Kirk Franklin is an American gospel musician, choir director, singer, songwriter, producer and author. He came to prominence after reading urban contemporary gospel choirs like “The Family”, “God’s Property” and “One Nation Crew” (1NC) etc.
Kirk Franklin net worth is $8.5 million USD. One of the brightest and charming figures of gospel music, the following article talks about the life and works of this charismatic persona.
Table of Contents
Biography and Background
Full Name
His full name is Kirk Dewayne Franklin.
Nicknames
He has been often referred to as the reigning king of urban gospel.
Nationality
Kirk is an American singer. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, United States.
Birthday
He was born on January 26, 1970 and at present is 50 years old.
Profession
He is a Christian musician of gospel genre. Apart from that he also worked as a choir director. As a songwriter and also as an author too.
Zodiac Sign
As Kirk was born on January 26th, his Zodiac sign is Aquarius.
Background
Kirk Franklin’s life began with a sad note as his mother abandoned him when he was a kid. He was raised by his aunt Gertrude. Kirk developed a sense of music from a very young age as a result of her aunt putting him in piano lessons at the age of four.
He developed his sense of music so much that he was offered a contract at the age of seven but his aunt declined the offer. Although he had a strict religious upbringing, he soon broke that chain and started to explore life freely.
To stop this his grandmother set up an audition for him at a professional youth conservatory associated with a local university.
He got in but couldn’t stop himself from getting in trouble as he was soon expelled for getting her girlfriend pregnant and bad behavior.
He then went on to study music and sing chaparrals alongside Jewell Kelly at Oscar Dean Wyatt High School. He proceeded to become the pianist of the choir.
He returned to the Church after a friend of him died and continued directing choirs there too. A gospel group was also founded by him at that time called “The Humble Hearts”.
Kirk used to sing his own composed gospel songs there. His songs soon attracted Milton Bigghan, a gospel music legend.
He was so impressed with Kirk that he hired him and told him to lead the choir at the 1990 Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention, an industry gathering.
He was just 20 years old at that time. He never had to look back ever since.
Family Description
Parents
Kirk Franklin’s father’s name is Dwight Allen. He passed away at the age of 66. Kirk was abandoned by his mother when he was young. His aunt took care of him. His aunt’s name is Gertrude.
Siblings
He has a younger sister. She was sentenced to prison for 30 years.
Spouse
Kirk is married. In 1996 he married his longtime friend Tommy Collins. Both him and Collins had one child from their previous relationships. In 2005 the couple appeared in “The Oprah Winfrey Show” where Kirk talked about how he ended his pornographic addiction.
Children
From his previous relationship Kirk had a son named Kerrion and Tommy a daughter called Carrington. And they both had two children together. A son named Caziah and a daughter named Kennedy.
Career Development
His career began in 1992 when he organized “The Family Choir”. It was a seventeen-voice choir, formed from neighborhood friends and associates. The same year The members of The Family and Kirk were signed by Vicki Mack-Lataillade, the co-founder of a record label called “GospoCentric” after she was very impressed by them.
In 1993, the group released their debut album “Kirk Franklin & The Family”. The album became an instant hit and it stayed as the No. 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart for 42 weeks. It also became the first gospel music album to sell over a million copies.
This album got platinum status and a new star was born in the gospel music industry named Kirk Franklin. Next they released their first Christmas album titled “Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas” in 1995. The following year “Whatcha Lookin’ 4” was released.
This album was also a major success by getting 2x platinum status. It not only became successful as an album but it also brought individual success to Kirk as he won his first Grammy award in Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album category.
His success kept on going as the 1997 album “God’s Property from Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation” brought 3x platinum certification and another Grammy for Kirk. Before starting his solo career he’s 1998 album “The Nu Nation Project” brought his third Grammy award.
The year 2001 saw Kirk start his solo career as he produced the soundtracks for the film “Kingdom Come”. In 2002, he released “The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin”. This turned out to be his first success as a solo artist as the album was classified platinum.
His next albums “Hero” (2005) and “The Fight of My Life” (2007) also bought success. Hero brought two Grammy awards for him. Kirk’s 11th studio album “Hello Fear” was released in 2011. Followed by “Losing My Religion” in 2015 and “Long Live Love” in 2019.
In 2013, he started his own record label called “Imprint”. He also acted as the host and co-executive producer for the series “Sunday Best”.
Kirk Franklin Discography
Following is the full list of Kirk Franklin’s discography:
| Year | Title |
| 1993 | Kirk Franklin & The Family |
| 1995 | Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas |
| 1996 | Whatcha Lookin’ 4 |
| 1997 | God’s Property from Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation |
| 1998 | The Nu Nation Project |
| 2000 | Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC |
| 2002 | The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin |
| 2005 | Hero |
| 2007 | The Fight of My Life |
| 2011 | Hello Fear |
| 2015 | Losing My Religion |
| 2019 | Long Live Love |
Kirk Franklin Net Worth
Kirk Franklin is a world famous gospel musician and choir director. Over the years he has worked with multiple renowned artists such as Yolanda Adams, Jeremy Camp, Shirley Caesar, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Natalie Grant etc. His immense popularity and talent helped him earn a net worth of $8.5 million USD.
At the rate his popularity is increasing every single day amongst up and coming gospel music enthusiasts this net worth is only to increase.
Social Media Presence
Kirk Franklin has official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. They are given below:
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/KirkFranklin/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/kirkfranklin?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/kirkfranklin/?hl=en
Final Thoughts
Kirk Franklin is a 50 years old American gospel musician and choir director. He turned everything into gold whatever he touched. His many awards including Grammy awards just proves the statement how talented he is.
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Image Source: Grammy.Com ; BillBoard.Com
