Marla Glen (born January 3, 1960) is an American
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
from
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, who has been based in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
since 1998.
Life
Marla, daughter of Dell Glen (
American-Jamaican) and Cortez Glen (
Mexican-American
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
), grew up on the
South Side of Chicago
The South Side is an area of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It lies south of the city's Loop area in the downtown. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sides of the city that radiate from downtown, with the other two being the north and w ...
. Glen's father was a
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
guitarist, her grandmother a
gospel singer
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
. Her mother was friends with the blues guitarist
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
. Marla's mother Dell graduated from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
and went on to become a successful banker who worked for
Merrill Lynch
Merrill (officially Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated), previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investment bank ...
. Glen's father, an American patriot who joined the military at a young age, became an engineer based in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, Germany. Like many other children in Chicago's historic
Bronzeville neighborhood (also known as the Black Metropolis), who received gifts and inspiration from folks like
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...
and B.B. King, Marla was given a toy harmonica as a child, and her musical talent became immediately apparent. She was only 11 years old when she wrote her first song, "Repertoire", a title that has won three gold records and one platinum, and appears on her 1996 release, ''Love and Respect''.
Since 1998, she has been living in
Heilbronn
Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state.
From the late Mid ...
in Germany. On July 2, 2004, she entered a
civil union
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
with Sabrina Conley but later got divorced.
Career
As a teenager, Marla Glen set out to pursue her musical career. The story of her early days "taking a gamble" on her musical abilities is recorded in the lyrics of "Travel," a song that appears on her first breakthrough album, ''This Is Marla Glen''.
The gamble paid off: Glen won first prize performing at a local Jam-session in
and was rewarded with a trip to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, where she first performed in front of a European audience. She got invited to stay in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, and formed the Marla Glen Band in
Niort
Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the u ...
, France. In 1993, she catapulted to stardom overnight with her debut album ''This Is Marla Glen'' (two-time gold, two-time platinum).
Glen was ruthlessly exploited by the music industry , and spent a period in deep reflection, which she talks about in a 2002 interview with Jakob Buhre (in German). The interview is accompanied by a spectacular series of photos,
Marla Glen Bildergalerie
which may say as much to the English-language reader as the German words can barely convey.
In 1998, Glen went on tour with her 1997 release ''Our World'', and made a strong comeback in 2003, with ''Friends''.
Glen is known for her haunting lyrics, for her fierce commitment to social change and the cause of human unity. Most recently, she has dedicated her time and efforts to the education of children, and was declared the "patron saint" of the Knowledge Festival, organized by ''Bildung ohne Grenzen'' (Education without Barriers) in Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, Germany (2007).
Discography
Albums:
* 1993: ''This is Marla Glen'' (Disques Vogue
Disques Vogue was a jazz record company founded in France by Léon Cabat and Charles Delaunay in 1947, the year after the American Vogue label ceased.
They originally specialized in jazz, featuring American performers such as Sidney Bechet, D ...
)
* 1995: ''Love and Respect'' (Disques Vogue)
* 1997: ''Our World'' (Ariola)
* 1998: ''The Best of Marla Glen''
* 2003: ''Friends''
* 2005: ''Greatest Hits Live''
* 2006: ''Dangerous''
* 2011: ''Humanology''
*2020: ''Unexpected''
Notable singles:
*"Believer" (1993)
*"The Cost of Freedom" (1993)
References
External links
Marla Glen's official site
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glen, Marla
1960 births
Living people
Singers from Chicago
American emigrants to Germany
American rhythm and blues singers
American blues singers
Songwriters from Illinois
American women songwriters
American musicians of Mexican descent
American musicians of Jamaican descent
20th-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
LGBT songwriters
American LGBT singers
LGBT people from Illinois
American lesbian musicians
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people
Hispanic and Latino American women singers