Mike James Kirkland

Mike James Kirkland grew up singing gospel and doo wop. Kirkland and his brother eventually settled in California where they started a record label, Bryan Records, so they could release love songs and soul music that Kirkland was working on. The brothers released two albums, which both echoed socially conscious soul music of the time. The reputation of the albums slowly grew and spread over the following years, ending with reissues in the '90s by Luv N Haight.
In 2010, John Legend (R&B Singer) released an album that includes a cover of one of Kirkland's classics, "Hang On In There," which brought a new generation of listeners to his music.
“If we were on a bigger label we would have done amazing things,” reminisces Kirkland. “But we did the best we could. I’m amazed that John Legend has decided to cover the title track of my first album, that’s very cool.”