I picture Nathel Tait as a man with many different life chapters. He was born poor, served in the Army, drove a taxi in Washington, D.C., preached on city streets, and became a long-time preacher. His family was shaped by faith, music, suffering, forgiveness, and tenacity.
An Alabama native, Nathel James Tait was born October 11, 1922. Clarke County records link his family to Gosport. His parents were Felix W. Tait and Sarah A. Clark, while other documents list his father as Frank William Jackson Tait. Details vary in different family histories. A family with racial violence and hardships persists.
Family says Nathel’s paternal grandfather was killed by the KKK. Nathel learned about terror, injustice, and survival from that family tragedy. He moved to Washington, D.C., and built a life beyond his early troubles.
From Military Service to the Taxi Business
The US Army employed Nathel. Military records locate him at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 1946. He drove taxis in Washington after his service. The taxi was more than a moneymaker. It was the site of spiritual turning points in family stories.
While driving, Nathel experienced a profound conversion to Christianity. The change did not erase his past, but it gave his life a new direction. He began to see his work, family, and neighborhood through the lens of Christian service. The man behind the wheel became a messenger on the streets.
His conversion damaged his marriage. Nathel married Stella Maxine Maske 1945. Separation, drunkenness, strife, and dysfunction characterized their early relationship. The family described a troubled upbringing with their oldest child being an only child for 15 years. Faith and reconciliation saved the marriage and grew the family.
Their story was not presented as perfect. Instead, it became an example of a damaged household slowly rebuilt through forgiveness and commitment.
A Street Evangelist in Washington
For decades, Nathel preached in the streets of Washington, D.C. Accounts from the 1990s describe him as a street evangelist who had spent roughly 40 years sharing the Christian message in public places. His ministry took him beyond traditional church walls and into the everyday life of the city.
Preaching on the street takes guts. Speaking in front of individuals who may ignore, challenge, or criticise you. Nathel persisted. He preached Christ’s love, forgiveness, and transformation. He was remembered for not teaching hatred despite his family’s racial anxiety.
That quality stands out in accounts from his children. Nathel had every reason to carry bitterness, yet he emphasized love. His preaching was not simply about religious language. It was about the possibility that a person, a marriage, or a family could be given another chance.
He was the long-time pastor of New Bible Church in Washington, D.C. Some references call it Souls Outreach Baptist Church. His pastoral tenure ranged from 15 years to many decades, according to family and public testimonies. Whatever the number, he spent a lot of his adulthood serving the church.
He mentored youth, nurtured his children in church, and provided spiritual direction in the inner city as a pastor. His ministry was small but influential. In Washington, his sermon reached the streets, family home, and people he met.
Nathel and Maxine Tait’s Family
Nathel’s wife, Stella Maxine Maske, was born around 1928 in North Carolina. The family affectionately remembered her as Mom Tait. She supported the household and ministry while helping raise a large family. Maxine died on September 12, 2013, 15 years after Nathel’s death.
The exact number of children in the family varies in different accounts. Some describe seven children, while others describe eight. The family included:
| Family member | Known details |
|---|---|
| Ann Tait | Daughter mentioned in family obituaries and family records |
| Lynda Randle | Gospel singer and minister, born February 7, 1962 |
| Angela Marie Neal | Daughter, married to Rudy Neal, who died in August 2025 |
| Nathel Tait Jr. | Son associated with Missouri and Kansas communities |
| James Laverne Tait | Son who served in the United States Army during the Vietnam era |
| Sharyn Tait | Daughter mentioned in family accounts |
| Michael Dewayne Tait | Youngest son, born May 18, 1966, and prominent Christian musician |
The children had privilege and pressure from their pastor father. Michael Tait recalls being a preacher’s kid and his father’s impact. Lynda Randle also emphasised the family’s spiritual environment and how Nathel’s voice, preaching style, and testimony affected her.
The Tait home became a kind of workshop for ministry and music. The children observed their father’s discipline, struggles, compassion, and commitment. His example became part of the foundation for their own public work.
Lynda Randle and The Cab Driver’s Daughter
Lynda Randle explored her family story in the book The Cab Driver’s Daughter, published around 2016. Written for children and families, the illustrated book presents her father’s transformation in an accessible and hopeful way.
The title refers to Lynda’s childhood identity as the daughter of a taxi driver, but the story reaches beyond occupation. It presents Nathel as an ordinary man who experienced an extraordinary change. His conversion affected his marriage, his children, and the direction of his entire household.
The book describes a family that struggled yet recovered. Instead than suppressing the hard aspects, the story emphasises salvation. Her father was imperfect yet willing to die for God, according to Lynda. The taxi symbolises his passage from one life to another.
I find the book’s central message especially powerful because it does not suggest that faith makes every hardship disappear. Instead, it shows faith as a light carried through hardship. The family still had a past, but the past no longer had to determine the future.
Lynda also links her father’s experience to her gospel singing and ministering. Southern gospel and Gaither Homecoming performances, conferences, and appearances are her public ministry. Her voice carries Nathel’s testimony to new audiences.
Michael Tait and the Family Music Legacy
Michael Dewayne Tait, born on May 18, 1966, became one of the most recognized members of the family. He attended Liberty University and developed a major career in Christian music. He was a member of dc Talk, later worked with Newsboys, and pursued solo projects.
The band Tait was named in honor of his father. That name carried more than family recognition. It reflected the influence of Nathel’s faith and the emotional importance of his life to his son.
Michael’s singing career extended the Tait family narrative to a broader audience. Christian music fans could read about his preacher, who shaped his values. Nathel’s impact surfaced not just in direct memories but also in the themes of service, conviction, and spiritual identity that surrounded his children’s work.
Nathel Tait’s Final Years and Legacy
Nathel died in Washington, D.C., on February 23, 1998. He was 75 years old. By then, he had spent decades preaching, pastoring, raising children, and serving people in his community.
His financial life was not widely documented, and there is no public record of major business wealth or accumulated fortune. His achievements were primarily spiritual and relational. He built influence through service rather than status. His greatest legacy was carried by people, not possessions.
His children remembered him as a loving and forgiving father. They also remembered his insistence that personal pain should not become an excuse for hatred. That lesson connected the violence in his family history with the healing he tried to create in his own home and church.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Nathel Tait?
Nathel James Tait was an African American pastor, street evangelist, former United States Army serviceman, and taxi driver from Washington, D.C. He preached publicly for decades and served as the longtime pastor of New Bible Church.
When was Nathel Tait born?
Nathel Tait was born on October 11, 1922, in Alabama. Family and public records connect his early life with Gosport in Clarke County.
When did Nathel Tait die?
Nathel Tait died on February 23, 1998, in Washington, D.C. He was 75 years old.
Who was Nathel Tait’s wife?
His wife was Stella Maxine Maske, often called Maxine or Mom Tait. They married in 1945 and remained connected through a difficult early marriage that later experienced restoration. Maxine died on September 12, 2013.
How many children did Nathel and Maxine Tait have?
Accounts vary, but the family is generally described as having seven or eight children. Their children included Lynda Randle, Michael Tait, Ann Tait, Angela Marie Neal, Nathel Tait Jr., James Laverne Tait, and Sharyn Tait.
What is Lynda Randle’s book about?
The Cab Driver’s Daughter tells an inspirational, family centered story about Lynda’s father, his conversion while working as a taxi driver, and the restoration of his marriage and household. It focuses on faith, forgiveness, second chances, and family healing.
Who is Michael Tait?
Michael Tait is Nathel Tait’s youngest son. Born in 1966, he became a prominent Christian musician through dc Talk, Newsboys, solo work, and the band Tait, which was named in honor of his father.
