Marla Glen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marla Glen was born to Mexican-American and Jamaican-American parents[1] and grew up on the South Side of Chicago.[2] Glen received a toy harmonica from Muddy Waters when he was five, which started his fascination with music.[2] When he was 11 years old, he wrote his first song, "Repertoire", which later appeared on his album Love and Respect.[3]
Glen won first prize performing at a local open mic contest in New Orleans and was rewarded with a trip to France, where he first performed in front of a European audience and after a few years signed with Vogue Records. He formed the Marla Glen Band in Niort, France.[3] He was once a bodyguard for Nina Simone,[4] and was mentored by and lived with both Simone and Bo Diddley during his early career.[5]
He released his debut album entitled This Is Marla Glen in 1993 followed by Love and Respect in 1995. These albums have received platinum and gold awards.[3]
He release a memoir co-authored with Stacey McClain in 2023.[5]
