 |
 |
Kirk Franklin has, without a doubt changed modern music more than any other artist in the last decade. He has been called the architect for a new American musical genre. The twenty-seven year old minister has incorporated contemporary hip-hop music with traditional gospel choir arrangements to reach our youth with a positive and uplifting message. The viability of his music ministry had prompted every major label to institute a Gospel Music division.
Franklin was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. Abandoned by his teenage mother and father at the age of three, the orphaned Franklin was adopted by a distant sixty-four year old aunt, Gertrude Franklin. he began playing the piano at the age of four. On Saturday mornings his aunt would collect cans to pay for his music lessons. On Sunday mornings the same woman, the only mother he ever knew, made sure he was in church.
By the time he was out of kindergarten, he was singing and playing on the church gospel circuit. At the age of seven he was offerred a recording contract. Thinking that he was too young, his aunt declined the offer. At eleven he was appointed minister of music at Mount Saint Rose Baptist Church. It was then he began to write, arrange and re-arange Christian music. "My first triumph," recalls Franklin, "was turning Elton John's 'Benny and the Jets' into a gospel tune." At nineteen he did his first home recording. Franklin gave the tape to Milton Biggham (President of Savoy Music Group) who was so impressed that the wunderkind was invited to work with the D.F.W. mass Choir on their debut album. Not only did he direct some of the tunes on the album but his composition "Every Day With Jesus" was recorded for the project. In 1992 he began to realize his vision of a new gospel sound. In choosing the talented artists that comprise The Family, Franklin handpicked seventeen of the richest voices in the area.
As word of Franklin's impending solo project spread to the major labels a bidding war ensued to sign him to a lucrative contract. In 1993, after much prayer and reflection, he signed with a brand new fledgling label, Gospo Centric. Gospel Music veteran Vicki Mack-Lataillade (CEO, Gospo Centric) started the company with $6,000. she borrowed from her father's postal pension, and Franklin was among the first artists signed to the label. A month after the release of Kirk Franklin and the Family the CD sat atop Billboard's gospel chart. He recently signed a multi-million dollar contract with Gospo Centric, and in January of 1997 Gospo Centric was named the #1 Gospel label in the country, fielding five artists and eight albums in the top 20.
In four short years Kirk Franklin has become a musical superstar. he has broken barriers, crossed musical boundary lines, and achieved success previously unknown to ay other gospel artist. For the first time in gospel music a debut album sold over 1,000,000 copies. His first album, Kirk Franklin and the Family is certified duble platinum. To this day, Kirk Franklin and the Family has remained atop the Gospel, Contemporary Christian, Urban, R&B and video charts. His debut album established Franklin as the leader of a new gospel music renaissance. by expanding the genre to encompass contemporary R&B and Hip-Hop, the fan base for this new genre has grown exponentially. His second album, Kirk Franklin and the Family Christmas sold over 500,000 in fourteen weeks.
Last year's Whatcha Lookin' 4 entered the charts at #23 on Billbaord's Top 200; #3 on the R&B charts; # 1 Contemporary Christian, and # 1 on the Gospel charts. The album was certified platinum in June, 1997, selling over 1,000,000 copies. The album won many accolades, including a Grammy Award (contemporary Soul Gospel album), a Soul Train Music Award, 5 Stellar Awards, the Dove Impact Award for most influential artist, and a NAACP Image Award for the best duo or group (beating out BlackStreet and The Fugees). Billboard Magazine named him the #1 Gospel artist and # 1 Contemporary Christian Artist of 1997.
Franklin signed a multi year producing deal on the B-Rite label, which is distributed through (the infamous) Interscope Records. His first effort on this label, God's Property Featuring Kirk Franklin shpped gold, and debuted at #3 on Billboard's Top 200, #1 Contemporary Christian and #1 Gospel.
Franklin continues his worldwide tour with Yolanda Adams and Fred Hammond. "Tour Of Life" has sold out venues in every city. Last year he made his first foray into motion picture soundtracks with his songs"Joy" from The Preacher's Wife, and "My Life Is In Your Hands" in Spike Lee's Get On The Bus. He is currently in discussions to star in his own television series.
Currently Kirk has released his latest CD, Nu Nation Project, as well as his autobiography, Church Boy, published by Word Publishing.
Franklin and his wife Tammy live in Arlington, Texas, and have just had their first child. |
