Michael DeWayne Tait (born May 18, 1966) is an American

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

artist. Michael Tait met

Toby McKeehan Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known f ...

in 1984 when he was in high school. Both Toby and Michael met

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 band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length stud ...

while attending

Liberty University Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Liberty i ...

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 Newsboys (sometimes stylised as 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 ...

, and one third of

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

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. Aside from singing, Tait is also a self-taught guitar player. Tait also has a sister

Lynda Randle Lynda Tait Randle (born February 7, 1962), is an alto singer of southern gospel music. Early years The daughter of Nate and Maxine Tait, Randle grew up in the inner city of Washington, DC. Her bi-vocational minister father drove a cab. Public ...

, who is a

Southern Gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...

singer.

Musical career

DC Talk (1988–2001)

Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan in 1984 while he was in high school in the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

area, and together they began creating music. Michael Tait and Toby McKeehan both met Kevin Max while attending

in the mid-1980s. Together, all three formed the four-time Grammy winning band DC Talk 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 ''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 thi ...

'', a cover of the

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

song "The Cross" on Kevin Max's 2007 album ''

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 ...

'', "Love Feels Like" on TobyMac's 2015 album '' This Is Not a Test'' and "Let's Roll" following the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

Tait (1997–2007)

After DC Talk's hiatus was announced, Tait dedicated more time to his band Tait (which he named after his father, Nathel). Tait had partially formed this band around 1997. One of the original members was guitarist

Pete Stewart Pete Stewart is a singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer from Seattle, Washington. He is the lead singer and guitarist of Grammatrain, was the lead singer for The Accident Experiment, and is the former guitarist of Tait. Stewart released ...

(from the hard rock band

Grammatrain Grammatrain is an alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington who were active in the Christian rock industry in the 1990s. After disbanding in 1998, the group reunited as a mainstream act in 2009 and released their third full-length album ent ...

), 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 Benjamin Robert Moody II (born January 22, 1981) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as co-founder, former guitarist and co-songwriter of rock band Evanescence from its inception in 1995 to his departure in ...

, which is another whole music project."

Newsboys (2009–present)

An official statement was released on March 9, 2009 that announced Michael Tait as the new lead singer of

. 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. 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' frontman 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." 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. 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 The discography of Australian Christian rock band Newsboys consists of 20 studio albums, 2 remix albums, 17 compilations, 2 live albums, 1 demo, 102 singles, 10 extended plays 22 music videos, and some official live recordings. Studio albums ...

'', 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 ''Love Riot'' is the second album from the Modesto, CA based contemporary worship band Worth Dying for (now Fearless BND) released by Ammunition Records in February 2011. Track listing # Destroy (3:44) # Savior (2:51) # Love Riot (3:27) # T ...

'', and ''United'', the Newsboys released ''Stand'' on October 1, 2021. The band released a special version of the title track "Stand" with

Toby Mac Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known f ...

as a guest.

Other projects

Tait has also starred as Hero in '' !Hero''. He also contributed to various

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

s, including the popular ''

Jesus Freaks ''Jesus freak'' is a term arising from the late 1960s and early 1970s counterculture and is frequently used as a pejorative for those involved in the Jesus movement. As Tom Wolfe illustrates in ''The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test'', the term "fre ...

'' and ''Jesus Freaks II'' books. He has also contributed to the books '' Under God'' and ''

Living Under God DC Talk (stylized as 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: ...

'' with DC Talk bandmate

TobyMac Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known f ...

Discography

with Tait

* ''

Empty Empty may refer to: ‍ Music Albums * ''Empty'' (God Lives Underwater album) or the title song, 1995 * ''Empty'' (Nils Frahm album), 2020 * ''Empty'' (Tait album) or the title song, 2001 Songs * "Empty" (The Click Five song), 2007 * ...

'' (2001) * ''

Lose This Life ''Lose This Life'' is the second and final studio album by American Christian rock band Tait. According to frontman Michael Tait, the songs all have to do with the striving human passion to know, feel and experience God's love. It was release ...

'' (2003)

with Newsboys

Studio albums

* '' Born Again'' (2010) * '' God's Not Dead'' (2011) * '' Restart'' (2013) * '' Hallelujah for the Cross'' (2014) * ''

'' (2016) * ''United'' (2019) * ''Stand'' (2021)

EPs

* ''Christmas! A Newsboys Holiday'' (2010)

Live albums

* '' Live in Concert: God's Not Dead'' (2012)

Singles

Guest appearances

Carman In Celtic mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("black"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She used her magica ...

- ''Addicted to Jesus'' - "Addicted to Jesus" (1992) * Reality Check - ''Reality Check'' - "Apart from You" (1997) * Rich Mullins - ''The Canticle of the Plains'' (1997) *

- ''Pete Stewart'' - "Uphill Battle" (1999) *

Point of Grace Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group. The current trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as wel ...

- ''A Christmas Story'' - "Light of the World" (1999) * ''

Roaring Lambs ''Roaring Lambs'' (released in 2000) is a collaborative album based on the book, ''Roaring Lambs: A Gentle Plan to Radically Change Your World'', by Bob Briner. Conceived and directed Dave Palmer, and produced by Steve Taylor, the recording incl ...

'' - "Salt and Light" (with

Ashley Cleveland Ashley Cleveland (born February 2, 1957) is an American singer/songwriter best known as a background vocalist and gospel singer. Ashley Cleveland was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. She has been married to Kenny Greenberg since April 27, 1991, a ...

) (2000) *

Jaci Velasquez Jacquelyn "Jaci" Davette Velasquez (Spanish ''Jaci Velásquez'', born October 15, 1979) is an American actress and contemporary Christian and Latin pop singer and songwriter, performing in both English and Spanish. Velasquez has sold almost ...

- ''

Crystal Clear Crystal Clear may refer to: Music and film * ''Crystal Clear'' (Jaci Velasquez album), 2000 * ''Crystal Clear'' (David Dunn album), 2015 ** ''Crystal Clear'' (EP), a 2014 EP by David Dunn * "Crystal Clear", a 1988 song from '' World Without E ...

'' - "Center of Your Love" (2000) *

Jennifer Knapp Jennifer Lynn Knapp (born April 12, 1974) is an American-Australian folk rock, and contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album, ''Kansas'' (1998), and the song "A Little More" from her ...

- ''The Way I Am'' - "Say Won't You Say" (2001) * '' City on a Hill: It's Christmas Time'' - "It's Christmas Time", "O Holy Night" (2002) *

- "The Fad of the Land" - '' Thrive'' (2002) *

Third Day Third Day was a Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee (both of whom were the only constant members) and Billy Wilkins. Drummer David Carr was the ...

- '' Offerings II: All I Have to Give'' - "God of Wonders ive (2003) *

TobyMac Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known f ...

- ''

'' - "Atmosphere (remix featuring DC Talk)" (as DC Talk) (2004) * '' In the Name of Love: Artists United for Africa'' - "One" ( U2 cover) (2004) *

DJ Maj Michael Joseph "Mike" Allen (born October 9, 1970), professionally known as DJ Maj, is a Christian music DJ and rapper, contributing to gospel music albums released by tobyMac, GRITS, Ill Harmonics, Carman, dc Talk, and the Newsboys. DJ Maj ha ...

- ''Boogiroot'' - "H.A.N.D.S." (2005) *

Building 429 Building 429 is an American Christian rock band from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Their name is derived from a Biblical passage known as Ephesians 4:29, which, in the New International Version of the Bible, reads as follows: "Do not let any u ...

- ''

Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...

'' - "Empty" (2006) *

- ''

'' - "The Cross" (as DC Talk) (2007) * Marc Scibilia - ''Fixity'' - "Worship Song" (2007) *

T-Bone The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin (called the sirloin in Commonwealth countries and Ireland). Both steaks include a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side ...

- '' Bone-Appetit!'' - "Raised in Harlem" (2007). Previously released on '' !Hero'' (2003) *

- ''

In the Hands of God ''In the Hands of God'' is the thirteenth studio album by Christian band Newsboys. It was released on 5 May 2009, being the last album the band released before the departure of singer and founding member Peter Furler. It also features the retu ...

'' (2009) * "Come Together Now (Music City Unites for Haiti)" (

charity single A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. George Harrison's " Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-mad ...

, relief effort led by

Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when " Place in This World" hit No. 6 on the '' ...

) (2010) * ''JakeACE'' - ''Get Down Everybody'' - "Wings Like Eagles" (2010) * ''

Music Inspired by The Story ''Music Inspired by The Story'' is a 2011 compilation album of songs by various contemporary Christian music artists. The songs were inspired by scripture passages found in the Bible; it is included in a series with books by Max Lucado and Randy ...

'' - "Bring Us Home (Joshua)" with

Blanca Callahan Blanca Elaine Reyes (born February 10, 1986), who goes by the mononym Blanca, is a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican-born American Contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter. Until 2013, she was a member of Group 1 Crew. She is now a solo ar ...

from

Group 1 Crew Group 1 Crew was an American Christian hip hop band signed to Fervent Records and Warner Bros. Records. They made their debut with the hit song "Can't Go On" on WOW Hits 2007. Soon after they released their first EP ''I have a dream'' (2006), ...

and

Lecrae Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the ind ...

( EMI Christian Music 2011) *

Karyn Williams Karyn Kristyne Williams-White (born July 28, 1979), is an American Christian musician. She released an extended play, ''Wake Up'', in 2011. Her first album, '' Only You'', was released by Inpop Records in 2012, along with a re-release of the same ...

- ''Only You'' - "Hey There" (2013) * TobyMac – '' This Is Not a Test'' - "Love Feels Like (featuring DC Talk)" (as DC Talk) (2015) * TobyMac – '' Hits Deep Live'' - "Love Feels Like ive (featuring DC Talk)" (as DC Talk) (2016)

Music videos

With DC Talk

*"Heavenbound" (1989) *"I Luv Rap Music" (1991) *"

Nu Thang ''Nu Thang'' is the second studio album from DC Talk, which was released in 1990. It was certified Gold by RIAA. Almost two decades later, the single "Nu Thang" and its YouTube video gained more recognition after a viral video was put up known a ...

" (1991) *"Walls" (1992) *" Jesus Is Just Alright" (1993) *"The Hardway" (1994) *"Luv Is a Verb" (1994) *"

Jesus Freak ''Jesus freak'' is a term arising from the late 1960s and early 1970s counterculture and is frequently used as a pejorative for those involved in the Jesus movement. As Tom Wolfe illustrates in '' The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test'', the term "fr ...

" (1995) *" Between You and Me" (1996) *"

Colored People ''Colored'' (or ''coloured'') is a racial descriptor historically used in the United States during the Jim Crow, Jim Crow Era to refer to an African Americans, African American. In many places, it may be considered a Pejorative, slur, though it ...

" (1997) *"Day by Day" (1997) *"My Friend, So Long" (1998) *"Consume Me" (1999)

With Tait

*"Altars" (2001) *"

" (2003)

With Newsboys

*" Born Again" (2010) *"Miracles" (2011) *"

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 ...

" (2012) *"Live With Abandon" (2013) *"That's How You Change The World" (2014) *"We Believe" (2014) *"Guilty" rom_the_film_''God's_Not_Dead_2''.html" ;"title="God's_Not_Dead_2.html" ;"title="rom the film ''God's Not Dead 2">rom the film ''God's Not Dead 2''">God's_Not_Dead_2.html" ;"title="rom the film ''God's Not Dead 2">rom the film ''God's Not Dead 2''(2015) *"Crazy" (2016) *"Hero" (2016) *"Guilty" (2016)

Video guest appearances

*"Addicted to Jesus" by

(1992) *"AKA Public School" by Audio Adrenaline (1993) *"I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe (2001) *"Thrive: Live from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" by

(2002) *"Mountaintop" by

The City Harmonic The City Harmonic was a Canadian Christian rock band based in Hamilton, Ontario. Elias Dummer (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Eric Fusilier (bass), Aaron Powell (guitar), and Josh Vanderlaan (drums) collectively made up The City Harmonic.

(2013)

Personal life

Tait has five sisters, one of them is

Southern gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...

alto singer

. Tait told

Fox News Radio Fox News Radio is an American radio network owned by Fox News. It is syndicated to over 500 AM and FM radio stations across the United States. It also supplies programming for three channels on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. History In 2003, ...

host

Todd Starnes Todd Starnes (born October 28, 1967) is a conservative American columnist, commentator, author and radio host. He has appeared on ''Fox and Friends'' and ''Hannity''. In June 2017, Starnes began hosting a syndicated talk radio show on Fox News ...

in February 2016 that he supported

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

for president in the 2016 election.Christian Recording Artist Says He Supports Ted Cruz
/ref> Tait signed a letter opposing President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's impeachment in December 2019 and also participated in the Evangelicals for Trump rally in January 2020. In 2021, he appeared on ''

Candace Kandake, kadake or kentake ( Meroitic: 𐦲𐦷𐦲𐦡 ''kdke''),Kirsty Rowan"Revising the Sound Value of Meroitic D: A Phonological Approach,"''Beitrage zur Sudanforschung'' 10 (2009). often Latinised as Candace ( grc, Κανδάκη, ''Kandak� ...

'', a political commentary show hosted by conservative activist

Candace Owens Candace Amber Owens Farmer ( Owens; born April 29, 1989) is an American conservative author, talk show host, political commentator, and activist. Initially critical of United States President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, Owens has bee ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tait, Michael 1966 births Living people 21st-century Christians African-American Christians American performers of Christian music Performers of contemporary Christian music DC Talk members Liberty University alumni Newsboys members 21st-century African-American male singers 20th-century African-American male singers