Shame is a Prison

“Russ Taff: I Still Believe,” is a compelling documentary chronicling the multi-GRAMMY® and Dove Award-winning star’s unparalleled musical journey and behind-the-scenes battle with alcoholism.

Playing in cinemas nationwide October 30 at 7:00 p.m. local time, this one-night inspirational event is not-to-be-missed. Immediately following the film, theater audiences will have the opportunity to view a special acoustic session with Taff and his friend, multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman.

Acclaimed director Rick Altizer (“Chonda Pierce: Laughing in the Dark”) traces Taff’s iconic four-decade career, and for the very first time, uncovers the secret life Russ was leading at the top of his career as he tried to overcome his traumatic childhood that included addiction and abuse.

Unable to overcome his shame for many years, Taff turned to alcohol, distancing his family, threatening his career and jeopardizing his life. In “Russ Taff: I Still Believe”, the award-winning Gospel singer candidly reveals how a tumultuous past fueled his own addiction and the ultimate healing he embraced in the power of Christ’s love and forgiveness. “I Still Believe” also shines an important spotlight on Taff’s wife of 42 years, Tori. Her tough love, fervent prayers and unfailing devotion helped her husband find freedom from his past and let Jesus heal and inspire Russ to a fuller life and deeper relationship with Him.

The film includes appearances from such legendary artists and entertainers as Amy Grant, Mercy Me’s Bart Millard, Michael W. Smith, Newsboys’ Michael Tait, Bill Gaither, and comedians Mark Lowry and Chonda Pierce.

About Russ Taff

Russ Taff was the fourth of five sons of 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. Some of his earliest memories are of being held in church by his mom while she sang with the congregation.

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 of spiritual truth that sounded like 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. With lyrics often co-written with his wife Tori, Russ’s recordings and live concerts draw 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,” Russ 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.

In 1991, Russ was invited by Bill Gaither to be part of one of his Homecoming videos. Soon after that, Russ began making guest appearances at Homecoming concerts. He eventually became a regular artist on the Homecoming Tour and joined the Gaither Vocal Band as a baritone in 2001. He toured as a member for almost three years. Early in 2004, following the deaths of Vestal Goodman and Jake Hess, Russ decided to step down from the Vocal Band and return to his solo artist status on the tour.

His music has won him not only a wide audience and critical acclaim but a total of 6 Grammy awards and 18 Gospel Music Association Dove awards. Billboard Magazine has called him “the single most electrifying voice in Christian music.”

Get your tickets today at RussTaffMovie.com and witness this extraordinary life of a child of God who overcame by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.