kevin Max bought a farm an hour southwest of Nashville in Centerville, Tennessee, and called it "Blind Thief Farm and Studio". In 2018, the Max family moved to the Westhaven community in Franklin, Tennessee. The Max family frequently tours the states in a Winnebago/Mercedes RV titled ''Bilbo Waggons''. It is estimated that Kevin Max has a net worth of $6 million. Max is known for an annual Christmas show at his residences or local venues titled ''Winter Woods''. Max became vocal on social media about his politics and spiritual deconstruction in 2019 and 2020 during the pandemic. On the song "Shock Ra" from his 2020 album ''Radio Teknika'', he proclaims himself a "''gothic, hippie, inclusive, Jesus freak wanting peace"'', alongside other political commentary on the album''.'' Politically, Max has identified as both a socialist and an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

and expressed support for a number of left-wing causes. By 2021, he specifically identified as an "

exvangelical Exvangelical is a social movement of people who have left evangelicalism, especially white evangelical churches in the United States, for atheism, agnosticism, progressive Christianity, or any other religious belief, or lack thereof. The hashtag ' ...

", though he rejected claims that he was no longer a Christian and said that he followed "the Universal Christ".

Discography

With dc Talk

* (1989) ''

'' ( Forefront Records) * (1990) '' Nu Thang'' (Forefront Records) * (1992) '' Free at Last'' (Forefront Records) * (1995) '' Jesus Freak'' (Forefront Records) * (1997) '' Live in Concert: Welcome to the Freak Show'' (Forefront Records) * (1998) ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'' (Forefront Records) * (2000) '' Intermission: the Greatest Hits'' (Forefront Records) * (2001) '' Solo (EP)'' (Forefront Records) * (2002) '' Free at Last: The Movie'' (Forefront Records)

Solo

Studio albums

Other notable projects

* (1994) ''At the Foot of Heaven: a Mini Audio Book'' (spoken word,

Starsong Star Song Communications is a Christian record label that was started in 1976 by Wayne Donowho, who recruited his friend Darrell Harris. It gained notoriety when it issued Resurrection Band's ground-breaking debut album, Awaiting Your Reply in 197 ...

) * (2010) ''Traveler (Mora Brothers Remixes)'' (dPulse Recordings) * (2010) ''Unholy Triad'' (dPulse Recordings) * (2010) ''Unholy Triad Remix'' (dPulse Recordings) * (2015) ''Same Wavelength'' (Kevin Max & Service Unicorn) (Blind Thief Recordings)

With Audio Adrenaline

* (2013) '' Kings & Queens'' ( Fair Trade Services)

Collaborations

* (1995) ''In the Bleak Mid-Winter'' from ''Noel'', (as Kevin Smith), produced by Steve Hindalong & Derri Dougherty * (1996) ''Lonely Moon'' (from '' Strong Hand of Love: A Tribute to Mark Heard'') * (1996) ''Louie's Solo''

Petra Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...

cover with Passafist, from ''

Never Say Dinosaur ''Never Say Dinosaur'' is a tribute album dedicated to Christian rock band Petra. The album includes 11 revisions and re-imaginings of classic Petra songs and one original composition by Kevin Smith of DC Talk. ''Dinosaur'' contained an eclectic ...

'') * (1997) '' The Canticle of the Plains'', (musical written by

Rich Mullins Richard Wayne Mullins (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter best known for his worship songs " Awesome God" and "Sometimes by Step". Some of his albums were listed by ''CC ...

) * (1998) ''Save Me'' (from '' Awesome God: A Tribute to Rich Mullins'') * (1998) '' Birthday'' The Beatles cover, from ForeFront Records' '' Ten: The Birthday Album'') * (1999) ''There's Something About That Name'' (with

Sonicflood Sonicflood (sometimes stylized as SONICFLOOd) is an American contemporary worship music band from Nashville, Tennessee, that has been touted as "The Fathers of the Modern Worship Movement." The group took the name "Sonicflood", a reference to a l ...

, from ''

Listen Louder Listen may refer to: * The action of listening * Auditory system#Central auditory system, Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear * Listening behaviour types in human communication Computing * LISTEN, a Transm ...

'') * (2002) ''Just an Illusion'' (from ''Songs For a Purpose Driven Life'', Maranatha! Music) * (2003, 2009) ''

'' (collaboration with Adrian Belew, Blind Thief Publishing) * (2006) ''

Help Me Rhonda "Help Me, Rhonda" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys, appearing first on their 1965 album ''The Beach Boys Today!'' (where it was spelled "Help Me, Ronda") and subsequently in re-recorded form on the following 1965 album ''Summer Day ...

'' (from '' Making God Smile: An Artists' Tribute to the Songs of Beach Boy Brian Wilson'') * (2006) ''The Day Is Dawning'' (with Jill Phillips), from '' The Prayer Of Jabez...A Worship Experience'' * (2007) ''Blue'' (feature appearance for

Manic Drive Manic Drive is a Canadian Christian rock band, formed in 2004 by brothers Michael and Shawn Cavallo. After receiving interest from a record label, they released ''Reason for Motion'' in May 2005. Over the last several years, the band has release ...

Whiplash Records Whiplash may refer to: * The long flexible part of a whip * Whiplash (medicine), a neck injury ** Whiplash Injury Protection System (WHIPS), in automobiles Film and television * ''Whiplash'' (1948 film), a US film noir about a boxer * ''Whiplash ...

) * (2009) ''Sugar Evolver'' (with

, from ''Evolver'', Sony Music) * (2010) ''Come Together Now (Music City Unites for Haiti)'' ( charity single, relief effort led by Michael W. Smith) * (2011) ''I Am Second'' (feature appearance for Newsboys on ''God's Not Dead'', Inpop) * (2011) ''A Name, A Day'' (from "of Shadows and Scars"] with Atlantic * (2013) ''Man On Fire'' (feature appearance for Newsboys on '' Restart (Newsboys album), Restart: Deluxe Edition'', Inpop) * (2013) ''The Living Years'' (feature appearance for Newsboys on ''Restart'', Inpop) * (2019) ''Love One Another'' (feature appearance for Newsboys on ''United'',

Fair Trade Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...

) * (2020) ''Under Pressure'' (feature appearance with Marc Martel) * (2022) ''You Did Not Have A Home'' (from ''Bellsburg'' album release)

Old Bear Records Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

)

Guest appearances

* Marc Martel -
Under Pressure
" * Michael McDonald – "Ain't That Peculiar" * Audio Adrenaline – "My World View" *

– "Blue" * Jimmy Abegg – "These Daughters of Mine" * TobyMac – "Atmosphere (Remix)" on 2004's '' Welcome to Diverse City'' *

SONICFLOOd Sonicflood (sometimes stylized as SONICFLOOd) is an American contemporary worship music band from Nashville, Tennessee, that has been touted as "The Fathers of the Modern Worship Movement." The group took the name "Sonicflood", a reference to a l ...

– "Something About That Name" * Raze – "Forgive Me" * Newsboys – "

God's Not Dead (Like a Lion) "Like a Lion" is song written by Daniel Bashta and originally performed by Passion (with David Crowder) on the 2010 album '' Passion: Awakening''. In 2011, it was covered by Newsboys as "God's Not Dead (Like a Lion)" and released as a single fr ...

", " I Am Second", "Man on Fire", "

The Living Years "The Living Years" is a soft rock ballad written by B. A. Robertson and Mike Rutherford, and recorded by Rutherford's British rock band Mike + The Mechanics. It was released in December 1988 in the United Kingdom and in the United States as t ...

", and "Love One Another" * Michael Sweet - "This Time" on 2014's ''

I'm Not Your Suicide ''I'm Not Your Suicide'' is the sixth studio album from the Christian music musician and Stryper frontman Michael Sweet, who helmed the production on the album. The album released on May 6, 2014, by Big3 Records. This album charted at No. 154 on t ...

'' * tobyMac – "Love Feels Like" on 2015's '' This Is Not a Test'' *

Philippa Hanna Philippa Hanna (born 28 March 1984) is an English singer and songwriter. She has worked in a variety of musical styles, but is mainly associated with the contemporary Christian music genre. Career Hanna was brought up in a musical family. Her f ...

– "Embers" on 2016's ''Speed of Light'' * TobyMac – "Space" on 2022's ''Life After Death''

Singles

, rowspan="1", 2021 , 2021 , "A Pearl To Hide" , non-album single , - , rowspan='3', 2022 , "As The World Falls Down' , "Pure Imagination" , "Coventry Carol" , -

Filmography

Music videos * (2001) ''Existence'' ( ForeFront Records) * (2003) ''Seek (Live)'' (

) * (2010) ''Carry On My Wayward Son (with Kerry Livgren of Kansas)'' (Unknown) * (2015) ''Moon Over Bourbon Street'' (

Blind Thief Recordings Blind may refer to: * The state of blindness, being unable to see * A window blind, a covering for a window Blind may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Blind'' (2007 film), a Dutch drama by Tamar van den Dop * ''Blind' ...

) * (2016) ''Girl With the Tiger Eyes'' (

) * (2018) ''Moonracer'' (

) Film * (2010) '' The Imposter'' * (2014) ''As Dreamers Do''

Books

* (1994) ''At the Foot of Heaven'' (poetry/artwork,

) * (2001) ''Unfinished Work'' (autobiography, T. Nelson) * (2002) ''Slip of the Ink'' * (2003) ''The Detritus of Dorian Gray'' (poetry, Blind Thief Publishing) * (2004) ''Divine Erotica'' * (2005) ''PO/ET/RY'' (poetry, Blind Thief Publishing) * (2014) ''Fiefdom of Angels''

References

External links

*
NewReleaseTuesday.com Between The Fence And the Universe Interview

NewReleaseTuesday.com Exclusive The Blood Interview with Kevin Max

Interview with Kevin Max About ''The Blood'' with ''Wrecked for the Ordinary''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Max, Kevin 1967 births Living people American male singer-songwriters American male poets DC Talk members American rock singers American rock songwriters American performers of Christian music Christian writers Musicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan Liberty University alumni Audio Adrenaline members Former evangelicals Singer-songwriters from Michigan