Kimberly Jean Burrell (born August 27, 1972) is an American,
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
–nominated,
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor from
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
James Cleveland
James Edward Cleveland (December 5, 1931 – February 9, 1991) was an American gospel singer, musician, and composer. Known as the King of Gospel, Cleveland was a driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound by incorporating tra ...
's GMWA Youth Mass Choir (also known as Rev. James Cleveland's Kids).
Career
1989–2003
Burrell's performances continued with Trinity Temple Full Gospel Mass Choir of Dallas and The Inspirational Sounds Mass Choir of Houston. In 1996, she was a featured singer on the reprise of "Jesus Paid It All" on Ricky Dillard & New G's album ''
Worked It Out
Work may refer to:
* Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community
** Manual labour, physical work done by humans
** House work, housework, or homemaking
** Working animal, an animal tr ...
''. Her first independent album, ''Try Me Again'', was released on the Texas-based boutique label Pearl Records in 1995. This led to her being signed to Tommy Boy Gospel and releasing another album, ''
Everlasting Life
Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality.
Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immortal ...
'' (1999), produced by
Asaph Alexander Ward
Asaph Alexander Ward is an American gospel music record producer.
Background
Ward came to the forefront of the gospel music industry as producer of the groundbreaking 1998 album ''Everlasting Life'' for gospel jazz singer Kim Burrell. Since th ...
. The album peaked at #10 on the ''Billboard'' Gospel Charts. Burrell recorded ''Live In Concert'', a live album in November 2000 at the annual COGIC Convention in Memphis,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...
. The album was released in 2001. It was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for Best Soul Gospel Album in 2002. Though Tommy Boy Gospel closed shortly after the release of ''Live In Concert'', by 2002, she had signed a recording contract with
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
. Under this contract she recorded only a guest appearance on the all-star gospel track "Higher Ground", which first appeared as a bonus track on
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
's album '' Miss E... So Addictive'' and was later featured on Karen Clark Sheard's ''2nd Chance'' album. Burrell has continued to perform live and to collaborate with other artists. Though only intermittently active as a recording artist, she established and hosts the annual Ephesians 4 conference, a workshop for performing artists.
2004–present
In 2004, Burrell was a guest performer along with Kelly Price on R. Kelly's "3-Way Phone Call" playing the part of Price's "prayer partner" in the
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...
-like song. She appeared in George Clinton's original song "Mathematics of Love" on Clinton's 2008 album of covers, ''George Clinton and Some Gangsters of Love''. Burrell released her first studio album in 11 years, ''No Ways Tired'', on April 7, 2009 through Shanachie Records. The album features covers of classic gospel songs like "My Faith Looks Up To Thee," "What A Friend We Have In Jesus," "O Lamb Of God" and "
I Surrender All
"I Surrender All" is a Christian hymn, with words written by American art teacher and musician Judson W. Van DeVenter (1855–1939), who subsequently became a music minister and evangelist. It was put to music by Winfield S. Weeden (1847–1908), ...
," as well as the classic James Cleveland song after which the album is named. Burrell sang "I see a Victory" with
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom h ...
for the soundtrack to the feature film '' Hidden Figures'' (2016).
Personal
Controversies
In December 2016, a video surfaced showing Burrell preaching a sermon at the Love & Liberty Fellowship Church. In that sermon, she called people who engage in homosexual acts "perverted" and said they had been deceived by the "homosexual spirit." She also warned that people who "play with" homosexual sin would "die from it" in 2017. In response to considerable criticism, Burrell said that she makes "no excuses or apologies" for the sermon, adding "I love you, and God loves you, but he hates the sin in you and me." Shortly after the video of the sermon surfaced, ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...
'' cancelled Burrell's scheduled appearance, as did the BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music event, where she was removed as an honoree. Her radio talk show, ''Bridging the Gap with Kim Burrell'', was cancelled by
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,00 ...
.
In July 2022, Burrell faced backlash for making remarks urging churchgoers not to make friends with "broke" people. She also jokingly referred to them as "ugly" in addition to promoting anti-masking and anti-vaccination with respect to COVID-19.
Selected discography
Albums
* ''Try Me Again'' (Pearl, 1995)
* ''
Everlasting Life
Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality.
Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immortal ...
'' (Tommy Boy Gospel, 1998)
* ''Live In Concert'' (Tommy Boy Gospel, 2001)
* ''No Ways Tired'' (Shanachie, 2009)
* ''The Love Album'' (Shanachie, 2011)
* ''A Different Place'' (Shanachie, 2015)
Singles
* "Special Place" (Bad Boy Entertainment, 2001)
* "Little Drummer Boy" (New Brand Records, 2018)
Videos
* ''Live In Concert'' (VHS) (Tommy Boy Gospel, 2001)
Other appearances
Awards
* 2000 Gospel Music Excellence Award, Female Vocalist of the Year - Contemporary for ''Everlasting Life''
* 2000 Stellar Award, Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year for ''Everlasting Life''
*2009 Grammy nomination, Best Gospel/ Contemporary Christian Album “I Understand”
* 2012 Stellar Award, Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year for ''The Love Album''
* 2012 Stellar Award, Contemporary Female of the Year for ''The Love Album''
* 2012 Dove Award, Urban Recorded Song of the Year for "Sweeter"
*2012 Grammy nomination, Best Gospel Album “The Love Album”.