Glenn "Chester" Marshall was born on March 20, 1926. He was the youngest of seven boys and had 3 sisters. Growing up in his early years, he and his family experienced the hard times of the Great Depression. During the Depression, his dad, 'Thorna Marshall and his older brothers cut cross ties with broad axes for the W. P. & A Railroad. His dad also worked in the coal mines. Chester along with the younger brothers & sisters worked hard at home helping their mother with gardening, canning, taking care of the livestock, cutting firewood, etc. Everyone worked extremely hard during those times just to survive. But, no matter how rough it was, Chester always had a sense of humor & developed the gift of music & singing at an early age. After a long hard day of work for this little fellow (at around age 6), you could find him sitting on a stack of firewood in the corner of the living room playing his guitar & singing. There was a big pot-bellied heating stove in the middle of the room. Sometimes an older brother or sister would join in. There was no television, so many times, this was the family's way to relax & entertain. They did have a radio & listened to live radio shows & the Grand Ole Opry on the weekends. As Chester grew, so did his love & talent for music & singing. In his late teens & early twenties, he and his brother Mennis sung together & played guitars. They were asked to sing at various churches and homecomings & public gatherings. As their popularity grew, they appeared on different radio programs & also performed at the well-known Wheeling Jamboree in Wheeling, W.Va. During those years, the brothers sung at various tent revivals. These were "outdoor" churches where an evangelist preacher would set up a big tent with several hundred chairs & a platform under it. People would drive from near & far. Services usually started at 4 or 5 pm in the afternoon & go until 1 or 2 am the next morning. These revivals would last sometimes for weeks at a time. Chester & Mennis would sing for hours each evening. Chester recalled one revival where they sung as many as 60 nights in a row. It was at one such revival that he met a beautiful young Christian lady named Angeline. It was love at first sight and a few weeks later, they were married. Their wedding ceremony was performed right there under the big revival tent. The Marshall Duet changed to a trio when Angeline joined in singing a harmony part. They continued to sing at different tent revivals & churches for quite a while. After a few years, as Chester & Angeline's family began to grow, the brothers went their separate ways. Chester always had a guitar around. Later he bought a banjo & a mandolin. When the children were young, they started taking interest in the instruments just like he did as a kid. He taught them the basics on each instrument & then they took it from there. There interest in music & singing was certainly attributed to limitations on television & other outside entertainment (supervised by mother). Angeline was also very strict about church attendance. She used to always remind the children that church attendance was just as important as school attendance - no excuses! So, as the young "Marshall Family" grew, so did their talent & interest in Gospel singing. As Chester trained his young troupe to harmonize, he was persistent and had a natural ear for harmony. If any were the slightest bit off key, he would stop everyone & find the culprit. After a little coaching & effort, they would be back on track in harmony. As young teenagers, along with "Pop" (as he became known after the group started appearing in public), "The Marshall Family" began performing at local churches in Ohio & then branched out to other surrounding states. As their popularity began to grow, they appeared on various radio & television shows. In 1974 they performed at Ralph Stanley's Hills of Home Bluegrass Festival in Virginia. This was their fist appearance at a bluegrass festival, but it opened the door to many major festival events throughout the United States during the next several years. Audiences everywhere enjoyed Pop's guitar playing and bass singing. In the spring of 1975, the group was signed to Rebel Records. Pop had already been a long time fan of Ralph Stanley & his brother Carter. As a young man, he had collected most of their recordings. So, in 1974, after meeting Ralph, Pop was thrilled when Ralph really liked "The Marshall Family" sound and harmony. They became good friends and remained so in the years to follow. In October, 1974 The Marshall Family performed for the first time on the Grand Ole Opry on Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Show and also at the famous Ernest Tubb's Record Shop in Nashville, Tn. They appeared at other times also on the Grand Ole Opry during the following years. Pop was always thrilled, as this certainly was a dream come true for this little boy that grew up during the Depression. In 1977 the governor of Kentucky awarded Pop the Kentucky Colonel award in honor of his contributions to bluegrass music. The Marshall Family established a wide audience with their unique songwriting skills, superb harmony (thanks to Pop!) and their own style of bluegrass gospel. They created a style that many groups have since followed. It has been said, the greatest compliment is when someone tries to imitate. Pop smiled back then when he realized his children were setting an example & others started following. In 1984, the group disbanded after Angeline passed away. She was like the rock of the family. And without her prayers, faith & support, they did not have the heart to go on as a family group. They all went their individual ways, some still involved in music, songwriting and various recording projects throughout the years to come. Pop always offered his support and encouragement to his children as a family group and after they went on individually. He recorded on some of the individual recordings, live performances, etc. He just had the greatest love for music and good gospel singing. Pop went on home to be with Mamma on Oct. 29, 2006. He will be sadly missed by all, but his legacy will live on for many years to come. Judy recalls: "My daddy always encouraged us kids to sing gospel. I never remember him ever asking me to sing anything other than a gospel song. Now that he is gone, that just means so much to me. He was not a rich man, by the measures of this world, but was truly rich with talent and the gift of music and singing. He had so much wit and humor and could always see the "funny" side of life. I sure do miss him. But, I will continue to play my guitar and sing as my daddy taught me."