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Rev. Daniel Baumann Tolliver was born on 8/8/1950 to the parentage of Gabriel Tolliver and Helen Tolliver.  He was born into a musical family. His father, Gabriel, was the piano player for the Hill Boys Singers. He is mother, Helen, was the piano player for their church choir.

Daniel began to develop his talent for music at an early age.  He began playing the piano at the age of 5.  He began playing the drums at the age of 7. He was not particularly great at either instrument. He played well enough, but he wasn't as good a musician as people thought he should be, growing up in the city of Absanie, known for its singers and musicians.

Daniel did not let people's criticism of his music deter him.  He wrote songs, many of which, his mother let their church choir sing.  By the time he was 19 years old, he had written over 40 songs.

At the age of 20, Daniel left his original church home and joined Hart Street Baptist Church. There, he worked with the music ministry.  He left the Lord tugging at his heart to become a minister at this time, also. Daniel was not sure about this, but after pray and counseling from his pastor, Daniel was ordained in 1971 at the age of 21.  He preached his first sermon as an ordained minister at his original home church, Hope Baptist Church.

In 1974, Rev. Tolliver left the Hart Street Baptist Church and united with the Crowley Temple Church.  There, he began working with the music ministry, where he eventually became the choir president. He felt that his choir was excellent, but they could not seem to find an outlet for their music.  The Crowley Temple Mass Choir sung pure church choir music. It was music that any choir could sing and the music ushered in the presence of the Lord greatly.

In 1983, after getting permission from the pastor, Rev. Tolliver began working with the Minister of Music, Min. Davis Brushard, to get the choir into shape to be recorded.  Rev. Tolliver was a hard task master.  He required two practices a week with the whole choir. The soloists had to practice twice a week with the musicians. Not one of the members of the choir complained.  The worked hard for two years, getting songs together, rehearsing them, practicing them, and then recording them in a studio that Rev. Tolliver rented from a friend of his father's.

During this time, Rev. Tolliver lost his mother. He became despondent and hopeless. His mother had been one of his biggest supporters, especially when people told him that he wasn't good enough.  He wanted to give up on the Crowley Temple endeavor.

One night while he was sleep he had a dream. In the dream, he saw and heard his mother singing the most angelic songs that he had ever heard. She was draped in a heavenly choir robe. Surrounding her was a choir clothed in the same type of robe that his mother had on.  After listening to his mother sing, Rev. Tolliver recognized the song as one of the songs he had written called "Don't Give Up, God Is There."  Rev. Tolliver started to cry. He knew that the dream was his mother telling him to not give up.  After that night, Rev. Tolliver became even more determined to finish the project he had started.

Rev. Tolliver worked with the Crowley Temple musicians, songwriters, and singers.  By 1984, they had 10 quality songs recorded.  He took the record the choir had recorded and shopped it to a number of record labels. Most of them told him that the album wouldn't sell because there were plenty of choirs already recording choir music and that the church was too small to build a substantial following.  One even told him that the Crowley Temple choir did not even sound that great.  Rev. Tolliver was not deterred. He pressed on, traveling to record companies in other cities. At every turn he heard, "No!"

The pastor told Rev. Tolliver, that perhaps they weren't good enough to get a record label.  Rev. Tolliver responded, "If no one will sign us, then I will start my own record company."  It was at that point that the idea for Baumann Records was birth.

Rev. Tolliver got together with his church congregation and two area businessmen and raised the money to get the album recorded, produced, and manufactured.

Rev. Tolliver had everyone selling the albums, even the producer of the album, Norman Hall.  Norman was a young, hot, songwriter/producer. He, Rev. Tolliver, and Min. Davis Brushard wrote all of the songs on the album.  Norman would become the second artist to sign with Baumann Records. The choir's album did well.  One of the most sung songs from Crowley Temple's first album was "Don't Give Up, God Is There."

In 1985, Baumann Records received two partners, James Davidson and Ned Washington, Jr. Baumann was able to sign Norman Hall. Norman kept asking Rev. Tolliver if he could sign with Baumann.  Rev. Tolliver finally agreed. Norman is the top selling solo artist on Baumann Records.

Rev. Tolliver continues to serve as the president of Baumann Records. There motto, Backing Excellent Artists Who Produce Excellent Praise, declare the sentiments of Rev. Tolliver's heart.

He is famous for saying, "Our artists may not sing as good as some other artists, but they praise God unlike any one else. That's what we are supposed to do, Praise the Lord!"

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