Toby McKeehan is a blue-eyed Virginia native who makes Christian music with a unique blend of funk, rock, hip-hop, reggae and rap.
Musical influences on his 2007 "Portable Sounds" CD are Parliament, Sly and the Family Stone, The Gap Band, The Commodores, and Earth Wind and Fire. Diversity is woven into the story of his life. He grew up outside of Washington, D.C. As a student and musician at Liberty University, he became known as DC Talk and formed one of the first biracial Christian bands in the genre. McKeehan married a Jamaican woman, and has three birth and two adopted biracial children.
As the musician TobyMac, he travels on a bus with about 12 folks who are "all different skin colors and backgrounds from rich to poor, from a farm in rural Iowa to cities like Chicago," he says.
Now TobyMac's coming back to the Fox Theatre, "my favorite venue in the United States of America."
Before heading out on the latest leg of the tour, McKeehan spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by phone from his Tennessee home.
Q: What can Atlantans expect from the show?
A: "It kicks the Christmas holidays into gear for me. We do some Christmas moments. It's a fun night for families and youth. I always say I want to drop the joy bomb on every city we're in. We also want our concerts to have thought-provoking moments, and moments where one can get lost in worship if they want, but it's also a party. We want to have a huge party at the Fox — a party for all the right reasons."
Q: When did diversity become a theme for you?
A: "When I look back at my class pictures from kindergarten on up, I see diversity. It's the era I was raised in. I remember going to Georgetown and looking across the street and seeing this sharply dressed professor who was Middle Eastern. I remember seeing someone I thought was the coolest looking person, who was an African-American. My heroes were all skin colors, so I wasn't too surprised that my life has become this melting pot."
Q: What's in your iPod?
A: "I listen to a lot of old stuff. I try to stay current, but I don't live in the new stuff. I'd rather be influenced by the old. I love the old funk music — Parliament, even The Commodores. Then going into rock and roll, I really love the Police and their old stuff. Obviously U2 was a big influence on everyone, and Bob Marley and Bono as writers ... they inspire me. Bob Marley I don't agree with spiritually, but he was still writing a very socially aware lyric and he knew that to change society, it had to begin spiritually.
"It makes me want to write lyrics about real life and to have social and spiritual significance."
Q: Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?
A: "I don't know. God is making this road and I'm just walking down it. If he moves left, I want to move left, and if he moves right, I want to move right. I know that I'm passionate about the art that God is moving through me, and the art I'm making seems to really connect with people's lives. I think I'm a more effective songwriter today than the day I wrote 'Jesus Freak.' Then it was like I was standing at the plate and taking a swing, playing Little League in the major leagues. I got lucky. I took a swing and hit it out of the park. Now I'm more effective hitting shots that are connecting with people's lives. It's music that's bringing families together, not just the young but the young and their parents."
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