Russ Taff

Two weeks before his 23rd birthday, Taff traveled to Nashville, where the tryouts were taking place.

Taff said "I sang with them that afternoon and that evening they hired me. I joined the Imperials when I was 22, and I’ve been riding buses ever since."

Russell Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California.

He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contemporary country music, and rhythm and blues.

Russ Taff was born to Joe and Ann Taff on November 11, 1953, the fourth of five sons, and grew up in Farmersville, California.

Taff's father was a pastor of a small Pentecostal church - the Eastside Tabernacle Church which was located in an old laundromat - and machinist while his mother, Ann, was a field worker who picked fruit and chopped cotton.

Taff's younger years were taken up with the church and a tumultuous home life where he suffered physical and verbal abuse from both parents.

His father's alcoholism, which Taff shared later in life, and verbal abuse along with his mom's physical abuse became overwhelming and confusing to the young boy.

He retreated to his mother's collection of black and southern gospel albums, as any secular music was forbidden by his parents along with newspapers, magazines and TV.

By the time he was 11 years old, Taff had learned to play the guitar which, along with singing, became an outlet for him from the familial strife.

He credits his oldest brother, Bill, with being highly influential at this time, taking him to "all-night gospel sings and that sort of thing."

The family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas when Taff was 15 only to move back to California a few years later with Taff remaining in Arkansas to start college.

It was at this time that he began listening to popular music for the first time.

This was also the time, historically speaking, when the Jesus movement was in evidence across the United States.

At age 16, Taff started a band with James Hollihan, Jr. (who became a lifelong musical friend and frequent co-producer) which they named Sounds of Joy.

This led to an opportunity to play at the high school they attended which opened many opportunities to share their faith with other classmates during this remarkable time in history.

Sounds of Joy covered artists like Love Song and Larry Norman.

The group ended up recording 3 albums of their own, one of which was produced by Gary Paxton.

At one point in the 70s, Sounds of Joy got the opportunity to open for the Imperials who were recognized as one of the trailblazing artists in the field of what became known as Contemporary Christian Music (CCM).

He first gained recognition as lead vocalist for the Imperials (1976–81).

One of his best-known performances is the song "Praise the Lord".

He has also been a member of the Gaither Vocal Band, and occasionally tours with Bill Gaither in the Gaither Homecoming concerts.

Sometime prior to 1976 Taff toured as a singer with evangelist Jerry Savelle.

Aside from the opportunity to perform, he was "really studying the Bible" after his many years of being influenced by the emotionalism of his Pentecostal upbringing.

In 1976, having made an impression on the group 2 years earlier, The Imperials called with an offer to audition for the position as the group's new lead singer.

Taff remained their lead singer from 1976 through 1981 for what is recognized as the Imperials most successful period as a group.

His first appearance on an Imperials album was on 1977's Sail On which won the Grammy for Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary Or Inspirational.

As a solo artist and songwriter, Taff is known for the 1980s anthem "We Will Stand".

Taff has received various Dove and Grammy awards either as a solo artist or part of a larger musical group, most notably the Imperials.

Part of the reason Taff left the group in 1981 was due to the financial arrangements he had with them.

He was paid a straight salary for his work within the group, which meant he did not share in any of the monies generated by ticket or album sales.

Mark Allen Powell, writing in the ECCM, opined that this arrangement was likely fine when he first signed on with the Imperials, but was not an equitable situation when Taff's membership turned the group into the ‘single best-selling contemporary Christian music group’ in the US for the period of time he was a member.

During his time with the Imperials the group garnered 3 Grammys and 5 Dove Awards with Taff earning 1 Dove Award himself.

It was also during this time, at age 26, that the alcoholism that had been a part of the earlier family dynamic with his father became a part of Taff's own life.

His time with the Imperials laid the groundwork for Taff's subsequent solo career.

He has released 12 solo albums, earning two Grammys and five additional Dove Awards.

He became highly regarded for his vocal ability with Billboard at one time calling him "the single most electrifying voice in Christian music".

Aside from his own projects, Taff frequently appeared as a guest vocalist on other artist's albums.

In fact, he mentioned that at one point his label had explored the idea of releasing an album of the duets he had sung with other artists, but soon realized that the resulting record would have resulted in a double disc worth of material.

His 1985 album, Medals, was well received critically moving CCM magazine to predict it would be that years choice for best album.