Deep Dive: Russ Taff's *Medals* (Episode 21) - a podcast by CCM in 3D

This week's podcast is part of an entire month of "deep dives," a little something that we are calling "Deep Dive December with the 3D's."

Here is the recipe. Start off with a heaping helping of great songs written by Chris Eaton, Roby Duke, Chris Eaton, Crissie Grossman Puig, Pam Mark Hall, and Russ & Tori Taff. Season to taste with the finest L.A. session players of the 1980s: Paul Leim, Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus, James Newton Howard, Robbie Buchanan, Larry Williams, Dann Huff, Michael Landau, Paul Jackson, Jr., Bill Champlin, Tamara Champlin, Tommy Funderburk, Tata Vega, and Lenny Castro. What do you get? You get the album Medals, arguably Russ Taff's finest moment as a solo artist.

Medals also found Taff reinventing himself for the record. As Lucas W. Hendrickson writes in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music, "Medals...falls squarely between the 'former lead singer of the Imperials' vide found on his solo debut Walls of Glass and the troubled, introspective nature of his 1987 self-titled project." 

As far as the 3D's are concerned, no album better personifies 1980s L.A. smooth/West Coast AOR CCM quite like Medals.

---

The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

---

Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

---

Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

---

Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.

Further episodes of CCM in 3D

Further podcasts by CCM in 3D

Website of CCM in 3D