Kirk Franklin turns 45: Interesting things about the gospel musician

Kirk Dwayne Franklin, born Jan. 26, 1970, turns 45. Franklin is a gospel musician, choir director, and author. He is known for leading urban contemporary gospel choirs such as "The Family," "God's Property" and "One Nation Crew (1NC)," and has won multiple awards, including seven Grammy Awards.
It has been reported that Franklin was raised by his great aunt, Gertrude, after been abandoned as a baby by his mother. Gertrude collected and resold aluminum cans to raise money for Franklin to take piano lessons from the age of four. Franklin excelled in music and was able to read and write music, while also playing by ear. His first record deal offer was when he was only seven years old. He became the music director of the Mount Rose Baptist Church Adult Choir when he was eleven years old.

Despite his strict religious upbringing, Franklin rebelled in his teenage years. In an attempt to keep him out of trouble, his grandmother arranged an audition for him at a professional youth conservatory associated with a local university. His life was on track for a while. When his girlfriend became pregnant, Franklin was expelled from school for behavioral problems. After the shooting death of a friend, Franklin returned to the church, where he began to direct the choir once again. He led the DFW Mass Choir in a recording of Franklin's song "Every Day with Jesus." This led to him being hired when he was just 20 years old to lead the choir at the 1990 Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention, a major industry gathering.
Today, Franklin is the host and co-executive producer of the BET original series "Sunday Best" and the musical co-host of GSN's "The American Bible Challenge" with Jeff Foxworthy.
On Jan. 20, 1996, Franklin married his longtime friend Tammy Collins. When they wed, they each had one child from previous relationships: Franklin's son Kerrion, born in 1988, and Collins' daughter Carrington, born in 1989. As a couple, they have two children: Kennedy, born in 1997, and Caziah, born in 1999. In 2005, Franklin appeared with his wife on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to discuss how he ended his pornography addiction.