Mark Lowry
Mark has been making people laugh, cry and think for nearly 40 years. Singing publicly and recording albums and videos since age eleven, you could say that Mark has done this most of his life.

Mark attended Liberty College (now Liberty University) in Lynchburg, VA, from 1975 to 1980 where he first intended to gain a Business degree. In 1976, Mark felt God was calling him to a music ministry and, when he graduated in 1980 with a Youth degree, he began performing at independent Baptist churches around the country. His first booking agent, Roy Morgan, booked Mark in 43 cities in 41 days. As Mark put it, "This boy could book a pork chop into a synagogue."

Mark tells how in the early days he would have to fill the gaps between his songs while he was waiting for the little old man in the back of the church to change his soundtracks. "Those few seconds of 'dead air' can feel like hours when you're on stage facing a crowd - so, to fill time, I'd start talking about my life and my testimony. People would laugh... and I finally realized I was on to something."

And that's how Mark's well-known comedy was born. His unique presentations have been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

In 1988, Mark was offered the baritone part in the Gaither Vocal Band. Mark remained with the Vocal Band for 13 years, performing dozens of solo concerts each year, as well. Mark's antics on stage with Bill Gaither were an instant hit with Vocal Band audiences and their comedy became the highlight of the evening when the Homecoming tour was born. Mark has been featured on most all of the Gaither Homecoming videos - now numbering more than one hundred - often in the co-hosting role with Bill.

In 1984, Mark wrote the lyric to a song that would establish his status as a songwriter forever. When his church asked him to write a Christmas play, he wrote down a series of questions that he would like to ask Jesus' mother, Mary. These questions were used as a 'filler' between the scenes of the play. Six years later, after two other writers had already tried, Buddy Greene wrote music to Mark's lyric and Mary, Did You Know? was born. This beautiful song, which has become a modern Christmas standard, has been recorded by more than thirty different artists including Michael English, Kathy Mattea, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna Judd, Billy Dean, Natalie Cole, Donnie Osmond and Clay Aiken.

In 2004, Mark released his first Christmas CD. It features ten beloved Christmas songs, including Mary, Did You Know?

Mark has recorded six comedy and music videos - four of which have gone 'Gold' and two of which have achieved 'Platinum' status. Mark Lowry on Broadway d�buted at #1 on the Billboard music video chart in 2001 and stayed there for five weeks.

Mark's latest video, Mark Lowry Goes To Hollywood, was released in September, 2005. "I've enjoyed every video I've produced through the years. But, I must say, this is my all time favorite. I love what I was able to say at the very end of the video ... that God is truly, absolutely, unconditionally out of His ever-loving mind in love with US! How fortunate are we? I want the world to see this video. Not because it's funny or because of the music but because I believe so strongly in the message."

In 2005, Mark and some friends ventured into event planning and launched the Mark Lowry Senior Trip. Mark wanted to create a fun and relaxed vacation for folks over 50, with entertainment and shows created with them in mind. The inaugural Senior Trip was held in April, 2006, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN, and Mark's Christmas Celebration Senior Trip was held December 10-12, 2006 in Asheville, NC. The 2007 slate included Branson, MO in April and a return trip to Gaylord Opryland for Christmas. Gaylord Opryland Hotel hosted the final event in April 2008.

Mark continues to travel across the country with pianist Stan Whitmire. During these concerts, Mark shares his exciting and revitalized message of God's love and grace. This message comes through loud and clear in his three most recent CDs, Life Gets Loud (released January, 2009), Be The Miracle (released January, 2006) and I Love To Tell The Story which is Mark's first all-hymns project (released September, 007).

In January 2009, after an absence of over seven years, Mark Lowry re-joined the Gaither Vocal Band along with fellow Gaither Vocal Band alumni Michael English and David Phelps. With the brand vew five-voice Gaither Vocal Band and a GVB Reunion DVD (released in January 2009), GVB fans who have longed for a reunion both on stage and off finally get their wish.

On January 11, 2011, Mark released his newest DVD entitled Mark Lowry: Unplugged & Unplanned courtesy of Daywind Records. This is a very laid back "living room" feel which goes behind the scenes and explores some of Mark's favorite songs, friends, and experiences from the road and from his lengthy career. The project includes a contribution from his mother, Bev "Mama" Lowry.

Mark Lowry was born in Houston, TX, on June 24, 1958. He has a 'perfect' older brother, Mike, who lives in Lynchburg, VA, with his wife and four children, as well as a 'perfect' younger sister, Melissa who also lives in Lynchburg with her husband and two children. Mark's father (Charles) is an attorney and Mark's mother (Beverly) speaks and sings all over the country at various conferences. Beverly has been featured on two of Mark's recordings.

Russ Taff

RussTaff was born the fourth of five sons to a fire-breathing Pentecostal preacher father and a gospel music-loving mother. He learned early on that when he sang, people sat up and responded with feeling. Some of his earliest memories are of being balanced on the church altar by his mother's strong arms while he belted out a gospel chorus to the rollicking encouragement of the tiny congregation. His trademark rich, emotion-drenched vocals were formed in that fertile environment.

His mother's extensive collection of gospel records was the only form of entertainment their strict upbringing allowed, so after school Russ would rush home to listen to his favorites. Lying on the floor between two old stereo speakers, the plaintive, powerful sounds of artists like Mahalia Jackson and the Five Blind Boys From Alabama literally filled his head with music. "It really spoke to me," Taff says. "I would close my eyes and just float away with those voices. "A natural harmony singer, Russ often teamed with his brothers to perform songs by the great quartets of the day–The Blackwood Brothers, The Gospel Echoes, and The Statesmen (featuring his favorite singer, Jake Hess.) "Those guys were like the Beatles or Elvis to me," Russ laughs. "I used to practice their moves in front of my bedroom mirror, and try my best to sound just like Jake!"

When Taff moved to Arkansas in his teens, he began listening to popular music for the first time in his life, and found inspiration there, too. Contemporary Christian music was gaining prominence and the traditional lines between 'secular' and 'sacred' were starting to blur. Russ formed a local band called Sounds of Joy, and began writing songs that combined the spiritual truths of his childhood with the music of his generation.

Two years after his band served as an opening act for the legendary Imperials, Taff was invited to join them as lead vocalist. With the Imperials he toured extensively and gained recognition as 'The Voice' behind award-winning songs and albums that successfully completed the group's transition from traditional to contemporary Christian.

Eager to experience and explore all aspects of music, Taff left the Imperials after four and a half years to pursue a solo career. He captured the imagination of the industry by successfully releasing a series of innovative works that delved into his musical heritage while pushing the boundaries of contemporary Christian music. Taff's lyrics, often co-written with his wife Tori, chronicled his personal spiritual path. Soaring, aching, raucous or tender, the songs Russ chose to wrap his one-of-a-kind voice around were unflinchingly honest. Artistically, Taff was always authentic but never predictable. His eclectic taste was reflected in his recordings and live concerts, as he drew from all genres– rock, pop, blues, Southern gospel, Black gospel, country, even big band. "I guess I'm just not a right-down-the-middle kind of guy," he cheerfully admits. "I've been influenced musically by so many styles that I try to never place restrictions on myself. If it moves me, I figure it will probably move other people too. "Apparently he's right. However you choose to label it, Russ Taff's music has won him not only a wide audience and critical acclaim, but a total of five Grammy awards and nine Gospel Music Association Dove awards. He has been hailed by Billboard Magazine as "the single most electrifying voice in Christian music." But he never forgot where he came from, or the sounds that first stirred his soul.