KIRK FRANKLIN BIOGRAPHY, MINISTRY, NET WORTH, & LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE
KIRK FRANKLIN BIOGRAPHY, MINISTRY, NET WORTH, & LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE
KIRK FRANKLIN BIOGRAPHY
Kirk Dewayne Franklin is an American choir director, songwriter, dancer, and author. He is renowned for leading urban modern gospel choirs like The Family, God’s Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC), and so on.
He is a winner of many awards including 16 Grammy Awards. He is one of the maiden inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
EASLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND
He was born on the 26th of January, 1970, and hail from Fort Worth, Texas. Franklin was left as a baby by her mother and was raised by his aunt, Gertrude. His aunt raised money the hard way by recycling aluminum cans for Kirk to attend piano lessons from the age of four. He became excellent at reading and writing music.
Kirk Franklin received his first contract finally came at the age of seven and his aunt turned it down. At the age of 11, he became the music director of MT. Rose Baptist Church. When he was a teenager, he rebelled against his stern religious background and his grandmother arranged an audition for him at a professional youth conservatory associated with a local university in a bid to keep him out of trouble.
He received an admission but was later dismissed from school for bad behaviour and dealt with pregnancy from his girlfriend.
He studied music with Jewell Kelly and also sang at Oscar Dean Wyatt High School. He was under her instruction till he became the pianist for the choir.
Kirk had a bad experienced that forced him back to church at the age of 15 when he witnessed the death of his friend by shooting. He was a co-founder of a gospel group “The Humble Hearts” that recorded one of his songs and received the recognition of gospel music legend Milton Biggham – Georgia Mass Choir Director.
MUSIC MINISTRY
“The Family” was a 17-voice choir organized by Kirk Franklin in 1992 and it was a combination of friends and associates. He and the group were signed by the co-founder of fledging GospoCentric Records label, Vicki Mack-Lataillade in 1992 when he heard one of their demo tapes and he was impressed.
The group changed the name to “Kirk Franklin & The Family” and they released their debut album in 1993 titled “Kirk Franklin & The Family” and the album make a lot of waves as it was on the gospel music charts for two years and charted on the R & B charts earning platinum sales status. The song was the first gospel music album to sell over a million copies and it was No. 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart for 42 weeks.
He produced the soundtrack for the film “Kingdom Come” in 2001 and it included gospel artists like Mary Mary, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Crystal Lewis, and many others.
He has become a voice to reckon with in the Gospel music ministry and to just say a few, he is a model for the upcoming artists.
SONGS BY HIM
He has many songs to his name and some of which include:
Kirk Franklin & The Family
- Kirk Franklin & The Family
- Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas
- Whatcha Lookin’ 4
Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation
- God’s Property from Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation
- The Nu Nation Project
Kirk Franklin and 1 Nation Crew
- Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC
Kirk Franklin
- The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin
- Hero
- The Fight of My Life
- Hello Fear
- Losing My Religion
- Long, Live, Love
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
He has received 16 Grammys and also 22 Dove Awards.
MARITAL AND RELATIONSHIP STATUS
Kirk Franklin got married to his long-time friend Tammy Collins on 20th January 1996. Each of them had a child from their previous relationships when they wed. The couple is blessed with two children.
NET WORTH
He has been estimated to be worth $10 million as of this post.
LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE
We should not allow our past mistakes to define what we should do in the present or the future. We have great things ahead of us and we shouldn’t accept the lies of the devil. Shalom!
