William Kurk

William Kurk is not your average musical sycophant, nor just a mediocre musician passing through. He is the progeny of a strong lineage of musicians: both mother and father were musicians; his grandmother, Dr. Lena McLin, is a noteworthy music educator and composer; and the legendary Thomas A. Dorsey, founder of Gospel music, is his great uncle. Although Kurk is one of the most in-demand musicians in Chicago (and beyond), the natural ability wasn’t discovered until Kurk was already halfway ...

William Kurk is not your average musical sycophant, nor just a mediocre musician passing through. He is the progeny of a strong lineage of musicians: both mother and father were musicians; his grandmother, Dr. Lena McLin, is a noteworthy music educator and composer; and the legendary Thomas A. Dorsey, founder of Gospel music, is his great uncle. Although Kurk is one of the most in-demand musicians in Chicago (and beyond), the natural ability wasn’t discovered until Kurk was already halfway through high school. Singing in the church choir, dancing in a hip-hop crew, and leisurely studying medical science were his pastimes, until one day during a prayer mass at his ala matter, Hales Franciscan High School, the music teacher was absent to accompany the songs for the service. William, already ingrained with the songs by virtue of singing them weekly in church, sat down and played them with no prior training or knowledge of the instrument. From this point on, the interest for piano would continue to grow. Natural ability was enough to get the ball rolling, but enhancing this newfound path required the guidance of his musical family, and the rest of the community. William was introduced to Quincy Jones barely out of high school, and was shared an abundance of knowledge about crafting a sound and style. Going into college, this information would be refined by his own determination to fulfill his vision. A full scholarship was granted to Kurk at Columbia College Chicago for Jazz Studies- Piano Performance. While in College, studio work and side gigs would quickly become the routine for the fresh face on the scene. Summoned to play at a studio session for Motown/Universal artist Prophet Jones, Kurk was introduced to Tom Washington: acclaimed horn/string arranger for Earth, Wind, & Fire, Phil Collins, and The Jacksons just to name a few. Upon arriving in the studio and meeting for the first time, Tom would become a mentor for William, creating opportunities to challenge the developing musicianship that already propelled him to musician union status. Black Ensemble Theater would be the place where Kurk was the only teenager among a bandstand of veterans (most of them having worked with Kurk’s parents when they were teenagers). He played for the award-winning show The Jackie Wilson Story, and for countless other shows at the theater, which some have toured in London, Trinidad, and every major market in the United States. Within a span of being at the theater for a mere year or so, he was offered a touring gig with The Mighty Dells, which would further enhance his musical muscle. William Kurk, Sr, who also played with The Mighty Dells on drums, passed away in April 2003, and this was a devastating lost for Kurk, Jr, who constantly turned to his father for musician advice and life wisdom. It was during this period that the struggle became very difficult for the family, and Kurk had to renounce his scholarship in order to help the family maintain financial responsibilities. Although the money was not plentiful, Young Kurk had an obligation to manifest: Share the vision of the new sound for the people to hear (something Kurk, Sr always believed in, since he was once in a band that recorded under Playboy Records in the 1970’s). After enrolling back into College (with funds from donors and extended family), Kurk started to pull together his songs to formulate a simple demo, but this quickly became a full album by July of 2004. With nowhere to go but forward, Kurk produced and released his first independent project, The Sound: Vol.1. This album would be the impetus behind the most anticipated move by the young musician: forming a band with the focus of performing the original W.K material. The William Kurk Enterprise started as a trio, and would eventually grow to the size of a small orchestral ensemble by the time college graduation was near. The band represents elements of pop styles, with flashes of aristocratic savoir-faire. After acquiring a Bachelors Degree in Composition from Columbia College Chicago, Kurk would expand on his leadership qualities by working for several theater companies as a musical director/sound designer. Kurk has been musical director for shows such as Once On This Island, The Wiz, Godspell, Ragtime, Cabaret, Hair, Runaways, and Sarafina, among many others. A trilogy has been born from the first album, which now includes 2 additional independent releases for William Kurk: The Sound. Vol. 2, and 3. William is fortunate to feature members of the Grammy-award winning band, Yellowjackets on his third album: Bob Mintzer and Will Kennedy on the track titled Another Day. Other studio credits outside of his own include: Seal, Melba Moore, Dwele, and Maysa Leak. While the W.K band is still alive and going strong with the message of originality and self-expression, Will has had the pleasure of accompanying some of the finest around and passed-along: Paulina Rubio, Dionne Warwick, Martha Reeves, Koko Taylor, Stanley Jordan, The Mighty Dells, Kindred The Family Soul, Andre DeShields, R.Kelly, Chico DeBarge, Frank McComb, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, The Platters, The Marvelettes, The Coasters, KRS-ONE, Julie Dexter, and Bill Cosby. ##