Kirk Whalum is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, who is a songwriter and smooth jazz and R&B saxophonist. His solo studio albums have been successful with both critics and audiences, and he has worked on the scores for films including “Cousins,” “Grand Canyon,” “The Bodyguard,” “Boyz n the Hood,” and “The Prince of Tides.” His music includes genres from smooth jazz to R&B to pop, and he has been nominated for 12 Grammys, winning one.
Whalum, guitarist Norman Brown, and trumpeter Rick Braun comprise BWB, a jazz group, and he has worked with artists like Quincy Jones, Bob James, Whitney Houston, Will Downing, and Luther Vandross. His saxophone can be heard on “I Will Always Love You,” Houston’s mammoth hit.
In addition to his 2011 Grammy, which he won for “Best Gospel Song” for “It’s What I Do,” he has two Stellar Awards, and NAACP Image Award and Dove Award nominations. He also received a Star on the Nashville Walk of Fame, as well as a Brass Note on the Memphis Walk of Fame. A concert review says:
“So excited was the crowd they started to dance.. I do believe Kirk Whalum was the highlight of the entire Long Beach Jazz Festival.”
Kirk Whalum will be at the Ludlow Garage on July 11. When they want to advertise events like this, organizers can work with poster printing methods.