How do you condense about 11 albums and more than two decades in the industry into a two-and-a-half hour show?
Your start with index cards.
That’s what gospel artist and “Sunday Best” host Kirk Franklin did as he prepared for his “20 Years in One Night” tour, which comes to Atlanta at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie Street N.W.
He put the names of songs on index cards and spread them around a hotel room. He estimates each album contained about 12 songs, all on cards.
On those cards were written some of his greatest hits like the 1997 “Stomp” and 2000’s “Brighter Day”.
The multiple-Grammy winning performer then walked around the room. He wanted songs that flowed well from one to the other, but also songs that resonated with his fans.
“You know people walk up to you and tell you certain songs really had an impact on their lives,” he said. He also couldn’t leave out songs “that spoke to me during some of my difficult times such as “Love” from the God’s Property album and “Imagine Me” - songs that I remember writing at some very dark times.”
The 45-year-old singer took to Twitter at the start of his tour, which hits Miami before Atlanta.
“So this is it….! The first day of the tour. Jesus take the wheel…LETS GO!”
Franklin’s latest album - his first in five years - “Losing My Religion” was released in 2015 with the chart-topping single, “Wanna Be Happy?”
The 45-year-old singer said in a previous interview that his life was so wrapped up in other projects like working on his label, Fo Yo Soul Recordings/ RCA Records, the television show and working with other artists that time slipped by.
“You look up and time can pass you by,” he said. “Then, after a while, as time continues to pass on, you start to get intimidated. Do I still have a voice? Am I still relevant? ‘I Smile” was such a big record, sometimes I wondered will I have another song like that again?”
His wife, Tammy, though challenged him to “go and write.” The result was “Losing My Religion,” which was recorded in Texas. Franklin says “honestly, God wrote the album. I just borrowed it.”
It featured the likes of Tasha Cobbs, Kim Burrell, Lalah Hathaway, Tamela Mann and Zacardi Cortez.
“Wanna Be Happy” won a Stellar Award and a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance.
As for his latest tour, Franklin is excited about performing some of his best hits in one show.
“In rehearsing, you don’t realize the body of work that you’ve been trusted with until it’s time to put together a tour and you try to include all the music,” he said.
He wants audiences to know they will get all the songs they enjoyed and all the songs that have blessed them over the years.
“I want it to be very special for the people who have been in my life all these years.”
Listen to "Wanna Be Happy?" here.
Related:
Georgia teacher lights up gospel charts
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