Queen Esther (artist)

Early life

Steeped in the gospel music traditions of the Church of God in Christ (C.O.G.I.C.) from a very early age while surrounded by a soundscape of freeform radio, countrypolitan music and show tunes, Queen Esther grew up in the Deep South – Atlanta, GA and Charleston, SC respectively – as the middle child and the only daughter, with six brothers and a four-octave range. She began her gifted education in English and creative writing as a five-year-old.

While attending Northside High School, a magnet school in the Performing Arts (now North Atlanta High School) in Atlanta GA, she studied opera and classical music, developed an appreciation of jazz, was featured in productions in the city (Leonard Bernstein's MASS with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), attended the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program in Drama, and competed for and won several scholarships in theater through Arts Recognition and Talent Search (now YoungArts), sponsored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Queen Esther chose to attend the University of Texas and performed frequently on the local cabaret and theater scene in Austin with theater director/performer Boyd Vance. She also performed on the live music scene with the band Moving Parts, opening for guitarist Larry Carlton, the Neville Brothers and Crowded House, amongst others. Queen Esther was also in Ro-Tel and the Hot Tomatoes, a regional favorite specializing in theatrically showcasing girl group music from the 50s and 60s.

Although the group began as a gag with Boyd Vance as Tina Turner (backed by performers Shannon Sedwick, Linda Wetherbee and Jeannie Baxter as The Ikettes) in the comedy/theater troupe Esther’s Follies, they eventually reworked the group without Mr. Vance to include a five-member band. They performed for such Texas luminaries as Robert Bass and his siblings the Bass Brothers as well as H. Ross Perot, and shared the stage with The Temptations, The Four Tops, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and Chuck Berry, and many others.

Career

It was guitarist “Big Al” Gilhausen who introduced her to the legendary blues guitar icon Hubert Sumlin. Because of their strong influence, she lost herself in the blues and found her way back to her gospel/country roots.

Queen Esther relocated to Harlem, joined the Black Rock Coalition, finished a BA from The New School in screenwriting and performed regularly in the alt-music/alt-theater scene. Her work as a vocalist, lyricist, songwriter, actor/solo performer and playwright/librettist led to creative collaborations in neo-vaudeville, alt-theater, various alt-rock configurations, (neo) swing bands, trip hop DJs, spoken word performances, jazz combos, jam bands, various blues configurations, original Off Broadway plays and musicals, experimental music/art noise and performance art.

After forming the avant-blues duo Hoosegow with guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Elliott Sharp and releasing the critically acclaimed album Mighty (Homestead), While on tour, she started her own label (EL Recordings) and continued to develop her ideas, regardless of genre.

Actor

In 2002, Queen Esther received a Best Actress AUDELCO award nomination for her work in George C. Wolfe's new musical Harlem Song. A member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA, Queen Esther has toured in theatrical productions regionally, nationally and internationally, performing in workshops, festivals, cabarets, plays, musicals and Off-Broadway shows.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 disaster, Queen Esther hosted and performed in The Tribeca Playhouse Stagedoor Canteen, a weekly hour-long USO-style variety show created and directed by playwright and theater director Jeff Cohen that welcomed performers to entertain the Ground Zero relief workers for free. Produced by Jeff Cohen and Carol Fineman, the show was featured on NY1, The Today Show, CBS Morning News, The Metro Channel and Good Morning America, and in Variety and The New York Times. It featured such performers as BETTY, Saturday Night Live's Colin Quinn, stand up comedians Mario Cantone, Kim Cea and Godfrey, Cosby's Phylicia Rashad, Sandy Duncan, Joey McIntyre, Tony Award winners Cady Huffman, Kristin Chenoweth, Daisy Eagan, Broadway performers Annie Golden, Sara Ramirez, Lea DeLaria, Willy Falk, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Darius DeHaas, Aisha DeHaas and many others. Subsequently, Tribeca Playhouse won an honorary 2002 Drama Desk Award.

Musician

A vocalist, songwriter, lyricist and nascent guitarist, Queen Esther signed a publishing deal with Bug Music in 2004 (now owned by BMG Rights Management) and self-released her Black Americana blues/rock album Talkin' Fishbowl Blues. Of this effort, AllMusic says, "There's a decidedly Stonesy swagger to many of these tunes with just a touch of twang, and Queen Esther shows herself to be just as versatile a vocalist as Tina Turner, covering not only the lead vocals but nearly all the background vocals as well."

In 2014, Queen Esther produced and self-released her second Black Americana album The Other Side. Featuring guitarists Marvin Sewell and Ronny Drayton as well as pedal steel guitarist Bob Hoffnar and violinist Charles Burnham, it is described by writer Geoffrey Himes as "the most exciting Afro-Americana release of the year."

Queen Esther is a member of jazz/free funk/blues guitarist James Blood Ulmer's Black Rock Experience -- along with G. Calvin Weston (drums) and Mark Peterson (bass) -- and has toured Europe frequently with Mr. Ulmer's various projects, including his seminal group Odyssey.

In 2014, JC Hopkins Biggish Band -- featuring Queen Esther and award-winning jazz vocalist Charles Turner -- began its Wednesday night residency at the legendary Harlem jazz venue formerly known as Minton's Playhouse (now called "Minton's Harlem"). Jazz critic Will Friedwald opines, "The combination of pianist-bandleader JC Hopkins and vocalist Queen Esther expertly recapture the vitality and energy of Harlem jazz and blues of 70 years ago without slavishly imitating anyone and are thus a perfect fit, and they should help the relaunched room attract the attention of dancers as well as diners.”

Queen Esther performs regularly with her quintet The Hot Five, a collective of jazz musicians that play intimate reconfigurations of rare all-American standards as well as original material. Performances include The Kennedy Center, The Apollo Theater's Apollo Music Cafe, New Year's Eve Eve, an annual event produced by The Salon, and the bi-annual Jazz Age Lawn Party, presented by Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra.

Solo Work

Jazz

Blues

Theater

Experimental/Avant Garde

Writer

While in college and initially in New York City, Queen Esther worked as a freelance writer and essayist, most notably for The Griot, New York Press and Cafe Los Negroes.

Playwright

It was after seeing John Leguizamo’s Mambo Mouth at the American Place Theater that Queen Esther wrote, developed and performed The "Moxie" Show, a one person performance art piece that was subsequently featured at Dixon Place, Performance Space 122 and The Samuel Beckett Theater.

Queen Esther wrote, developed and performed her second one person show, the semi-autobiographical Queen Esther: Unemployed Superstar, at Tribeca Playhouse, The New York International Fringe Festival, The Diva Series at George Street Playhouse and the New Work Now! New Performance Now! series at The Public Theater, culminating in a five-week sold-out run at Joe's Pub.

Librettist

Adapted from newly discovered Harlem-based short stories by Zora Neale Hurston and augmented by Billie Holiday's rare sides – both from the 1930s – Queen Esther wrote the libretto for The Billie Holiday Project, performing it initially at Lenox Lounge for the Harlem Jazz Shrines and developing it further in performance workshops with Dixon Place and The Field. Featuring The Hot Five with a cast that included Francesca Harper, Charles L. Wallace and Keith L. Thomas, the show was performed at The Apollo Theater's Apollo Music Cafe in April, 2012.

Queen Esther partnered with The Francesca Harper Project to further explore Billie Holiday's body of work through movement, sound and vision in Billie Holiday: Deconstructed, a theatrical performance that premiered at the Harlem Arts Festival in June, 2012.