Kirk Whalum The Gospel According to Jazz

Kirk Whalum is the recipient of numerous awards and acknowledgements for musical excellence. An eleven-time Grammy nominee, he won his first Grammy award for Best Gospel Song (“It’s What I Do” featuring Lalah Hathaway) alongside life-long friend and writer Jerry Peters. He has won two Stellar Awards and received three Dove Award nominations and an NAACP Image Award nomination.
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Forged from his gospel roots in Memphis, Tenn., the special soulful,passionate sound of Kirk Whalum moves the inner soul of the lisener. The rich tenor sax sound is unmistakably his.

 Kirk Whalum (born July 11, 1958)  was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Melrose High School and Texas Southern University where he was a member of the World Famous Ocean of Soul Marching Band. In addition to singing in his father's church choir, Whalum learned to love music from his grandmother, Thelma Twigg Whalum, a piano teacher, and two uncles, Wendell Whalum and Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, who performed with jazz bands around the country.    "The music I like to play and write encompasses the four elements I grew up with: Memphis R&B, gospel, rock, and jazz. The emphasis, though, is on melody.

An ordained minister, Kirk earned his Masters of Art in Religion.  He serves his community performing at schools, missions, special programs and nursing homes. In addition to music ministry he has a special passion to educate young aspiring musicians. Kirk Whalum  is the President/CEO of the STAX Music Academy and the STAX Museum of American Soul Music In Memphis, Tenn.

From his early days in Memphis where he played in his father's church choir, veteran saxophonist Kirk Whalum drew inspiration from the rich musical traditions of that city, including gospel, R&B, blues, and eventually jazz. He received a scholarship to attend music school at Texas Southern University, where he formed a band in 1979 and began playing shows on the local club circuit.

 When he opened for Bob James in Houston in 1984, the pianist was impressed with Whalum's expressive style, and invited him to play on his album 12. Whalum soon signed with Columbia Records and released his first solo album, Floppy Disk, in 1985. That album (as well as the next two, 1988's And You Know That! and 1989's The Promise) was produced by James, continuing the musicians' fruitful partnership. The early '90s saw Whalum issuing two more albums on the Columbia label -- Caché in 1993 and In This Life in 1995 -- each of them earning the saxophonist increased commercial attention and critical praise. Later, a duet with James titled "Joined at the Hip" took Whalum's career to a new level, as the song garnered Whalum his first Grammy nomination.