FROM THE SPEAKERS BUREAU

In the summer of 1993 a young, unknown gospel musician from Fort Worth, Texas, released–to little initial Fanfare–his self-titled debut album, Kirk Franklin & The Family. Wildly accepted and embraced almost immediately by the masses, it went on to spend 100 weeks at the top of Billboard magazine’s gospel charts, while also crossing over to the R&B side, and becoming in the process the first gospel album ever to sell over a million units.

Raised by his deeply religious Aunt Gertrude, by age 11, Franklin was directing adult choirs in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. After the tragic shooting of his friend at a young age, Franklin began composing songs, recording and formed the 17-member vocal ensemble, The Family. Never defined solely as a gospel artist, Franklin is also responsible for several mainstream crossover successes, the highlights of which include 1995’s multi-format smash “Stomp”, which garnered airplay on MTV as well as a Song Of The Year nomination; performance on the 1998 Grammy Awards of “Lean On Me,” a track from his 1997 release, The Nu Nation Project, which featured guest appearances by the likes of Mary J Blige, U2’s Bono and R Kelly. Always celebrated for weaving seemingly disparate musical influences–R&B, modern rock, hip-hop, pop, jazz, gospel–into a seamless fabric, Franklin is known for creating his own singular style and sound that truly transcends any and all boundaries of genre, race, denomination or social background. Since his 1993 debut, Franklin has gone on to win three Grammy’s, 33 Stellar and nine Dove Awards.