caption associated_acts years_active birth_place label background birth_date instrument genre article_title name occupation
photo by jacob morrow jonathan , donny hathaway , lalah hathaway butler whitney houston , babyface , bob james 1985 -- present memphis , tennessee , u.s. rendezvous , columbia , mosaic contemporary , warner bros. , sony non_vocal_instrumentalist 11 july 1958 tenor flute saxophone , alto saxophone , soprano saxophone , smooth gospel jazz , pop , r & b , kirk whalum
 kirk whalum musician , songwriter
kirk whalum

kirk whalum -lrb- born july 11 , 1958 -rrb- is an american smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter .
he toured with whitney houston for more than seven years and soloed in her single `` i will always love you '' , the best-selling single by a female artist in music history .
whalum has recorded a series of well received solo albums and film soundtracks , with music ranging from pop to r&b to smooth jazz .
kirk 's musical accomplishments have brought him a total of 12 grammy nominations .
he won his first grammy award in 2011 for best gospel song -lrb- `` it 's what i do '' , featuring lalah hathaway -rrb- alongside lifelong friend and gifted writer , jerry peters .
