Origin: Farmersville, California (USA)

RUSS TAFF

Russ Taff

Russ Taff albums:

	Walls of glass - 1983 (with lyrics)
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	Medals - 1985 (with lyrics)
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	st - 1987 (with lyrics)
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Notes about Russ Taff:

 Text in English

- Russell Taff was born on 11 November 1953 and grew up in Farmersville, in California's San Joaquin Valley, the fourth of the five sons of Joe and Ann Taff [1, 2, 3]. His father worked as a machinist and pastored the Eastside Tabernacle Church, a small Pentecostal congregation housed in a former laundromat, while his mother picked fruit and chopped cotton in the fields [1]. Joe Taff was a fiery preacher and an alcoholic whose drinking cost him more than one pulpit, and the household lived by the rule that nothing that happened at home could be mentioned outside it; his father's abuse was verbal, while his mother's could turn physical [2, 3]. Russ sang in public for the first time at the age of three, in his father's church [4], and found refuge in his mother's gospel records, from Mahalia Jackson to the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, and in the songs of quartets such as the Statesmen and the Blackwood Brothers, which he sang with his brothers [4, 5]. By the age of eleven he was playing guitar, and in the summers the Taff boys provided the music at the revival meetings their father preached across Arkansas and Missouri [2, 3].

When he was fifteen the family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where a church had agreed to take his father on as pastor. When Joe Taff lost that post as well and the family returned to California, Russ stayed in Arkansas and spent his final year of high school living with his English teacher, June Smedley, and her husband, Bud, whom he would later thank on his album sleeves [2, 3, 6, 7, 8]. It was there, in the years of the Jesus movement, that he first listened to popular music [1, 5]. At sixteen he and some fellow students, among them the guitarist James Hollihan Jr., formed Sounds of Joy, a group that played coffeehouses across Arkansas, made records of its own and opened for the Imperials [1, 3]. He then spent two years on the road with the Fort Worth evangelist Jerry Savelle [3, 4]. In 1976 the Imperials, who remembered him from that opening slot two years earlier, invited him to audition; he drove to Nashville, sang for them and was hired as their lead vocalist that same night, two weeks before his 23rd birthday [1, 3]. That year he also married Victoria, known as Tori, who would become his main lyricist [1, 3, 8].

Taff remained the Imperials' lead vocalist until 1981 [1, 4]. His first released album with the group was *Sail On* (1977), followed by *Imperials Live* (1978), *Heed the Call* and *One More Song for You* (both 1979) and *Priority* (1980); *Sail On*, *Heed the Call* and *Priority* each won a Grammy Award [1]. With Taff as the voice of songs such as "Praise the Lord", "Trumpet of Jesus" and "I'm Forgiven", those records completed the group's move from traditional gospel to contemporary Christian music, and the Imperials became the best-selling act in the genre [1, 4, 5]. He was named Male Vocalist of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards in 1981 and 1982 [1, 4]. It was also during these years, at 26, that he had his first drink. As he later recalled, the voices of shame he had carried since childhood fell silent, and so began a drinking habit he concealed so well that, by Tori's account, she did not see him impaired for twenty years [2, 3].

He left the Imperials in 1981 to go solo [1, 4]. *Walls of Glass*, released on Myrrh in 1983, was produced and engineered by Bill Schnee at his Los Angeles studio, with additional engineering by Jack Joseph Puig, horn arrangements by Jerry Hey and mastering by Doug Sax at the Mastering Lab [6]. Dedicated to "my beloved partner and friend, Tori", it brought together leading Los Angeles session musicians: Jeff Porcaro and Mike Baird on drums, Nathan East and Abraham Laboriel on bass, Michael Landau on guitar, James Newton Howard, Robbie Buchanan and Michael Omartian on keyboards, Lenny Castro on percussion and Ernie Watts on saxophone, with Bill Champlin, Bonnie Bramlett, David Lasley, Arnold McCuller and Franke Previte among the singers [6]. Eight of its ten songs carried lyrics by Russ and Tori, with Hollihan, by now Taff's guitarist, the most frequent composer of the music; on "We Will Stand (You're My Brother, You're My Sister)" the couple wrote the words and Hollihan the music [6]. The song became a number-one Christian radio hit and was later ranked No. 29 in CCM Magazine's list of the 100 greatest songs in Christian music [9]. The album reached No. 5 on Billboard's Inspirational Albums chart [1, 9], won the Grammy for Best Gospel Performance, Male, at the 26th Grammy Awards in 1984 [10], and brought Taff his third Dove as Male Vocalist of the Year, his first as a solo artist [4, 9]. Around the same time he took part in World Vision benefit concerts for famine relief in Africa, and early in 1984 he and Tori traveled to South Africa with the organization [4].

*Medals* (1985) was recorded between 10 September 1984 and 11 March 1985 at Mama Jo's in North Hollywood and Ocean Way in Hollywood. Jack Joseph Puig produced it with Taff, recorded it and mixed it at Mama Jo's, with Lynn Nichols as creative consultant, and Bob Ludwig mastered it at Masterdisk [8, 11]. Alongside the Taffs and Hollihan, its writers included Chris Eaton, Paul and Elizabeth Janz, Pam Mark Hall and Roby Duke, while James Newton Howard and Michael Landau set the couple's lyrics for "Not Gonna Bow" to music [8, 11]. The core band featured Paul Leim on drums, Nathan East and Neil Stubenhaus on bass, Dann Huff, Michael Landau and Paul Jackson Jr. on guitars, Robbie Buchanan on keyboards and Lenny Castro on percussion, with Bill Champlin, Tommy Funderburk, Tamara Champlin and Tata Vega among the backing singers [8, 11]. The back cover carried the dedication "In honor of the ultimate act of heroism—we are His medals" [8]. The album reached No. 2 on Billboard's Inspirational Albums chart, gave him a Christian AC number one with "Silent Love", won the Dove for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year in 1986 and earned a Grammy nomination [10, 11]; in 2001 CCM Magazine ranked it No. 36 in *The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music* [11].

His self-titled third album was recorded between 27 January and 12 November 1987, again produced, recorded and mixed by Puig, with Nichols as executive producer and mastering by Doug Sax [7, 12]. More rock-oriented than *Medals*, it set his voice against the guitars of Hollihan, Dann Huff and Dave Perkins and a rhythm section drawn from, among others, Paul Leim, Mel Watts, Neil Stubenhaus, Nathan East and Mike Brignardello. It included "I Still Believe", a song by the Call written by Michael Been and Jim Goodwin, Charlie Peacock's "Down in the Lowlands", "Higher", co-written with John Hiatt, and "Breathe Life into Me", which Mica Paris would take into the UK Top 30 in 1988 [7, 12]. The album reached No. 2 on the Inspirational Albums chart, won the 1989 Doves for Rock Album of the Year and for Recorded Music Packaging of the Year, with art direction by Joan Tankersley and photography by Phillip Dixon, and brought another Grammy nomination [7, 10, 12]. *The Way Home* (1989), which he co-produced with Hollihan, topped the same chart, won the Dove for Rock Album of the Year and was later ranked No. 11 among CCM's 100 greatest Christian albums; its song "Farther On" was nominated for a Grammy [1, 10, 13]. *Under Their Influence* (1991) won the Grammy for Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album [1, 10]. In 1995 he released *Winds of Change*, a mainstream country album on Reprise that placed three singles on Billboard's country chart, and in 1999 he returned to Christian music with *Right Here, Right Now* [1].

In 1991 Bill Gaither invited him to take part in one of the early Homecoming videos, which led to regular appearances on the Homecoming tour [1, 5]. In 2001 he joined the Gaither Vocal Band as baritone; both albums he recorded with the group, *Everything Good* (2002) and *A Cappella* (2003), received Grammy nominations, and early in 2004 he returned to solo work [1, 5, 10].

Away from the stage, his drinking followed the pattern of concealment he had learned as a child [2]. He first sought treatment in the late 1980s and stayed sober from 1988 until his father's death in 1997, when he relapsed briefly; his mother's death in 2006 brought a far more serious relapse that placed his marriage under severe strain [2, 3]. After walking on stage impaired at the filming of the concert video *Timeless*, he spent a month in a rehabilitation center and then entered a program dealing with the childhood trauma behind his addiction, later continuing with Christian counseling [2, 3]. By early 2025 he had been sober for eighteen years [14]. He told the whole story in the documentary *Russ Taff: I Still Believe*, directed by Rick Altizer and shown in American cinemas by Fathom Events as a one-night event on 30 October 2018 [1, 2, 3], and in the memoir *I Still Believe: A Memoir of Wreckage, Recovery, and Relentless Love*, written with Tori and Mark Smeby and published by Post Hill Press in 2019 [15]. He has returned to it in interviews such as his 2025 conversation with Lee C. Camp on the podcast *No Small Endeavor* [16].

The Imperials were inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Gaither Vocal Band in 2014, and Taff was inducted in his own right in 2016, making him a member three times over: as a soloist, with the Imperials and with the Gaither Vocal Band [17, 18]. Billboard once described him as "the single most electrifying voice in Christian music" [5, 18], and in 2019 ASCAP named Russ and Tori Taff recipients of its Golden Note Award [18]. His later recordings include *Faroe Islands* (2011), recorded in the North Atlantic archipelago itself [1, 5], the worship album *Believe* (2018), with guest appearances by Amy Grant and David Crowder [2, 18], and *Cover Story*, produced by Steve Taylor and John Mark Painter, on which he reinterprets songs by Bob Dylan, U2, Prince, Simon & Garfunkel, The National and Depeche Mode [14]. He lives in Bell Buckle, Tennessee [14, 18]. -

Notas sobre Russ Taff:

 Texto en Español

- Russell Taff nació el 11 de noviembre de 1953 y creció en Farmersville, en el valle de San Joaquín (California), como el cuarto de los cinco hijos varones de Joe y Ann Taff [1, 2, 3]. Su padre trabajaba como mecánico y era pastor de la Eastside Tabernacle Church, una pequeña congregación pentecostal instalada en una antigua lavandería, mientras su madre recogía fruta y escardaba algodón en el campo [1]. Joe Taff era un predicador vehemente y alcohólico, y la bebida le costó más de un púlpito; en casa regía la norma de no contar fuera nada de lo que ocurría dentro, y si los malos tratos del padre eran verbales, los de la madre llegaban a ser físicos [2, 3]. Russ cantó en público por primera vez a los tres años, en la iglesia de su padre [4], y encontró refugio en los discos de gospel de su madre, de Mahalia Jackson a los Five Blind Boys of Alabama, y en las canciones de cuartetos como los Statesmen y los Blackwood Brothers, que cantaba con sus hermanos [4, 5]. A los once años ya tocaba la guitarra, y en verano los hermanos Taff ponían la música en las campañas de avivamiento que su padre predicaba por Arkansas y Misuri [2, 3].

Cuando tenía quince años, la familia se trasladó a Hot Springs (Arkansas), donde una iglesia había aceptado a su padre como pastor. Cuando Joe Taff perdió también ese puesto y la familia volvió a California, Russ se quedó en Arkansas y pasó su último curso de instituto en casa de su profesora de inglés, June Smedley, y del marido de esta, Bud, a quienes más tarde daría las gracias en las portadillas de sus discos [2, 3, 6, 7, 8]. Fue allí, en los años del Jesus movement, donde escuchó música popular por primera vez [1, 5]. A los dieciséis años formó con otros compañeros de estudios, entre ellos el guitarrista James Hollihan Jr., el grupo Sounds of Joy, que tocó en cafés de todo Arkansas, grabó discos propios y actuó como telonero de los Imperials [1, 3]. Después pasó dos años de gira con el evangelista Jerry Savelle, de Fort Worth [3, 4]. En 1976, los Imperials, que lo recordaban de cuando Sounds of Joy les había abierto un concierto dos años antes, lo invitaron a hacer una prueba; condujo hasta Nashville, cantó para ellos y esa misma noche lo contrataron como vocalista principal, dos semanas antes de cumplir veintitrés años [1, 3]. Ese mismo año se casó con Victoria, conocida como Tori, que se convertiría en su principal letrista [1, 3, 8].

Taff fue el vocalista principal de los Imperials hasta 1981 [1, 4]. Su primer disco publicado con el grupo fue *Sail On* (1977), al que siguieron *Imperials Live* (1978), *Heed the Call* y *One More Song for You* (ambos de 1979) y *Priority* (1980); *Sail On*, *Heed the Call* y *Priority* ganaron sendos premios Grammy [1]. Con Taff como voz de canciones como «Praise the Lord», «Trumpet of Jesus» e «I'm Forgiven», aquellos discos completaron el paso del grupo del gospel tradicional a la música cristiana contemporánea, y los Imperials se convirtieron en el grupo más vendido del género [1, 4, 5]. En los premios Dove de la GMA fue elegido vocalista masculino del año en 1981 y 1982 [1, 4]. Fue también en esos años, a los veintiséis, cuando probó el alcohol por primera vez. Según recordaría después, las voces de vergüenza que arrastraba desde la infancia enmudecieron, y así empezó un hábito que ocultó tan bien que, según Tori, ella no lo vio ebrio en veinte años [2, 3].

Dejó los Imperials en 1981 para emprender su carrera en solitario [1, 4]. *Walls of Glass*, publicado por el sello Myrrh en 1983, fue producido y grabado por Bill Schnee en su estudio de Los Ángeles, con ingeniería adicional de Jack Joseph Puig, arreglos de metales de Jerry Hey y masterización de Doug Sax en The Mastering Lab [6]. Dedicado «a mi amada compañera y amiga, Tori», reunió a destacados músicos de sesión de Los Ángeles: Jeff Porcaro y Mike Baird a la batería, Nathan East y Abraham Laboriel al bajo, Michael Landau a la guitarra, James Newton Howard, Robbie Buchanan y Michael Omartian a los teclados, Lenny Castro a la percusión y Ernie Watts al saxofón, con Bill Champlin, Bonnie Bramlett, David Lasley, Arnold McCuller y Franke Previte entre las voces [6]. Ocho de sus diez canciones llevaban letra de Russ y Tori, y Hollihan, convertido ya en el guitarrista de Taff, era quien más a menudo ponía la música; en «We Will Stand (You're My Brother, You're My Sister)», la pareja firmó la letra y Hollihan la música [6]. La canción llegó al número uno de la radio cristiana y más tarde ocupó el puesto 29 en la lista de las cien mejores canciones de la música cristiana de la revista CCM [9]. El disco alcanzó el número 5 de la lista Inspirational Albums de Billboard [1, 9], ganó el Grammy a la mejor interpretación gospel masculina en la 26.ª edición de los premios, celebrada en 1984 [10], y le valió a Taff su tercer premio Dove como vocalista masculino del año, el primero en solitario [4, 9]. Por esas fechas participó en conciertos benéficos de World Vision contra la hambruna en África, y a comienzos de 1984 viajó con Tori a Sudáfrica con la organización [4].

*Medals* (1985) se grabó entre el 10 de septiembre de 1984 y el 11 de marzo de 1985 en los estudios Mama Jo's, de North Hollywood, y Ocean Way, de Hollywood. Jack Joseph Puig lo produjo junto a Taff, lo grabó y lo mezcló en Mama Jo's, con Lynn Nichols como asesor creativo, y Bob Ludwig lo masterizó en Masterdisk [8, 11]. Además de los Taff y Hollihan, entre sus compositores figuraban Chris Eaton, Paul y Elizabeth Janz, Pam Mark Hall y Roby Duke, mientras que James Newton Howard y Michael Landau pusieron música a la letra de la pareja en «Not Gonna Bow» [8, 11]. El núcleo instrumental lo formaban Paul Leim a la batería, Nathan East y Neil Stubenhaus al bajo, Dann Huff, Michael Landau y Paul Jackson Jr. a las guitarras, Robbie Buchanan a los teclados y Lenny Castro a la percusión, y en los coros figuraban, entre otros, Bill Champlin, Tommy Funderburk, Tamara Champlin y Tata Vega [8, 11]. La contraportada llevaba la dedicatoria «En honor del acto supremo de heroísmo: somos Sus medallas» [8]. El disco llegó al número 2 de la lista Inspirational Albums de Billboard, le dio un número uno en la lista Christian AC con «Silent Love», ganó el premio Dove al álbum pop/contemporáneo del año en 1986 y obtuvo una nominación al Grammy [10, 11]; en 2001, la revista CCM lo situó en el puesto 36 de *The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music* [11].

Su tercer disco, homónimo, se grabó entre el 27 de enero y el 12 de noviembre de 1987, de nuevo con Puig a cargo de la producción, la grabación y la mezcla, Nichols como productor ejecutivo y masterización de Doug Sax [7, 12]. Más orientado al rock que *Medals*, enfrentaba su voz a las guitarras de Hollihan, Dann Huff y Dave Perkins y a una base rítmica en la que figuraban, entre otros, Paul Leim, Mel Watts, Neil Stubenhaus, Nathan East y Mike Brignardello. Incluía «I Still Believe», canción de The Call firmada por Michael Been y Jim Goodwin, «Down in the Lowlands», de Charlie Peacock, «Higher», compuesta con John Hiatt, y «Breathe Life into Me», que Mica Paris llevaría al Top 30 británico en 1988 [7, 12]. El álbum alcanzó el número 2 de la lista Inspirational Albums, ganó en 1989 los premios Dove al álbum de rock del año y a la mejor presentación gráfica, con dirección artística de Joan Tankersley y fotografía de Phillip Dixon, y le reportó otra nominación al Grammy [7, 10, 12]. *The Way Home* (1989), que coprodujo con Hollihan, encabezó esa misma lista, ganó el Dove al álbum de rock del año y más tarde ocupó el puesto 11 entre los cien mejores discos cristianos según CCM; su canción «Farther On» fue nominada al Grammy [1, 10, 13]. *Under Their Influence* (1991) ganó el Grammy al mejor álbum de gospel rock/contemporáneo [1, 10]. En 1995 publicó *Winds of Change*, un disco de country dirigido al mercado generalista y editado por Reprise que colocó tres sencillos en la lista country de Billboard, y en 1999 regresó a la música cristiana con *Right Here, Right Now* [1].

En 1991, Bill Gaither lo invitó a participar en uno de los primeros vídeos de la serie Homecoming, lo que dio pie a apariciones habituales en las giras Homecoming [1, 5]. En 2001 se incorporó a la Gaither Vocal Band como barítono; los dos discos que grabó con el grupo, *Everything Good* (2002) y *A Cappella* (2003), fueron nominados al Grammy, y a comienzos de 2004 retomó su carrera en solitario [1, 5, 10].

Lejos del escenario, la bebida siguió el patrón de ocultación que había aprendido de niño [2]. Buscó tratamiento por primera vez a finales de los años ochenta y se mantuvo sobrio desde 1988 hasta la muerte de su padre en 1997, cuando recayó brevemente; la muerte de su madre en 2006 desencadenó una recaída mucho más grave, que sometió su matrimonio a una fuerte tensión [2, 3]. Después de subir al escenario bajo los efectos del alcohol durante la grabación del vídeo de concierto *Timeless*, pasó un mes en un centro de rehabilitación y luego siguió un programa centrado en el trauma infantil que alimentaba su adicción, que más tarde completó con orientación psicológica cristiana [2, 3]. A comienzos de 2025 llevaba dieciocho años sobrio [14]. Contó toda la historia en el documental *Russ Taff: I Still Believe*, dirigido por Rick Altizer y proyectado en cines de Estados Unidos por Fathom Events en una sesión única el 30 de octubre de 2018 [1, 2, 3], y en el libro de memorias *I Still Believe: A Memoir of Wreckage, Recovery, and Relentless Love*, escrito con Tori y Mark Smeby y publicado por Post Hill Press en 2019 [15]. Ha vuelto sobre ella en entrevistas como la que concedió en 2025 a Lee C. Camp para el pódcast *No Small Endeavor* [16].

Los Imperials ingresaron en el Salón de la Fama de la Música Gospel de la GMA en 1998 y la Gaither Vocal Band en 2014, y Taff lo hizo a título individual en 2016, de modo que figura en él por partida triple: como solista, con los Imperials y con la Gaither Vocal Band [17, 18]. Billboard llegó a describirlo como «la voz más electrizante de toda la música cristiana» [5, 18], y en 2019 la ASCAP eligió a Russ y Tori Taff para su premio Golden Note [18]. Entre sus grabaciones posteriores figuran *Faroe Islands* (2011), grabado en el propio archipiélago atlántico [1, 5], el disco de alabanza *Believe* (2018), con la participación de Amy Grant y David Crowder [2, 18], y *Cover Story*, producido por Steve Taylor y John Mark Painter, en el que reinterpreta canciones de Bob Dylan, U2, Prince, Simon & Garfunkel, The National y Depeche Mode [14]. Vive en Bell Buckle (Tennessee) [14, 18]. -

Sources/Fuentes

[1] Wikipedia, "Russ Taff". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Taff

[2] Scott Williams, "Christian Musician Russ Taff: Singing Through the Shame", FamilyLife, 2018. https://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/life-issues/challenges/addiction/russ-taff-singing-shame-alcoholism/

[3] Craig Harris, "Russ Taff: You better believe it", SGNScoops Magazine, October 2018 (posted online 5 December 2018). https://www.sgnscoops.com/russ-taff-you-better-believe-it/

[4] World Vision, Africa Relief appeal insert featuring Russ Taff (response form Z71101), USA, c. 1984–85. Printed insert; the copy consulted was photographed with a copy of the *Medals* LP.

[5] Russ Taff official biography, first published at russtaff.com, as reproduced on the K-LOVE artist page. https://www.klove.com/music/artists/russ-taff

[6] Russ Taff, *Walls of Glass*, LP, Myrrh MSB-6706, USA, 1983. Inner sleeve credits and liner notes.

[7] Russ Taff, *Russ Taff*, LP and CD, Myrrh, USA, 1987. LP inner sleeve and back-cover credits; CD back cover.

[8] Russ Taff, *Medals*, LP, Myrrh SPCN 7-01679206-4, USA, 1985 (inner sleeve credits and liner notes), and CD, Myrrh 7-01-679227-7, USA (back cover and booklet).

[9] Wikipedia, "Walls of Glass (album)". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walls_of_Glass_(album)

[10] Recording Academy, "Russ Taff", GRAMMY.com artist page (awards and nominations). https://www.grammy.com/artists/russ-taff/6697

[11] Wikipedia, "Medals (album)". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medals_(album)

[12] Wikipedia, "Russ Taff (album)". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Taff_(album)

[13] Wikipedia, "The Way Home (Russ Taff album)". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_Home_(Russ_Taff_album)

[14] Leah MarieAnn Klett, "CCM legend Russ Taff shares his path to sobriety, God's faithfulness through the ups and downs", The Christian Post, 6 February 2025. https://www.christianpost.com/news/ccm-legend-shares-his-path-to-sobriety-gods-faithfulness.html

[15] Russ Taff, Tori Taff and Mark Smeby, *I Still Believe: A Memoir of Wreckage, Recovery, and Relentless Love*, Post Hill Press, 2019 (ISBN 978-1-64293-148-8). Publisher's page. https://posthillpress.com/book/i-still-believe-a-memoir-of-wreckage-recovery-and-relentless-love

[16] Lee C. Camp, "196: Russ Taff: Music, Addiction, and Redemption", *No Small Endeavor* podcast, Tokens Media, 17 February 2025. https://iheart.com/podcast/1298-no-small-endeavor-with-le-62798974/episode/196-russ-taff-music-addiction-and-268073297

[17] Wikipedia, "Gospel Music Hall of Fame". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_Music_Hall_of_Fame

[18] Jake Sammons, "Russ and Tori Taff to Receive ASCAP Golden Note Award", Singing News, 14 August 2019. https://singingnews.com/news/russ-tori-taff-receive-ascap-golden-note-award/