On the outside he was a Christian music superstar, a loving husband and father of two beautiful daughters, but on the inside, he was emotionally bankrupt, robbed by the pain and shame of childhood trauma. Help for stepfamilies The drinking, the hiding, and the deeply embedded childhood pain would create a repeated pattern of recovery and relapse. . Excellent time! “I was doing to her exactly what my dad did to me with alcoholism. •daughter @russtaffofficial. She’s my wife. “My mother had just fallen apart,” says Russ. Russ Taff’s job often was to go look for his dad during benders, when his dad disappeared for three days at a time. “And you take it all into your adult life, and you’re full of shame.”. Russ Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer. “He was talking in a way I’d never heard before. When Morales knew that Taff was leaving, he called Smith. Taken in Gatlinburg TN several years ago. They called him before the church, and they dismissed him as pastor. “I would sing, and I would know I did good and that I connected with the Holy Spirit and that little audience there. I was sitting across from her maybe four feet away. It took years—not that many, thank God—to get well.”. A few years later, Russ was invited to join The Imperials, a vocal group he had always idolized. “I read that day after day after day, and then my mind began to change. From there, he went to a special treatment center where he began dealing with all the unaddressed trauma of his childhood. Listen to FamilyLife Today® Russ Taff’s one release was music. So we encourage you to see the powerful movie. Context of their list and we actually find a couple of people in the Middle of nowhere in Tennessee, they're in the the pride of Bell Buckle so we have Russ and Tori Taff two of our favorite people and just give you a brief summary. all went away. He battled chronic depression, for which he sought treatment. He reasoned that his father drank vodka, and this was just a beer. “I knew his Word says He loves me. We exist to help you succeed in the three most important relationships in life. Yet they chose to surround me and hold on to me.”, His eyes were opened. I can’t live this way anymore.’”. American Musician. “But just the concept of having to live the rest of my life with this pain inside and not knowing how to deal with it was too much. Annual Report Make a donation FamilyLife recently had the chance to talk to Russ and his wife, Tori, in their home in Bell Buckle, Tennessee about their journey and its deep ties to family, marriage, love, and legacy. I am a son. His unique style of blue-eyed soul and power vocals made an immediate impact on the Christian music scene. All Rights Reserved. Now that he was visibly drunk, Russ would lash out when Tori confronted him. Russ continually asked the high school principal to let them perform at one of the school assemblies, and he finally relented by year’s end. Joe Taff spoke of an impossible God, and his listeners were left with the impression that only by living a perfect life could they really know Him. When his mother died in 2006, the bottom fell out, remembers Tori. He wouldn’t drink before a concert. Pastoring a new church, Russ’ father was again removed because of his alcoholism. Says Russ, “That day was, for me, the final celebration of just moving into my manhood. Yet he still carried within him all those years of shame, of never measuring up to his parents or to the impossible God his father preached about. . “You just show up as one of the bodies in that house. Leave a Legacy. She’s my last contact to the world out there, and if I lose her, I lose everything.”. It would be his smallest audience, but one that would profoundly impact his life. He was both of those.”. Reverend Marvin Ray Taff Construction Foreman Reverend Marvin Ray Taff was born in Exeter, CA on October 9th, 1947; he resided in Farmersville, CA, where he lived his entire life. If you find yourself identifying with Russ and Tori’s story, FamilyLife articles offer help and hope for those struggling with emotional trauma and addiction. “I wanted to turn and run,” Russ recalls. Russ Taff left The Imperials to embark on a solo career, and success came immediately. He initially denied it but eventually sought treatment. One of his best-known performances is the song "The Trumpet of Jesus". He just couldn’t accept them for himself. I have been affirmed by my Lord, but through a man. “I didn’t realize, but it was happening all over the country. Career Opportunities “By the time I was eleven, I would work up a song, and I would go down to the church and sing. But porn was secretly eating each of them alive, just like it's eating millions in the world today. Paul is … And I swore I would never do that. “She was raging. This image has been featured in 1 Remix collection. Russ Taff was singing on stage and his daughters joined him. Tears are just flowing out of me as he holds me, and he pulls my head to his belly and begins to stroke my hair.”, The pastor prayed for him and spoke long-awaited words of affirmation. Shame was his prison: love set him free. She took her shoes off and threw them at me, screaming, ‘You don’t tell anybody what goes on in this family!’ Then she pulled the books off the shelf and threw them at me and came over and just started punching me and kicking me while I was balled up in a corner, with her kicking, screaming.”. “So every summer, our vacation was him preaching Arkansas and Missouri in revivals. so hard. I publish this in anticipation of Father's Day. No matter what you do, it wasn’t good enough,” Russ says. looking every bit like his father who had died 10 years before. It was always hiding.”. Eventually the leaders in the small church Joe Taff pastored were forced to address his alcoholism. Russ Taff has had success both in contemporary Christian and southern gospel music, as a solo artist, a member of the Imperials, and a member of the Gaither Vocal Band. Russ pulled out his guitar to play and sing. A lovely tribute to Father's Day! Taff and his wife, Tori, told their jaw-dropping story to director Rick Altizer. But Tori wouldn’t really know much about the hidden Russ Taff for years after their wedding. Joe and Ann Taff with their five boys in 1960 in Farmersville, California. It’s amazing how it changes you when you hear yourself sing it.”. Practical help for your family just got easier to find. The Kramers have shared the concert platform with several Gaither Homecoming artists including Larry Gatlin, Russ Taff, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Palmetto State Quartet, Woody & Vonnie Wright, The Nelons, Reggie & Ladye Love Smith, Ponder, Sykes & Wright, Tanya Goodman Sykes, Buddy Greene and Oak Ridge Boy founding member, Willie Wynn. . His father was a fiery Pentecostal preacher who pointed people to a holy God and called them to change their lives to live by a higher standard. ever. He grew up the son of a Pentecostal minister, who was also an alcoholic and who was abusive to the family. And it met Russ where he was—recognizing there was a difference between religious legalism and a relationship with Jesus. Russ Taff Alcohol Russ Taff Albums Russ Taff Family Russ Taff Daughters Russ Taff Wedding Russ Taff Songs Gaither Vocal Band Russ Concert Russ Taff Testimony Russ Taff Family and Life Russ Taff Medals Russ Taff Imperials David Phelps Russ Taff Depression Guy Penrod Russ Taff Shake Mark Lowry Russ Taff We Will Stand Biography of Mark Lowry Russ Taff Friends Russ Taff Christmas Russ Taff … Russ had avoided alcohol up to this point, but this new environment gave him a different perspective. And Russ Taff had learned about hiding secrets. Bill Gaither has mentored many of the popular Christian rockers, including Sandi Patty, Russ Taff, Michael English, Carman, and the members of Whiteheart (CCM Magazine, July 1998, p. 20). All he heard was his father’s sermons, which produced more guilt. Very lovely ! After all those months where I was dealing with the physical part of it all, Jesus took me through that to go through the final act,—a daddy confirming me and telling me I’m a good man, telling me that God is proud of me, and everything a boy wants to hear from his dad.”, Since then, Russ and Tori say he has stepped into his role as a man, as a father, as a husband. Russ Taff was the fourth of five sons of a fire-breathing Pentecostal preacher father and a gospel music-loving mother. That's a fantastic image !!! This is just wonderful! “It was probably one of the reasons [our] marriage survived, too. But you don’t just get prayed for and, boom, you’re well . Russ began to cry as he told the story. After a courageous b Even though they weren’t the perfect family, they were light years from what he had. Ministry Advisor, About us And that only made him more ashamed and heartbroken. Before Russ left, he asked the pastor to pray for him. Tori could occasionally have a glass of wine with dinner and so could others. What had triggered painful memories seconds earlier now became a holy moment. But I drank too much.”, He thought his career was over, but what happened next surprised Russ and pointed him to recovery. This brings up the concept popularly known as “generational curses.” He trusted the world into my hands / And He gave it so I could win . 25 talking about this. Russ Taff is a famous people who is best known as a Singer-Songwriter. This article features many aspects of their story featured in the film. We’ve been praying for you.”, “They didn’t throw me out like they did Daddy. When Morales knew that Taff was leaving, he called Smith. “Our black humor joke was that he relapsed every 10 years, whether we needed it or not,” Tori says. It wasn’t just the Taff family that was moving from California and crossing the country at that time. His initial work was as the lead singer for The Imperials. very nice portraits! . Am I worthy now?’ My whole concept [of God’s favor] was totally wrong. “The five of us started meeting three times a week, an hour before school started, just to pray. Russ Taff is a member of famous Singer-Songwriter list. He also found another friend in June Smedley, his English teacher. I knew he was tired, but in the moment I just felt the presence of Jesus, having a dad confirm me as a man.”. The pastor recognized his visitor and threw his arms open wide, tears streaming down his face. Apparently, Russ’ older brother had overheard and told his mom, because when he got home, she was waiting for him. © 2021 FamilyLife®. “As I began to read the red, I saw a Jesus that wasn’t anything like I was taught. No help ; there was a call of God on his life, and then my mind began to,... ’ re well that the only way to reach Russ was born 11... 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Bill Gaither in the darkness of an empty church and in the car when Morales that...
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