Queen Esther Marrow was born on February 12, 1941, in Newport News, Virginia. She began her career at the age of 22, when her exceptional vocal talents were discovered by the renowned Duke Ellington, who featured her as a principal artist in his "Sacred Concert" world tour.
During the next four years, Marrow and Ellington formed a lifelong friendship as they toured together, and she went on to perform with an array of legendary musicians, including Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea, and Bob Dylan.
In 1965, Marrow became actively involved in the civil rights movement, performing in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s World Crusade, where she met her idol Mahalia Jackson, with whom she would later share the stage. Other prominent figures at the crusade included Jesse Jackson, Sidney Poitier, and Dr. Ralph Abernathy.
Marrow's impressive career spanned multiple genres, including musical theater, jazz, television, and film. She played Auntie 'Em on Broadway in The Wiz and starred as her idol Mahalia Jackson in the national tour of Sing Mahalia Sing, directed by George Faison. Marrow was featured in Motown's film The Last Dragon, produced by Berry Gordy, and appeared in various television shows, ranging from the serious to the comic, including Duke Ellington: The Music Lives On and Sesame Street on PBS.
In 1990, a long-held dream of Marrow's was realized when Truly Blessed, a musical about Mahalia Jackson written by and starring Queen Esther, premiered in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and on Broadway in New York City, earning three Helen Hayes nominations, including Best New Play.
Throughout her illustrious career, Marrow has performed for numerous esteemed individuals, including Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, as well as the British Royal Family. She has also had the privilege of singing at the Vatican for Pope John Paul II on several occasions.
In recent years, Marrow founded The Harlem Gospel Singers, an international touring gospel group that made history on July 7, 1998, as the only gospel group ever to perform at the Grand Evenement du Maurier at the Montreal Jazz Festival, drawing over 100,000 audience members.
In 2015, Marrow was the only performer from the original 1965 performance of Duke Ellington's Sacred Concert to also perform at the 50th anniversary performance at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.
