Different brothers, the same faith

Ask anyone who knows them to describe one of the Whalum brothers -- Kenneth Jr., Kirk or Kevin -- and you'll get the same litany of laudatory adjectives.
Faithful. Intelligent. Strong-willed. Compassionate. Talented. Generous. Loving. Nice.
"They have kept their priorities in proper order, beginning with God and family," said Helen Rogers, their mother who now lives outside Kansas City. "They were taught that as brothers they must stand together, they must love each other and be supportive of each other, no matter what."
Who are they?
Kevin, 39, a singer/songwriter who lives in Nashville, just signed a recording contract with Rendezvous Entertainment.
Kenneth Jr., 50, senior pastor of New Olivet Baptist Church, was just elected to the Memphis, Tenn., Board of Education -- again following the footsteps of his pastor-father, who was a city councilman from 1988-1996.
Kirk, 48, the highly acclaimed jazz saxophonist, just moved back to Memphis to become Artist in Residence at Stax Music Academy.
They grew up the sons of a Baptist preacher and an Ebony runway model.
Kenneth, the preacher and politician, was the quiet one, disciplined, organized. "He was so soft-spoken and so studious. He never had 10 words to say to you," said his aunt Rosemary Whalum Pollard. "I guess he was just saving them up."
Kirk, the musician and philosopher, was the artistic one. He liked to draw and make designs, but most of all he liked to make noise. "He talked so much I knew he was going to become a lawyer," Pollard said. "But then he found another way to speak."
Kevin, the singer and poet, liked to show off. "He always wanted to perform," Rogers said. "He'd practice routines in his room, singing before the mirror, dancing."
The way his brothers tell it, Kevin -- the baby -- got all the attention.
Kevin tells it differently. He learned to worship three beings: God and his two big brothers. "They were absolute gods to me. They could do no wrong," Kevin said.
Ups and downs
All three brothers have had their trials and tribulations.
In 1985, Kenneth Jr. became pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Sunset, Ark. He stayed until 1995 when his father asked him to come back to Olivet and be co-pastor. Kenneth Sr. retired in 1999 and gave the pulpit to his son.
A year later, the church split when Sr. and some of the more traditional members of the congregation objected to Jr.'s more Pentecostal approach to preaching and teaching.
"The church split would have broken most people. It was Ken's faith that sustained him during and after this ordeal," Rogers said.
"I wish it hadn't happened, but I love my father and I know he loves me," said Jr., who prevailed in 2000 and presides over the New Olivet Baptist Church.
After 16 CDs and seven Grammy nominations, Kirk is one of the more highly acclaimed jazz musicians in the world. But he's been dropped twice by record labels.
"Kirk won't sell out to commercialism," said his wife, Ruby. "He's not going to be Kenny G. He doesn't play to be popular. He plays to glorify God. He sings and preaches through his horn."
Kirk's music ministry became most apparent in 1998, when he made his first gospel CD: "The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter 1." But he prefers to express the sacred in secular settings. "I'm not a gospel artist. I'm a person of faith who happens to be a musician," Kirk said.
"When I'm at my best, completely out of the way, God is able to reach into people's souls by using me as an instrument. As I'm holding that instrument, I feel like God's holding me as His instrument."
Kevin has struggled to emerge from Kirk's musical shadow, despite rave reviews from such jazz legends as George Duke -- who describes Kevin's voice as "butter." "He has such high standards. He won't do rap or anything that is degrading," said his wife, Camille.
"He seeks God in everything he does. He prays about every decision he makes. He is a jazz artist but he's a Christian first."
Kevin said he was taught to keep his priorities in proper order.
"My brothers hold the banner very high," Kevin said.
Scripps Howard News Service