Kirk Franklin Lyrics and Profile

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, in January of 1970, Kirk Dwayne Franklin began his musical education early, taking piano lessons from the age of four.

Brought up by Gertrude, his great-aunt, after he was abandoned as a baby, Franklin found his passion in music, being able to play complicated tunes by ear, as well as reading and writing music from a young age and becoming music director of the Mt. Rose Baptist Church adult choir aged just 12.

Franklin co-founded a gospel group called The Humble Hearts, which attracted the attention of Milton Bingham, a well-known figure in the gospel music world. Franklin was asked – at the age of just 20 - to lead the Dallas Fort Worth choir when they sung his own song, Every Day with Jesus. Following this success, Franklin was taken on as the lead the choir at the Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention in 1990, one of the major events on the gospel music calendar.

In 1992, Franklin created a 17-voice choir called The Family, which was made up of friends and local people. A record label, GospoCentric, heard them sing and immediately issued them with a recording contract. Not only did The Family produce an album, Kirk Franklin & The Family, which became the first gospel album to sell more than a million units, they also stayed at the top of the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart for an unprecedented 42 weeks. Franklin's song Joy was recorded by Whitney Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir in 1996, and went on to be included on the soundtrack to The Preacher's Wife film.

Today, this gospel musician, choir director and author is best known for leading contemporary urban gospel choirs including the aforementioned Family, One Nation Crew and God’s Property.