Kirk Dewayne Franklin is an American gospel singer, musician, choir director, songwriter and author. He is known for his contemporary urban-style gospel choirs. His music career spans more than 20 years. Through the years, Kirk Franklin songs have gained popularity and won him many awards.
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Kirk Dewayne Franklin born January 26, is an American choir director , gospel musician , singer, songwriter, and author. He has won numerous awards, including 16 Grammy Awards. A native of Fort Worth, Texas , Franklin was raised by his aunt, Gertrude, having been abandoned as a baby by his mother.
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He plays the piano, but only intermittently onstage, more to contribute to the pageantry than to show off his modest chops. Above all, he is a songwriter, but in performance and on his albums his role more closely resembles that of a stock character in hip-hop: the hype man. Diddy Combs—hop around onstage, slightly behind and to the side of the lead m. When I first saw Franklin perform live, last spring, at the newly renovated Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, he stood at center stage, spotlit, rasping out preachy interjections whenever his singers paused for breath. The theatre had the grandeur of a cathedral: blood-red velvet curtains framed the stage; golden ceilings, patterned with blue-and-purple paisleys, soared over vaudeville-era balconies and plush seats. Meanwhile, he danced. He is short—five feet five on tiptoe—and has friendly features: sleek eyes with penny irises, arched eyebrows, a mouth that rests in a grinning pout, taut balloons for cheeks. He wore white pants with black racing stripes, a long black shirt, and, around his neck, a neatly knotted red bandanna. Cradling the microphone stand near the lip of the stage, he wiggled his feet like James Brown and drew miniature scallops with his hips, then galloped from one side of the stage to the other, like a sanctified Springsteen.
We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. This broad appeal would prove to be a recurring theme in Franklin's collaborations with the Family 's Whatcha Lookin' 4 and another choir, God's Property 's The Nu Nation Project , as well as in his subsequent solo career, which he started with The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin He remains a perennial chart success and a frequent Grammy winner, proven repeatedly with Top 20, award-winning albums such as Hero , Hello Fear , Losing My Religion , and Long Live Love
