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Kirk Whalum
Biography
From his beginnings in Memphis, where he played in his father's church choir, 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 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 signed with Columbia and released his first solo album, Floppy Disk, in 1985. That album and the next two -- And You Know That! (1988) and The Promise (1989) -- were produced by James, continuing their fruitful partnership. The early '90s brought two more Columbia albums -- Caché in 1993 and In This Life in 1995 -- each of which brought Whalum increasing commercial attention and critical praise. A duet with James titled "Joined at the Hip" took Whalum's career to a new level with his first Grammy nomination. In 1997, Whalum signed with Warner Brothers. His first solo album for them, Colors, was released that year and perhaps more than any other album showed Whalum's ability to synthesize music from a variety of sources to produce a fusion of pop, jazz, and R&B.