Kevin Max 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 nine full-length studio albums, one Christmas album, and eight EPs. From 2012 until 2014, he was the lead singer of the band Audio Adrenaline.
Kevin Max Age
He was born Kevin Max Smith on August 17th, 1967, as a tribute to his adoptive father. Kevin was adopted by the Smith family and grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He legally shortened it to “Kevin Max” in 1997.
Kevin Max Early Life
His adoptive brother was named Derek. Kevin showed incredible vocal and musical talent early in his life. Renowned for his unusual vibrato and multiple octave range, his voice grabbed attention immediately.
His talent grew while at Grand Rapids Baptist High School (now known as NorthPointe Christian High School) and later at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. While at Liberty, Max started a band called ‘Connection’ and was known around the campus as ‘the rock singer.’
Max was dismissed from Liberty University for unknown reasons following the first semester of his freshman year. He returned the following semester and shortly thereafter joined the Christian music group dcTalk. Max also shortened his name to avoid confusion with Kevin Smith, the filmmaker.
Kevin Max Music
While at Liberty University, he met fellow DC Talk bandmates: Toby McKeehan and Michael Tait. They formed DC Talk and went on to achieve great success in both Christian and mainstream music.
The band went on to win 4 Grammy Awards, 16 GMA Dove Awards, and other recognition. However, they decided to take an extended “intermission” in 2000.
Kevin Max Solo
Max’s first solo album, Stereotype Be, released on August 28, 2001, was praised by Allmusic for “(combining) pop, rock, and world music to create a versatile and intriguing project.”
In the 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 musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
In April 2007, Infinity Music announced that Kevin Max signed onto their label for his next project. The Blood was released on December 26, 2007. According to Max, “The Blood is not 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.”
In February 2008 Kevin Max starred in the independent film The Imposter. 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 through dPulse records and was critically praised as returning to his experimental side in the rock and pop genres.
Kevin in 2010s
In early 2010, Max began to change the direction of Cotes d’ Armor ( a remix project) with label dPulse records and included UK Electronica band PWEI (Pop Will Eat Itself) on production, announcing a double vinyl and disc selection.
The single ‘On Yer Bike’ was produced by industry veteran Tedd T known for his work with alternative rock band Mutemath. Currently, the project boasts remixes done by Graham Crabb of PWEI and members of 3k Static.
In February 2011, Max had formed a supergroup with Broadway singer Tony Vincent and longtime collaborator David Larring. The band is tentatively named “Bad Omens”; the three were writing songs when Tony Vincent decided to drop out to pursue theatre interests, leaving the new band in a state of pause.
February 27, 2012, Max released Fiefdom of Angels-Side One, the first of two EP’s to coincide with the forthcoming novel series of the same name.
The overall project was chosen covers of well known 80’s rock songs, with one Kevin Max original and a Muse cover set to lush orchestration.
In August 2012, Max became the new lead vocalist in a reunited Audio Adrenaline. He continued with the band until June 2014 he was replaced by Josh Engler, a former member of the band Abandon, due to the band going in different creative directions.
Max also performed vocals on Michael Sweet’s solo album, I’m Not Your Suicide, on the track “This Time”.
Kevin Max Poetry
Max is also a poet and an author, and several of his albums feature performance poetry. 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 that accompanies his first poetry book At the Foot of Heaven, released in 1994 by Starsong Productions.
In 2004, Kevin Max included poems from the book The Detritus of Dorian Gray in the spoken project with Adrian Belew titled Raven Songs 101 which was eventually distributed by alternative independent label dPulse records.
Max’s poetry is consistently found in his recording projects including DC Talk projects Jesus Freak, Supernatural and several of his own solo projects, particularly Stereotype Be and Crashing Gates.
Kevin Max Books
- (1994) At the Foot of Heaven (poetry/artwork, Starsong)
- (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
Kevin Max Wife
In the year 1997, Max got married to Alayna Bennett but was 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 a binding agreement together in front of a spiritual leader, but we decided to go with the public ceremony a little bit later.”
Kevin Max Children
Kevin and his wife Amanda have four children. Their first child, a daughter, London Ava Kay Max, was born on October 7, 2005. They lived in Hollywood, California, until July 2006, when Max and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.
In December 2006, he announced on his website that he and Amanda were expecting the birth of their second child (a boy) in June 2007. The boy was born as Wilder Liam Max at 7:00 pm on June 6, 2007.
Kevin Max and his family moved back to Nashville where Max secured a new recording contract. On March 24, 2009, Kevin Max and his wife Amanda welcomed their third child, Knightly Christobal Max.
In August 2010, Max and his family moved back to Grand Rapids Michigan as a result of discovering that their second child, Wilder Liam, was diagnosed with low spectrum autism. On October 7, 2011, their fourth child Lady Charlotte Max was born, sharing a birthday with older sister London.
Kevin Max
Kevin Max is an American singer, songwriter, and poet who has a net worth of $6 million. He has been a successful singer ever since his debut.
Kevin Max twitter
Long hair hippie freaks hanging out at Clash Of The Tritones, @LastYrsModel show & FOKM crowd at Cobra Club East Nashville pic.twitter.com/mJPzOrQBTb
— kevin max (@kevinmax) July 8, 2019
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