Kirk Franklin

Contemporary gospel singer Kirk Franklin is a producer and composer who has won multiple Grammy Awards during his career. He is also the leader of many urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew.

Franklin was raised by his great aunt Gertrude Franklin in Fort Worth, Texas. At age 11 he earned the title of music director for the adult church choir Greater Strangers Rest.

His first album Kirk Franklin & The Family spent 2 years on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart, earning the number one spot for 42 weeks. It also cracked the R&B; charts, which is very rare as a Gospel artist.

Franklin's latest album, The Fight of My Life, was released in late 2007. The album received critic and fan favor, selling over 74,000 albums in its debut week.

Franklin appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006 discussing his addiction to pornographic materials. With his wife, he gave details of how severe a porn addiction is, and how he overcame it with the help of Christian counseling.

1. "When I was taught truth, that's when I got my freedom."
2. "It's an opportunity to reach more people with the message -- especially a generation that isn't into organized religion, God, the Jesus thing."
3. "The world is always waiting for someone to save the day, make things better. We've lost hope in politics, preachers. … As a child of God, I just believe that Jesus is our hero, he is the one that came to save man's life, to save man's soul, to restore people back to themselves with a love that's real – an unconditional sacrificial love."