Kevin Max
Template:Infobox musical artist
Kevin Max (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being the lead singer of the Christian rock group dc Talk.
Contents
Biography
Early years
His birth name is Kevin Max Smith, but he legally shortened it to "Kevin Max" in 1997, citing that there were probably too many Smiths already in the world. Kevin was himself adopted by the Smith family and grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Another reason behind changing his name might be because his adoptive brother was named Max. Kevin showed incredible vocal and musical talent early in his life and his talent grew while at Grand Rapids Baptist High School and later at Cornerstone University.
dc Talk
Later, at Liberty University, he met fellow dc Talk friends: Toby McKeehan and Michael Tait. Together they formed dc Talk and went on to achieve great success in both Christian and mainstream music. The band went on to win four Grammy, 16 Dove Awards, and other recognitions. However, they decided to take an extended "intermission" in 2000.
Spirituality
In recent years, Kevin Max has attempted to create a name for himself apart from dc Talk. While he does not shy away from vocally defending his Christian faith, he has expressed a desire to create art with a universal appeal. He insists, "My music is for a Christian and a Buddhist to pick up and still enjoy, as well as for an atheist. But it is there to prod and ask some questions: What's my worldview? What do I believe in, and why do I believe it?"
Stereotype Be
The resulting solo album, Stereotype Be, released on August 28, 2001, was praised by All Music Guide for "[combining] pop, rock, and world music to create a versatile and intriguing project." Legendary artists Adrian Belew, Larry Norman, and Tony Levin contributed to the album.
Further projects
Curiously, while Stereotype Be has developed a considerable cult following, it wasn't well-received in the Christian music market, and not long 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 an EP entitled Between the Fence & the Universe and a spoken-word collaboration with Adrian Belew entitled Raven Songs 101, 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 and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Later that year, he signed a new deal with Northern Records and released a second full-length album, titled The Imposter, said to "contain...a sound that recalls the passion of early U2, the soul of Jeff Buckley, and the ambiguity of Blur"[1] on October 18, 2005. He released a Christmas album, titled Holy Night, in time for the 2005 Holiday Season.
In 2000, Candlejump Productions announced their film project, Soupernatural, starring Kevin Max.[2] After six years, filming began in January of 2007.[3]
Poetry and writings
Max is also a poet and an author. He has published four books, three of which are poetry books: At the Foot of Heaven (1994), The Detritus of Dorian Gray (2003) and PO.ET.RY (2005). The other is an autobiography of sorts titled Unfinished Work (2001), an in-depth look at the meaning of each of his songs from Stereotype Be. In addition, Max has a spoken-word EP album that accompanies his first poetry book At the Foot of Heaven, released in 1995 by Starsong Productions.
Personal life
In 1997, Max married Alayna Bennett. They divorced in 2003 for undisclosed reasons. He remarried in April of 2005 to Amanda Lynn MacDonald.[4] Their daughter, London, was born on October 7 2005.[5],[6] They lived in Hollywood, California, until July 2006, when Max and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.[7] In December 2006, Max announced on his website that he and Amanda were expecting the birth of their second child (a boy) in June 2007.[8]
Discography
Solo
- At the Foot of Heaven (spoken word EP, Starsong, 1995)
- Stereotype Be (Forefront Records, 2001)
- Between the Fence & the Universe (EP, Northern Records, 2004)
- The Imposter (Northern Records, 2005)
- Holy Night (Northern Records, 2005)
Collaborations
- The Canticle of the Plains, (musical written by Rich Mullins, 1997)
- Raven Songs 101 (collaboration with Adrian Belew, Blind Thief Publishing, 2003)
Singles
- Sanctuary (2005)
- Existence (2001)
- Be (2001)
Filmography
- Existence (ForeFront Records, 2001)
- Seek Live (Northern Records, 2003)
- Untitled (Blind Thief Publishing, 2003)
Books
- At the Foot of Heaven (poetry/artwork, Starsong, 1994)
- Unfinished Work (autobiography, T. Nelson, 2001)
- The Detritus of Dorian Gray (poetry, Blind Thief Publishing, 2003)
All three books have been compiled as part of a trilogy, PO/ET/RY. The compilation has been heralded as "literate, controversial and absolutely stunning visually."
Guest appearances
- Rich Mullins - To Tell Them
- from the 1992 album The World as Best as I Remember It, Volume Two
- Kevin Max - Lonely Moon
- from the 1994 album Strong Hand of Love: A Tribute to Mark Heard
- Audio Adrenaline - My World View
- from the 1994 album Don't Censor Me
- Passafist - Louie's Solo
- from the 1996 album Never Say Dinosaur
- SONICFLOOd - Something About That Name
- from the 1999 album SONICFLOOd
- Kevin Max - Help Me Rhonda
- tobyMac - Atmosphere: Remix
- from the 2004 album Welcome to Diverse City
- Playdough - Sandal Sole
- from the 2006 album Don't Drink the Water
Similar artists
See also
External links
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