Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Marla Glen has been in the music business for over 30 years, with no plans on stopping any time soon! At the age of 5, at a neighborhood birthday party, Marla received a plastic toy harmonica given to her by the late great Muddy Waters. Marla fell in love with playing the tiny instrument, learning to master it even as a child. By the time Marla was a teenager, the musically gifted artist had begun to play other musical instruments which including the Drums, Spanish Guitar, Congas, Clarinet and other wind instruments.
By the age of 18, Marla began drifting throughout the United States, playing open mic nights in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, New York, and California. California was where the artist had a chance meeting with Ms. Nina Simone and worked for the legend, as an assistant, driver and what ever else Ms. Simone needed. Marla also happened to meet Mr. Bo Diddley while traveling around California as well. It was during this time that both Simone and Diddley would find themselves grooming the artist with pointers and advice for the young musician.
In 1990, the young singer/songwriter drifted to Bourbon Street in New Orleans looking to play on the many open-mic night stages, and never ending audiences of tourists. While performing in the town, Marla’s name was entered into a contest and she won the opportunity to travel to France to perform at a festival. The festival was in the town of Noirt, which hosted a crowd of eight thousand people, and Marla was a hit. Within 5 short years after arriving in France, the artist had obtained a record deal, and received platinum and gold awards, for the highly successful albums “This is Marla Glen” in 1993, “Love and Respect” in 1995, and the unforgettable top-10, hits "Believer” and “Cost of Freedom.” Marla was only 11 years old when she wrote her first song, "Repertoire", a title that has won three gold records, and one platinum, of which appears on the 1996
release, “Love and Respect.” The artist received radio airplay throughout the Europe, parts of the United States and was offered TV shows, movies, commercials, and other musical opportunities. In 1995, the song Believer was used for a commercial of the clothing company C & A. And, in 2000/2001 Marla’s remake of James Brown hit, “It’s A Man’s World.” was used in a commercial for men's fragrance Tabac. Following the success of hit records came the tours, and Marla graced many stages all over Europe gaining fans in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and other areas around the globe.
After achieving success, the singer was taken through a series of career highs and lows, but through it all, the artist still continued to make amazing music, and produces albums like “Dangerous” in 2006, and “Humanology,” in 2011. The artist did not stop delivering kick ass concerts that kept the artist working for the music. Marla is a survivor, who is original in every way, and Marla continues to wow audiences wearing a trademark suit and tie, funky hats and giving high-energy shows to a loyal fans. The raspy voiced singer, who sings across musical styles, has never stopped performing a plethora of songs in an array of styles including Blues, Soul, Jazz, Pop, Rock ’n’ Roll, House and African Ethno-Music. If you have ever seen Marla perform, you can tell that the artist loves performing, and while on stage you will find Marla, dancing and laughing with the audience, or screaming with musical delight, or joking with band members. There is no doubt that when Marla is on the stage, she owns it giving powerhouse shows making sure fans have a rewarding experience, while the artist is truly having a good ol’ time. When it comes to creating good music, Marla delivers! With a new team in place, Marla has found a way to move forward with her hot new CD entitled, “UNEXPECTED.” The CD is a list of great tunes, that delivers the expected sounds of an artist to be reckoned with, and a voice that is unstoppable. The CD comes with a hot new video to the tune, “I Don’t Care.” You can find Marla’s Live Album, entitled; “Here I Am” on Itunes and Amazon, along with two singles, “Forever and Ever, and “Prove All Your Lovin.” An authorized biography about the musician’s life, written by Stacey McClain was also published.
