DC Talk

The Christian hip-hop/pop-rock trio dc Talk formed in 1987 at Liberty University, a private Christian school in Virginia co-founded by evangelist Jerry Falwell. Toby McKeehan and Michael Tait started out as a duo, peddling a two-track demo titled Christian Rhymes To A Rhythm that featured the McKeehan-penned track "Heavenbound," before their classmate Kevin Max Smith left his own campus rock band to join the group. "Heavenbound" ultimately became their first single after they signed a contract with ForeFront Records and issued their debut, self-titled album in 1989.

They were originally called dc Talk and the One Way Crew, with "DC" standing for District of Columbia - a nod to the US capital city where McKeehan made the rounds as a rapper. When they signed their record deal, however, the meaning behind the truncated dc Talk was altered to reflect their Christ-centered image: Decent Christian Talk.

The CCM group Sonicflood originally formed as dc Talk's traveling band in 1997 before branching off on their own later that same year (under the name Zilch).