Kirk Franklin Biography

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Kirk Franklin (born January 26, 1970 in Riverside, Texas) is a platinum-selling African American musician who blended gospel, hip hop, and R&B in the 1990s. He released his first gospel album, Kirk Franklin & Family, in 1993, and is known as the leader of contemporary gospel choirs such as Kirk Franklin & the Family, Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation, God's Property. and Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC.

Biography

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Kirk was raised by his aunt, Gertrude Franklin, after being abandoned by his teenaged parents. He developed a talent for music early, playing the piano at age four and becoming music director of his church at age eleven. After getting kicked out of school in his teenaged years, having a girlfriend become pregnant, and after a friend was shot to death he returned to the church. After leading the DFW Mass Choir at the 1990 Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention, he organized "The Family", a seventeen-voice choir, in 1992 and began his recording career .

He has integrated hip hop styles with gospel themes in albums such as The Nu Nation Project and God's Property, which achieved success on the Billboard Pop Album, R&B and gospel charts.

Franklin has collaborated with the biggest names in gospel music, including Mary Mary, Tonex, Donnie McClurkin, Richard Smallwood, Crystal Lewis, Pastor Shirley Caesar, tobyMac, Jaci Valesquez, and Willie Neal Johnson. He also has displayed a willingness to collaborate with artists from the secular realm, including Bono, Mary J. Blige,and R. Kelly on the hit single from his album Nu Nation Project, "Lean on Me."

On October 4, 2005, his new long-awaited album Hero was released, with his singles "Looking For You" and latest single "Imagine Me."

Franklin's songs are published by Zomba Music Publishing, a division of BMG Music Publishing.

In 2005 Franklin appeared together with his wife in The Oprah Winfrey Show on the subject of pornography. During the show, he admitted to be struggling with a porn-addiction for many years. Only recently Franklin had informed his wife, after first having proposed to her to share the pornography together, which she rejected. Now Franklin said he's trying hard to ban the porn out of his life and to save his marriage.http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200511/20051130/slide_20051130_284_101.jhtml

Music Videos

• "Lean On Me"
  
• "Revolution"
  
• "Stomp"
  
• "Brighter Day"
  
• "Looking for You"
  
• "Imagine Me"
  

Discography

Albums

Singles

Incomplete:

Billboard chart history

Albums

Singles

Awards

Miscellaneous

• In 1996, after falling off the stage into the orchestra pit, he was knocked unconscious for several hours. His "My Life Is in Your Hands" is said to be inspired by that experience.
  
• Kirk Franklin & the Family was the first gospel debut album to go platinum.
  
• All of Kirk Franklin's albums peaked at #1 in the Top Gospel Albums chart.
  
• All of Kirk Franklin's albums peaked at #1 in the Top Contemporary Christian chart (except the 1995 christmas album Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas that peaked at #2).
  
• Kirk Franklin appears on the album "Out the Box" by Tonex
  
• Kirk Franklin appears on Mary Mary's 2005 Album, Mary Mary on the song And I
  
• Kirk Franklin appears on Yolanda Adams 2005 album Day By Day on the song Tonight.
  

External links

• Kirk Franklin's official website
  
• Kirk Franklin Lyrics
  
• The Oprah Winfrey Show
  

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