Kirk Franklin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin in 2017
Born	Kirk Dewayne Franklin (1970-01-26) January 26, 1970 (age 55) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Education	O. D. Wyatt High School
Occupation	Choir director singer rapper songwriter record producer author
Spouse(s)	Tammy Collins ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	4
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Christian hip hop Christian R&B soul contemporary gospel
Instruments	Piano vocals
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Tribl Provident RCA Inspiration Fo Yo Soul Zomba RCA Verity Gospel Music B-Rite GospoCentric Jive Sparrow Interscope

Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American gospel singer, choir director, record producer, and rapper. He is famous for leading gospel music groups like The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC). Kirk Franklin is one of the top-selling gospel music artists. He has won 20 Grammy Awards. Variety magazine called him the "Reigning King of Urban Gospel." He is also one of the first people to be honored in the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Early life

Kirk Franklin grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. His aunt, Gertrude, raised him after his mother left him as a baby. Gertrude worked hard, even recycling aluminum cans, to pay for Kirk's piano lessons. He started playing piano when he was four years old. Kirk was very good at music. He could read and write music, and he could also play songs just by listening to them.

When Kirk was seven, he was offered his first music contract, but his aunt said no. He joined the church choir. By age 11, he became the music director for the adult choir at Mt. Rose Baptist Church.

As a teenager, Kirk went through a rebellious phase. To help him stay out of trouble, his grandmother arranged an audition for him. This was at a special youth music school connected to a local university. He was accepted into the program. However, he later faced challenges and was expelled from school.

Kirk continued to study music with Jewell Kelly and the Singing Chaparrals. This was at Oscar Dean Wyatt High School. He became the pianist for the choir there.

When he was 15, Kirk saw a friend die from a shooting. This event made him return to church. He started directing the choir again. He also helped start a gospel group called The Humble Hearts. This group recorded one of Kirk's songs. It caught the attention of Milton Biggham, a famous gospel music director. Biggham was impressed. He asked Kirk to lead the DFW Mass Choir in recording Kirk's song "Every Day with Jesus." This led to Biggham hiring Kirk, who was only 20, to lead the choir at a big music event in 1990.

Career

With groups (1992–2000)

In 1992, Kirk Franklin formed a 17-person choir called "The Family." It was made up of friends and people from his neighborhood. In 1992, Vicki Mack-Lataillade, who started GospoCentric Records, heard one of their demo tapes. She was so impressed that she quickly signed Kirk & The Family to a record deal.

In 1993, the group, now called "Kirk Franklin & The Family," released their first album. It was titled Kirk Franklin & The Family. This album stayed on the gospel music charts for almost two years. It also appeared on the R&B charts. Eventually, it sold over a million copies, earning "platinum" status. It was number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart for 42 weeks. It was only the third gospel album ever to sell over a million copies.

Two years later, after a 1995 Christmas album, the group released Whatcha Lookin' 4 in 1996. This album sold two million copies and won Kirk his first Grammy Award. In 1997, they released another album. This was a collaboration with the group God's Property, called God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation. The main song, "Stomp", featured Cheryl "Salt" James from Salt-N-Pepa. It became a huge hit. The song was played a lot on MTV and other music channels. It reached number one on the R&B Singles Airplay chart for two weeks. It even made it into the Top 40 pop songs. The album God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation was number one on the R&B Albums chart for five weeks. It reached number three on the Pop charts. It went on to sell three million copies. This album also won Kirk another Grammy Award.

In 1996, Whitney Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir recorded Kirk Franklin's song "Joy." This song was part of the best-selling gospel album ever, the soundtrack for the movie The Preacher's Wife.

In 1998, The Nu Nation Project was released. The first song, "Lean on Me", was produced by Kirk and Dan Shea. It featured many famous artists. These included R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige, and Bono from U2. It also featured Crystal Lewis and The Family. "Lean on Me" and the second song "Revolution" were big hits. The album also had a version of Bill Withers' song "Gonna Be a Lovely Day". The Nu Nation Project was number one on the Billboard Contemporary Christian Albums chart for 23 weeks. It was also number one on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart for 49 weeks. This album earned Kirk his third Grammy.

Also in 1998, Kirk Franklin appeared on the popular TV show Sister, Sister.

In 2000, members of The Family group had disagreements about money for their work on The Nu Nation Project. This led to the end of the "Kirk Franklin & The Family" records. Kirk then continued with his new group, One Nation Crew. They released Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC. This album was recorded before the disagreements.

On January 16, 2010, Kirk Franklin & The Family reunited briefly. They performed songs from the 1990s at the 25th Annual Stellar Awards show in Nashville, Tennessee.

Solo artist (2001–present)

In 2001, Kirk produced the music for the movie Kingdom Come. The soundtrack included gospel artists like Mary Mary and Trin-i-tee 5:7. It also featured mainstream artists such as Jill Scott and Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men.

His album The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin came out in February 2002. It was number one on the Gospel Albums chart for 29 weeks. It also topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and sold over a million copies. The album featured collaborations with many artists. These included Bishop T.D. Jakes, Shirley Caesar, and Yolanda Adams.

In 2004, Kirk Franklin started his own music label called Fo Yo Soul Entertainment. He also signed a new deal with Zomba Label Group.

On October 4, 2005, his album Hero was released. It quickly sold over 500,000 copies, earning "Gold" status. Later, it sold over a million copies, becoming "Platinum." It reached number one on both the Billboard Top Christian and Top Gospel albums charts. The first song, "Looking for You", was a hit. The next song, "Imagine Me", also did well on the R&B charts. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, Kirk won two Grammys for Hero. Hero was also named CD of the Year at the 2007 Stellar Awards.

Kirk's 10th album, The Fight of My Life, was released on December 18, 2007. It sold 74,000 copies in its first week. It reached number one on the Billboard Top Gospel and Top Christian albums charts. It also reached number seven on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. The first song, "Declaration (This is It)," was released on October 23, 2007. It reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. The album features guest artists like Rance Allen and TobyMac.

In January 2010, after a big earthquake in Haiti, Kirk Franklin brought many gospel artists together. They sang a song he wrote called "Are You Listening." The group included famous singers like Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, and BeBe Winans.

Kirk Franklin has been the host and a producer for the BET show Sunday Best. He also co-hosted The American Bible Challenge on GSN with Jeff Foxworthy. Kirk's 11th album, Hello Fear, was released on March 22, 2011. This album featured artists like Marvin Sapp and Mali Music. The first song, "I Smile", reached number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was his first time on that chart in six years.

In 2013, Kirk Franklin started signing artists to his label, Fo Yo Soul Recordings. This label partnered with RCA Records. He signed groups like The Walls Group and artists like Tasha Page-Lockhart. These artists received many nominations at the 30th Stellar Awards. The Walls Group won seven awards, and Tasha Page-Lockhart won three. Kirk also won two awards for his label.

In September 2015, Kirk announced his twelfth album, Losing My Religion. It was released on November 13, 2015. The first song from the album, "Wanna Be Happy?", came out on August 28, 2015.

Kirk Franklin helped with Tori Kelly's album Hiding Place, released on September 14, 2018. They planned to work on one song, but it turned into a bigger project.

On January 25, 2019, Kirk Franklin released his song "Love Theory" and its music video. This was the first song from his 13th album, Long Live Love. He released his second song, "Just for Me", in April 2019. His third song, "OK", came out in May 2019. Long Live Love was released on May 31.

In February 2019, it was announced that Sunday Best, BET's gospel music competition, would return. Kirk Franklin continued his role as host.

After the 2019 GMA Dove Awards aired, Kirk Franklin said his acceptance speech was edited. He had spoken about the killing of Atatiana Jefferson by a police officer, and those comments were removed. He stated he would not attend the award show in the future. He felt they had edited his speeches before to remove his thoughts on police actions against Black Americans. The GMA president apologized and said it was an accident. They made the full speech available. Other artists supported Kirk's decision.

In 2021, Kirk Franklin was one of the first people honored in the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

On May 21, 2021, Kirk Franklin and rapper Lil Baby released the song "We Win." This song was for the soundtrack of the 2021 movie Space Jam: A New Legacy.

On October 14, 2023, Kirk Franklin released his thirteenth album, Father’s Day.

Personal life

Franklin with his wife in 2006

On January 20, 1996, Kirk Franklin married his long-time friend Tammy Collins. When they got married, both of them already had one child from previous relationships. Together, they have two more children.

In November 1996, Kirk had a scary experience. He accidentally fell from a stage into an orchestra pit during a concert in Memphis. He suffered a head injury and was in serious condition, but he made a full recovery.

In March 2021, Kirk's oldest son, Kerrion, shared a recording of a private conversation with his father. Kirk later apologized to his fans.

In 2023, Kirk Franklin met his biological father, Richard Hubbard, for the first time. He also made up with his son Kerrion. This was shown in his documentary film Father's Day: A Kirk Franklin Story.

Discography

Kirk Franklin & The Family

• Kirk Franklin and the Family (1993)
• Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas (1995)
• Whatcha Lookin' 4 (1996)

Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation

• God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation (1997)
• The Nu Nation Project (1998)

Kirk Franklin and 1 Nation Crew

• Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC (2000)

Kirk Franklin

• The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin (2002)
• Hero (2005)
• The Fight of My Life (2007)
• Hello Fear (2011)
• Losing My Religion (2015)
• Long, Live, Love (2019)
• Father’s Day (2023)

Kirk Franklin & Maverick City Music

• Kingdom Book One (2022)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

Kirk Franklin has won many awards for his music. He has received 20 Grammy Awards and 22 GMA Dove Awards. He has also won BET Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and Stellar Awards.

See also

In Spanish: Kirk Franklin para niños