Mike James Kirkland grew up singing
gospel and
doo wop in Mississippi in a local gospel act, The Seven Seals, with his two brothers, Walter and Robert. He began his recording career as leader of the group Mike & The Censations in 1965. After the Censations folded, Kirkland and his brother Robert moved to
California where they started a record label, Bryan Records, so they could release
love songs and
soul music that Kirkland was working on. They released two albums, "Hang on in There" (1972) and "Doin' it Right" (1973), following the style and social comment of artists like
Marvin Gaye and
Curtis Mayfield. In 1975, Kirland began issuing solo recordings under the name Bo Kirkand. Also as Bo, he recorded an album as a part of duo with Ruth Davis. The reputation of the albums "Hang on in There" and "Doin' it Right" slowly grew and spread over the following years, culminating with reissues in the '90s by
Luv N Haight. In 2010,
John Legend &
The Roots released an album that includes a cover of one of Kirkland's songs, "Hang On In There." ==Discography==