Marla Glen

Marla, son[1] of Dell Glen (American-Jamaican) and Cortez Glen (Mexican-American), grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Glen's father was a blues guitarist, and his grandmother was a gospel singer. His mother was friends with blues guitarist B.B. King. Marla's mother graduated from the University of Chicago and became a successful banker who worked for Merrill Lynch. Marla's father, an American patriot who joined the military at a young age, became an engineer based in Frankfurt, Germany.

Like many other children in Chicago's historic Bronzeville neighborhood (also known as the Black Metropolis), who received gifts and inspiration from people like Muddy Waters and B.B. King, Marla was given a toy harmonica as a child, and his musical talent became immediately apparent. He was only 11 years old when he wrote his 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, he has been living in Heilbronn in Germany. On July 2, 2004, he entered a civil union with Sabrina Conley but later got divorced.[2]

As a teenager, Marla Glen set out to pursue his musical career. Information of his early life is documented in the lyrics of "Travel," a song that appears on the breakthrough album, This Is Marla Glen.

Glen won first prize performing at a local Jam-session in New Orleans and was rewarded with a trip to France, where he first performed in front of a European audience. He then formed the Marla Glen Band in Niort, France. He released his debut album entitled This Is Marla Glen in 1993 and Love and Respect in 1995 for which he received platinum and gold awards.[3]

Glen talked about his experiences in the music industry and his life in Germany in a German interview in 2002 and the interview was accompanied by a series of photos.[4]

In 1998, Glen went on tour with his 1997 release Our World, and made a strong comeback in 2003, with Friends.

Glen lyrics promote human unity and social change. He has dedicated 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, Germany (2007).

Albums:

• 1993: This is Marla Glen (Disques Vogue)
• 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)

• Marla Glen's official site
• Marla Glen at AllMusic