Kirk Whalum

Kirk Whalum (born July 11, 1958) is an American R&B and smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He has recorded a series of commercially successful and critically acclaimed solo studio albums, as well as several film soundtracks, with his music spanning a range of genres from pop to R&B to smooth jazz. Whalum has received one Grammy Award from a total of 12 nominations.

Whalum is a member, together with trumpeter Rick Braun and guitarist Norman Brown, of jazz group BWB, and has also worked with artists such as Whitney Houston, Bob James, Jonathan Butler and Quincy Jones. Among others with whom Whalum has collaborated are Michael McDonald, Chante Moore, Luther Vandross, Patrice Rushen, Will Downing and Brian Culbertson.

Biography

Kirk Whalum was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. He attended Melrose High School and Texas Southern University, where he was a member of the renowned 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. Whalum told John H. Johnson's magazine Ebony Man in a 1994 profile: "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, period."

In 1986, he performed at Jean-Michel Jarre's giant concerts Rendez-Vous Houston and Rendez-Vous Lyon. At each concert, he performed the track "Last Rendez-Vous", also known as "Ron's Piece", in place of Jarre and Whalum's mutual friend, saxophonist and astronaut Ron McNair, who was to have performed but had died in the Challenger disaster.

In 1993, Whalum recorded a duet with R&B singer Jevetta Steele called "Love is a Losing Game".

Whalum has worked on a number of film scores, including for The Prince of Tides, Boyz n the Hood, The Bodyguard, Grand Canyon and Cousins. He toured with Whitney Houston for more than seven years and soloed in her single "I Will Always Love You", the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. He has also been featured on many Luther Vandross albums, most often playing on the singer's covers of older pop and R&B standards such as "Anyone Who Had a Heart", "I (Who Have Nothing)", and "Love Won't Let Me Wait".

Whalum has recorded a series of well received solo albums and film soundtracks, with music ranging from pop to R&B to smooth jazz. His musical accomplishments have brought him a total of 12 Grammy nominations. He won his first Grammy award in 2011 for Best Gospel Song ("It's What I Do", featuring Lalah Hathaway) alongside lifelong friend and writer Jerry Peters. Whalum performing in St. Helena, California, in August 2021. In 2005, Whalum recorded the Babyface Songbook (2005) with R&B icon Babyface's best songs of the past 15 years, including "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", "I'll Make Love to You", "When Can I See You", and others. Joining in the intimate and stylish proceedings are other smooth jazz notables, including trumpeter Rick Braun, soprano saxophone player Dave Koz, and guitarists Norman Brown and Chuck Loeb among others. That same year, he performed a cover "Any Love" on the album Forever, For Always, For Luther, which included other smooth jazz greats, such as the Dave Koz, bassist Marcus Miller, tenor saxophonist Richard Elliot and alto saxophonist Mindi Abair covering Vandross's well-known songs. Whalum also contributed to the 2008 documentary film Miss HIV. In September 2018, he was honored with a "Brass Note" on historic Beale Street's Walk of Fame in his native Memphis.

Personal life Whalum married his wife Rubystyne (Ruby) in 1980. They have four children, including musician and marathoner Kyle, as well as Courtney, Kori, and Evan. Whalum converted to Catholicism in 2022, after having served for years as a Protestant minister. He has also been a volunteer barber at a Catholic Worker house in Memphis. He is the uncle of saxophonist Kenneth Whalum.

Discography

Studio albums Floppy Disk (1985) And You Know That (1988) The Promise (1989) Caché (1993) In This Life (1995) Joined at the Hip with Bob James (1996) Colors (1997) For You (1998) Unconditional (2000) Hymns in the Garden (2001) The Christmas Message (2001) Groovin with BWB (Braun, Whalum, Brown) (2002) Into My Soul (2003) Kirk Whalum Performs the Babyface Songbook (2005) Roundtrip (2007) Promises Made: The Millennium Promise Jazz Project (2008) Everything is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway (2010) More of Everything is Everything – ep (2010) Romance Language (2011) Human Nature with BWB (Braun, Whalum, Brown) (2013) bwb with BWB (Braun, Whalum, Brown) (2016) Lovecovers (2017) Humanite (2019) How Does Christmas Sound? (2021) Epic Cool (2024)

The Gospel According to Jazz Series – Live The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter I (1998) The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter II (2002) The Gospel According to Jazz Chapter III (2010) The Gospel According to Jazz Chapter IV" (2014)

Live albums Live from the Detroit Jazz Festival 2013 (2014) - Released by the 'Mack Avenue SuperBand 2013'.

Compilation albums The Best of Kirk Whalum (2002) Ultimate Kirk Whalum (2007)

As sideman With Joey DeFrancesco Where Were You? (Columbia, 1990) With Faye Carol Faye Sings The Blues (Getdown Records, 2026)

Singles "Mad About the Wolf" from Simply Mad About the Mouse (1991)

Charted albums Year Album Peak chart positions LabelUS200 USTopSales USJazz USCon.Jazz USR&B/HH USGos USTopCur USInd 1988 And You Know That! 142 — — 1 — — 142 — Columbia 1989 The Promise — — — 7 — — — — 1993 Caché — — 39 1 42 — — — 1995 In This Life — — 18 12 — — — — 1996 Joined at the Hip — — 11 10 — — — — Warner Bros. 1997 Colors — — 13 10 — — — — 1998 The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter I — — 22 15 — 17 — — For You — — 6 4 — — — — 2000 Unconditional — — 3 2 86 — — — 2001 Hymns in the Garden — — 27 18 — — — — The Christmas Message — — 27 14 — — — — 2002 Groovin' — — 6 4 — — — — The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter II — — 17 11 — 19 — — 2003 Into My Soul — — 10 7 44 — — — 2005 Kirk Whalum Performs the Babyface Songbook — — 4 2 60 — — 19 Rendezvous 2007 Roundtrip — — 4 2 — — — 30 2008 Promises Made: The Millennium Promise Jazz Project — — 11 5 — — — — Koch 2010 The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter III — — 4 2 — 11 — — Top Drawer Everything Is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway — — 4 3 41 — — — Mack Avenue 2012 Romance Language — — 7 1 — — — — Rendezvous 2013 Human Nature 184 184 4 2 — — 151 — Heads Up 2015 The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter IV — — 6 1 — 7 — — Top Drawer 2016 bwb — — 4 1 — — — — Artistry Music 2017 #Lovecovers — — 2 1 — 18 — — Top Drawer 2019 Times of Refreshing: Live at Eagle Mountain International Church — — — — — 9 — — Humanité — — 10 4 — — — — Artistry Music 2024 Epic Cool — — 16 6 — — — —"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Charted singles Year Title Peak chart positions Album Hot R&B/Hip-HopSongs AdultCont. R&B/Hip-HopAirplay Smooth JazzAirplay Hot GospelSongs Adult R&BAirplay GospelAirplay 1993 "Love Is a Losing Game" 51 49 52 — — — Caché 1999 "All I Do" — — — — 18 — For You 2001 "Real Love" — — — — 33 — Unconditional 2002 "Can't Stop the Rain" — — — — 35 — 2006 "Whip Appeal" — — — 14 — — — Kirk Whalum Performs the Babyface Songbook "I'll Make Love to You" — — — 30 — — — "Give Me the Reason" — — — 1 — — — Various Artists – Today's #1 Smooth Jazz Radio Hits! 2007 "The Wave" — — — 21 — — — Roundtrip 2009 "Juicy" — — — 21 — — — Brian Simpson – Above the Clouds 2010 "He's Been Just That Good" — — — — 21 — 21 The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter III "Love, Love, Love" — — — 23 — — — Everything Is Everything 2012 "Spend My Life with You" — — — 14 — — — Romance Language 2013 "Man in the Mirror" — — — 3 — — — bwb – Human Nature 2014 "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" — — — 1 — — — "Billie Jean" — — — 22 — — — 2015 "Sunday's Best" — — — 22 — — — The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter IV "Swagster" — — — 1 — — — Jeff Golub – The Vault 2016 "Trust God" — — — — 23 — — J. Moss – GFG Reload "bwb" — — — 1 — — — bwb – BWB "Triple Dare" — — — 1 — — — 2017 "I Want You Girl" — — — 4 — — — "Go Home" — — — 2 — — — David Garfield – Jammin' - Outside the Box 2019 "Korogocho" — — — 5 — — — Humanité 2020 "Kwetu" — — — 20 — — — "SJL" — — — 22 — — — 2022 "Journey to Love" — — — 29 — — — Nathan Mitchell – It's My Time 2024 "Bah-De-Yah!" — — — 2 — — — Epic Cool 2025 "Pillow Talk" — — — 5 — — — "Well Alright" — — — 6 — — — 2026 "Jolanda" — — — 7 — — — Greg Manning – TBC"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.