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Since his 1993 debut, Kirk Franklin and the Family,
Kirk Franklin has been one of the brightest stars in contemporary gospel
music, weaving seemingly disparate musical influences R&B, modern
rock, hip-hop, pop, jazz, traditional gospel to create his own style
and sound.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Franklin was reared by
an aunt who brought him up in the Baptist faith. He displayed prodigious
musical gifts early and began studying piano at age four [lessons his
aunt paid for by collecting aluminum cans]. A natural musician who could
sight-read and play by ear with equal facility, by age 11 he was leading
the Mt. Rose Baptist Church adult choir, near Dallas. He became rebellious
in his early teens, but the shooting death of a close friend jolted him,
then 15, back into the church where he began composing songs and recording
demo tapes.
Nurtured on a steady diet of traditional gospel music,
Franklin also feasted on secular R&B, rock and pop music of the early
and mid-'80s. In the early '90s he formed a 17-member vocal ensemble of
neighborhood friends and associates, dubbed "The Family." His
life took a dramatic turn in 1992 when GospeCentric Records president
Vicki Mack-Lataillade listened to one of his tapes and signed him to a
recording contract.
Kirk Franklin and the Family spent
100 weeks on the gospel charts (climbing to #1), crossed over to the R&B
charts, and became the first gospel debut album to go platinum. His second
effort, Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas, became the
genre's first Christmas album to reach #1, and his 1996 release, Whatcha
Lookin' 4, also hit #1 and went gold. Career momentum continued to
increase with the Grammy-winning God's Property [1997] and
The Nu Nation Project [1998], both multi-chart #1 albums. His latest
collection, The Rebirth Of Kirk Franklin [2002], claimed the
pinnacle of Billboard's Contemporary Christian, Gospel and R&B/Hip-Hop
album charts.
Among his industry accolades are over a dozen Stellar
Awards, including Song of the Year ("Hosanna"), Artist of the
Year and Producer of the Year in 2003, and eight Dove Awards, including
three for top Urban song. Franklin previously received BMI Christian Music
Awards for "Lean On Me" (2000) and "Thank You" (2001). |
