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Music
After four years in a prestigious performing arts high school in Atlanta GA and an all-too-brief stint as a singer and performer/regional favorite in Austin TX, Queen Esther relocated to New York City. Her work as a vocalist, lyricist/writer, songwriter and actor/solo performer led to creative collaborations in neo-vaudeville, alternative 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.
As Queen Esther's distinct sound - Black Americana - began to emerge, she joined forces with guitarist Elliot Sharp (their critically acclaimed effort Mighty, formerly on the now defunct Homestead Records, is available as a German import), collaborated with jazz guitar icon James "Blood" Ulmer and performed regularly with blues guitar icon Hubert Sumlin. Produced by Vernon Reid (Living Colour), her featured vocals on James "Blood" Ulmer's No Escape From The Blues (Hyena) garnered praise while earning a spot in Rolling Stone's pick of The Best 50 CDs of 2003. Most recently, her songs and vocals and songwriting are present on Mr. Ulmer's much lauded black-folk effort Blues & Grass: The 52nd St. Blues Project (Chesky.) All Music Guide says: "(But) as great as (Blues & Grass) is, Ulmer fans have heard much of this music before; the real revelation on this album is Queen Esther, whose uplifting songs and great singing are definite highlights on a consistently strong album. Just see if you can get 'Sunnyland' or 'I'm Goin' out of your head at the end of the disc."
Queen Esther is the featured vocalist on Underneath A Brooklyn Moon, Grammy Award-nominated composer/pianist JC Hopkins' Biggish Band's debut CD. The band is a thirteen piece line-up of celebrated New York City musicians (Patience Higgins, James Zollar, Vincent Chancey) and guest vocalists/songwriters (Madelene Peroux, Norah Jones, Syd Straw) that highlights original swing tunes and hard bop. Of her performance on the recording, Jazzitude says: "(Queen Esther's) work on this CD is ultra-hip, not because of who she reminds the listener of, but precisely because, whatever influences she brings to the table, she manages to make you think of no one but herself."
After securing a publishing deal with Bug Music, Queen Esther started EL Recordings and self-released Talkin' Fishbowl Blues, her full length debut CD of Black Americana, in September, 2004. If Keith fired Mick and decided to let Tina Turner front the band with Gram Parsons riding shotgun, they would sound a lot like this music. A Southerner by the grace of God, her unique sound - Black Americana - is a hybrid of the music that raised her: back-porch blues, straight-up old timey twang, sanctified gospel and 70's country rock.
Rooted in her Southern upbringing, infused by her Texas experience and nurtured on the world famous stages and venues in New York City, Queen Esther is poised to bring a new sound to the world.
Theater
Queen Esther was one of thirty high school juniors chosen to attend the Governor’s Honors Program in the State of Georgia in theater. She was also one of twenty-five high school seniors to attend The National Foundation for the Arts’ Arts Recognition and Talent Search in acting, receiving a Merit Award and subsequent numerous university scholarships. After completing a BA in Screenwriting from The New School (New York City), Queen Esther immersed herself in the alternative theater scene by developing/writing/performing The Moxie Show, a one person performance art piece that was subsequently featured at Dixon Place, Performance Space 122 and Samuel Beckett Theater. She joined The Worth Street Theater Company after the success of her role in their critically acclaimed and controversial Off- Broadway production of Whoa, Jack! a controversial adaptation of Buchner’s Woyzeck. She wrote/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 St. 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. Queen Esther began work on The Big Payback, a socio-political romp about reparations, which she continues to develop.
In the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster, Queen Esther hosted and performed in Tribeca Playhouse’s Stagedoor Canteen, a weekly hour-long USO-style variety show 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 Phyllicia Rashaad, Sandy Duncan, Joey McIntyre, Tony Award winners Cady Huffman, Kristin Chenoweth, Daisy Eagan, Broadway performers Annie Golden, Sada Ramirez, Lea Dalaria, Willy Falk, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Darius DeHaas, Aisha DeHaas and many others. Subsequently, the critically acclaimed show won a 2002 Drama Desk Award.
Theatrical credits include: RENT (Seasons of Love soloist), Original Cast/First National Tour; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Titania/Hypolyta), Princeton Rep; Bernstein’s MASS (Streetsinger), Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Robert Shaw, conductor. Queen Esther’s performance as various and sundry characters in George C. Wolfe’s new musical Harlem Song resulted in an Audelco Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This critically acclaimed effort holds the distinction of being the very first theatrical production in the 89-year history of the world-famous Apollo Theater to receive an open-ended run