Kirk Franklin Biography

Born on January 26, 1970, Kirk Dewayne Franklin is an American rapper, record producer, choir director, and gospel vocalist. He is most renowned for being the leader of Christian R&B and urban contemporary gospel groups like One Nation Crew (1NC), God’s Property, and The Family. Among his many honors are 20 Grammy Awards.

Franklin is one of the first people to be inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame and has been labeled the “Reigning King of Urban Gospel” by Variety.

Kirk Franklin Early Life

Franklin, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, was raised by his aunt Gertrude after his mother abandoned him when he was a toddler. In order to pay for Kirk’s piano lessons starting at age four, Gertrude recycled aluminum cans. Kirk did exceptionally well, playing by ear and being able to read and write music.

Franklin’s aunt rejected his first contract when he was seven years old. At the age of eleven, he joined the church choir and rose to the position of music director for the adult chorus at Mount Rose Baptist Church.

Franklin defied his strict religious upbringing as a teenager, so his grandmother set him up with an audition at a professional youth conservatory connected to a nearby university in an effort to keep him out of trouble. Although he was accepted, he eventually had to deal with the pregnancy of a partner and was expelled from school for misbehavior.

At Oscar Dean Wyatt High School, Franklin took music lessons from Jewell Kelly and the Singing Chaparrals. He kept learning from her, eventually rising to the position of choir pianist.

After witnessing a friend’s shooting death when he was fifteen, Franklin went back to the church and once more oversaw the choir. Additionally, he was a co-founder of the gospel group The Humble Hearts, which recorded one of Franklin’s songs and attracted the notice of Georgia Mass Choir musical director and gospel music icon Milton Biggham.

Biggham was so impressed that he asked him to lead the DFW Mass Choir in a recording of “Every Day with Jesus” by Franklin. As a result, Franklin, who was only 20 years old at the time, was hired by Biggham to conduct the choir at the 1990 Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention, an industry event.