Kevin Max

My fascination with music started at a very young age, and one of the very first bands I was ever introduced to was DC Talk. Even then my favorite member was Kevin. I loved the crisp sound of his voice, and the vibratos that sent him apart from the rest of the group. I sort of see it as if I’ve grown up on DC Talk. I’ve watched the music mature as I’ve watched myself mature.

Born on the outer limits of Grand Rapids, Michigan, on August 17th in 1967, Kevin Max is the personal hero, out of many, whom I chose for this particular project. Kevin was adopted at a young age, and there is a very limited supply of knowledge on that subject available on the web. As a young child he remembers being toted around to churches to sing, and he sang with various bands at the college he attended, Liberty University. It was at this collage where he met his future band mates, Toby Mckeehan and Michael Tait. Together these 3 musicians created the bar raising Christian group DC Talk, whose style ranges from rap to rock to R&B to pop, ect. In 1997 he Married Alayna Bennet and has been happily married ever since.As well as having a very successful career as a musician, Kevin has produced 2 books of poetry, as to better explain himself as an artist. ‘Unfinished Work’ is available now, and ‘Slip of the Ink”, is soon to come, as the audio and visual components are as of yet, unfinished.

WHAT I LEARN FROM MY HERO

I can learn a lot from Kevin. Just like everything lese, it is hard to describe in detail every lesson, but among the most vividly present is simply being yourself. He doesn’t pretend to be anyone other than himself, and for this he is part of a dying breed. This comes as an inspiration to me. I try my best not to be affected by fashions and the judgmental opinions of others, and while there are some things that you cannot in reason help, I believe I am doing a pretty good job of this. Without the support of my friends, or role models like Kevin, I can honestly say I am not sure who I would be today. While it is my nature to be individual and part of a minority, who can say that if things happened differently, they would still be themselves? Another thing I can learn from him is not to be afraid to voice my opinion on spiritual matters. He lives his life to the fullest to bring praise to the one he serves, and while I might disagree with or question some of his views, I still respect that. He has a way of worship that doesn’t offend others. This offence and general alienation among Christians – even within the church- is what I believe is one of the leading caused of atheism in the world today. I honestly hope to meet Kevin someday, but even though we have never been introduces, I can still learn a lot from the life he has led so far.

WHY KEVIN IS MY HERO

People tend to choose musicians as their heroes strictly for the fact that they find them attractive or that they excel at their job, the latter of which is not at all a bad reason. I, however, have chosen Kevin for completely different reasons. The first is simply that I love his music, I find it relaxing and mood lifting; also I find him as a person fascinating, and one a whole, role-model material. That said, the second, and main reason that I will be talking about, is inspiration. Inspiration: 1 a: a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation b: the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions c: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions. Inspiration is an intricate matter that covers a wide range of emotions. You can be inspired for both good and bad reasons, to do good and bad things. There are also many types of inspiration. You can be inspired by the legacy of a great person, by the words of a friend, by a tragic incident, or through music. Inspiration usually comes through some sort of Identification, or sympathy. You can relate to what the person has gone through or is going through in someway or another, so the emotion you experience when that person triumphs is extraordinary. I can identify with the words of Kevin’s music, as can most people, and to hear someone with such talent, voice your same feelings and opinions, is really simply beyond words. Along with a natural love of music and a few other things, it is the music of DC Talk which really initially inspired me to try to get as far as I can in that industry. His music has often inspired great stories in my mind as I listen to it late at night while racking my brain for details to add to a piece. It takes great talent to be able to sooth moods, and lift one from a low, and that is exactly the kind of effect his music has on me. To inspire someone or to be inspired by someone is an emotion beyond words, and to be able to give that to the community, even if you only can touch a handful of people, is worth the title of Hero.