# Kim Burrell

Kimberly Jean Burrell (born August 26, 1972) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pastor from Houston, Texas.

## Early life

Born Kimberly Jean Burrell on August 26, 1972, in Houston, Texas, Burrell was one of four children born to Julius Burrell Jr., a pastor, and Helen Ruth Graham, an evangelist singer in The Church of God in Christ. As a youth, Burrell began performing with Reverend James Cleveland'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. 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 (1998), produced by Asaph Alexander Ward. 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 Holy Convocation in Memphis, Tennessee. The album was released in 2001. It was nominated for a Grammy Award 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. 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'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-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," as well as the classic James Cleveland song after which the album is named. Burrell has uncredited vocals on Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” from his 2016 album Blonde. Burrell sang "I see a Victory" with Pharrell Williams for the soundtrack to the feature film Hidden Figures (2016).
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 canceled 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 canceled by Texas Southern University.

## Selected discography
### Albums

* Try Me Again (Pearl, 1995)
* Everlasting Life (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)
* "Working For Your Good" (New Brand Records & Malloy Entertainment, 2022)

### Videos

* Live In Concert (VHS) (Tommy Boy Gospel, 2001)

### Other appearances

| Year | Title | Artist | Album | Label |
| 1990 | "Praise Him" | GMWA National Youth Mass Choir | Win The World For Christ | Sweet Rain |
| 1996 | "Jesus Paid It All" | Ricky Dillard & New G | Worked It Out | Crystal Rose |
| 1998 | "Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus (Remix)" | Trinity Temple Mass Choir featuring Kim Burrell | Gospel Out-Takes: Unreleased Music | Tyscot |
| 2000 | "Woman" | Kim Burrell with Montrel Darrett | J2K Jesus 2000 | EMI Gospel |
| 2000 | "God's Favor" | Tri-City Singers featuring Karen Clark-Sheard, Kim Burrell, and Kelly Price | Tri-City4.com | EMI Gospel |
| 2001 | "Special Place" | Kim Burrell | Thank You (Unreleased) | Bad Boy |
| 2002 | "The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow" | Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Choir | Family Affair II: Live At Radio City Music Hall | Verity |
| 2002 | "Higher Ground" | Missy Elliott feat. Yolanda Adams, Dorinda Clark Cole, Karen Clark-Sheard, Mary Mary & Kim Burrell | Miss E...So Addictive | Elektra |
| 2002 | "The Moment I Prayed" | Kirk Whalum featuring Kim Burrell | The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter II | Word |
| 2002 | "I'm Gonna Praise Him" | Kim Burrell | Gospel Today Presents: Praise and Worship 2002 | Verity |
| 2003 | "We Praise You Lord" | Shirley Caesar featuring Kim Burrell | Shirley Caesar & Friends | Word |
| 2003 | "Go Tell It" | Gary Mayes & Nu Era featuring Kim Burrell | Go Tell It: The N.E. X-Perience, Vol. 2 | Gvm Soul Muzick |
| 2003 | "I Pray On Christmas" | Harry Connick, Jr. featuring Kim Burrell | Harry For The Holidays (DVD-only bonus track) | Columbia |
| 2003 | "Try Jesus" "O When I Come" "Family That Prays Together" | The Stewart Singers featuring Kim Burrell | Back to the Roots | Independent |
| 2004 | "3-Way Phone Call" | R. Kelly featuring Kim Burrell & Kelly Price | Happy People/U Saved Me | Jive |
| 2004 | "You Can Change" | Tye Tribbett & G.A. featuring Kim Burrell | Life | Columbia/Sony Gospel |
| 2005 | "Soldier" | The Andrews Brothers featuring Kim Burrell | Free Indeed | Sic Records |
| 2005 | "If Your Love Cannot Be Moved" | Stevie Wonder featuring Kim Burrell | A Time 2 Love | Motown |
| 2005 | "Not Until" | Lexi featuring Kim Burrell | A Praise in the Valley [Live] | Holy Music |
| 2006 | "Everything Will Be Alright (reprise)" | Tye Tribbett & G.A. featuring Kim Burrell | Victory Live | Columbia/Sony Gospel |
| 2006 | "All These People" (single) (all proceeds to New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village) | Harry Connick Jr featuring Kim Burrell | Oh My NOLA | Columbia |
| 2007 | "Over and Over Again" | VaShawn Mitchell featuring Kim Burrell | Promises | Tyscot |
| 2007 | "Journey" | Richard Smallwood featuring Kim Burrell | Journey: Live In New York | Verity |
| 2007 | "If You Never" | Byron Cage featuring Kim Burrell & J. Moss | Live At the Apollo: The Proclamation | GospoCentric/Zomba Gospel |
| 2007 | "Try" | Marvin Winans featuring Kim Burrell | Alone But Not Alone | PureSprings Gospel |
| 2007 | "I Come To Thee" | Sean Jones featuring Kim Burrell | Kaleidoscope | Mack Avenue |
| 2007 | "You're the Reason" | Sean Jones featuring Kim Burrell | Kaleidoscope | Mack Avenue |
| 2008 | "I Understand" | Kim Burrell, Rance Allen, BeBe Winans, Mariah Carey & Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Tabernacle Choir | Randy Jackson's Music Club: Volume One | Concord Music Group |
| 2008 | "He Has Made Me Glad" | Tye Tribbett & GA featuring Kim Burrell | Stand Out | Columbia/Integrity |
| 2008 | "Mathematics of Love" | George Clinton featuring Kim Burrell | George Clinton and Some Gangsters of Love | Shanachie Records |
| 2008 | "Song for the Hopeful" | Harry Connick, Jr. featuring Kim Burrell | What a Night! A Christmas Album | Columbia/Sony |
| 2008 | "Let There Be Peace On Earth | Harry Connick, Jr. featuring Kim Burrell | What a Night! A Christmas Album | Columbia/Sony |
| 2012 | "I Win" | John P. Kee featuring Kim Burrell | Life & Favor | Kee Music Group |
| 2012 | "My Worship Remix | John P. Kee featuring Kim Burrell | Life & Favor | Kee Music Group |
| 2012 | "With You" | James Fortune featuring Kim Burrell | Identity | E1 Entertainment |
| 2016 | "Godspeed" | Frank Ocean featuring Kim Burrell | blond | Boys Don't Cry |
| 2016 | "I See A Victory" | Pharrell Williams & Kim Burrell | Hidden Figures Soundtrack | Columbia/Sony |
| 2017 | "4:44" | Jay Z featuring Kim Burrell | 4:44 | Roc Nation |
| 2018 | "Grace" | Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago feat. Kim Burrell | Grace: The Remixes – EP | Inspired People, LLC |
| 2018 | "Sunshine Feel Good" | Snoop Dogg & Kim Burrell | Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love | RCA Inspiration |
| 2018 | "Talk to God" | Mali Music & Kim Burrell | Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love | RCA Inspiration |
| 2020 | "Don't Let Go (feat. Kim Burrell) | PJ Morton & Kim Burrell | Gospel According To PJ | Morton Inspiration/Tyscot Records, LLC |
| 2022 | "Victory (Remix) feat. Kim Burrell" | Kenny Lewis & One Voice feat. Kim Burrell | Victory (Remix) feat. Kim Burrell | Broadcast Music Inc. |
| 2022 | "Anyway (Live)" | Zacardi Cortez feat. Pastor Kim Burrell | Imprint | Blacksmoke Music Worldwide |
| 2022 | "Anyhow Reprise" | Tye Tribbett feat. Kim Burrell, Jekalyn Carr, Isaac Carree, Zacardi Cortez, Tasha Page-Lockhart, and Isaiah Templeton | All Things New | Motown Gospel |
| 2023 | "Tap Into It (The Source)" | Renee Spearman feat. Kim Burrell | The Source | The Orchard Music |
| 2024 | "Call His Name" | Kenny Lewis & One Voice feat. Kim Burrell | Call His Name | PureSound Muzik Group |

## 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
* 2002 Grammy nomination, Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album Live In Concert
* 2009 Grammy nomination, Best Best Gospel Performance "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.