RCA Inspiration announced that it has entered a long-term label deal with Gospel music icon Kirk Franklin to establish Fo Yo Soul Recordings. Under the agreement, Franklin and the Fo Yo Soul Recordings team will sign and develop emerging inspirational music talent, while RCA Records will provide the marketing, promotion and distribution muscle for Fo Yo Soul artists. In addition, Franklin’s future recorded output will be released on the Fo Yo Soul Recordings label.
“We are thrilled to be Kirk’s partner. He is a one of a kind artist and music executive who brings his unique insight to inspirational music. We look forward to welcoming the new talent he will bring to the roster,” states Tom Corson, President & COO RCA Records.
“I’ve been blessed to be with RCA Records as an artist, so I know firsthand that the team that Tom and Peter have assembled are among the most creative and hardworking in the music business,” said Franklin. “Expanding our business relationship in a way that empowers my team to identify and develop great new artists is really a dream come true for me. We’ve already been hard at work and I am very excited to be able introduce the world to some amazing new talents in the coming months.”
The first release under the new deal will be the debut album from the Gospel vocal quartet, The Walls Group, four siblings from a family of 10 who have been immersed in inspirational music since birth.
In addition to The Walls Group, Franklin has secured the rights to release the debut album from the winner of BET’s Gospel music competition show, “Sunday Best,” Tasha Page Lockhart. Franklin has hosted and executive produced the show for the last six seasons. The debut album from Lockhart is expected in Spring 2014.
For nearly two decades, Franklin has been a multi-platinum-selling pioneer in gap-bridging musicianship, uniting audiences across Gospel, hip hop, pop and R&B. Kirk Franklin has won nine Grammy Awards, 39 Stellar Awards, 16 Dove Awards (CCM), eight NAACP Image Awards, two BET Awards, an American Music Award, a Soul Train Award and numerous others.
Franklin is the co-host of the successful show “American Bible Challenge” on the Game Show Network. More recently, he has been hard at work alongside the House of Blues creating a new Gospel brunch experience, Kirk Franklin’s Gospel Brunch at House of Blues, which debuted earlier this year. He also established a Gospel Music channel at SiriusXM radio, Kirk Franklin’s Praise which debuted this spring and features programming hand curated by Franklin.
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