Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum (born July 11, 1958) is an American R&B and smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured with Whitney Houston for more than seven years and soloed on her single "I Will Always Love You", the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. He was also 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".
Kirk Whalum
July 11, 1958
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Smooth jazz, pop, R&B, gospel
Musician
Saxophone, flute
1985–present
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.
Personal life[edit]
Whalum married his wife Rubystyne (Ruby) in 1980. They have four children, including musician and marathoner Kyle, as well as Courtney, Kori, and Evan.[3] Whalum converted to Catholicism in 2022, after having served for years as a Protestant minister.[4][5] He has also been a volunteer barber at a Catholic Worker house in Memphis.[6]
