Glen David Andrews was born on April 26, 1980, in the historic Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans. He comes from one of the city’s great musical families: his brother Derrick Tabb plays snare drum for the Rebirth Brass Band; his cousin Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is one of the most celebrated instrumentalists in contemporary New Orleans music; and his grandfather Jesse Hill recorded “Ooh Poo Pa Doo,” an enduring R&B classic. Andrews learned the brass band tradition firsthand from Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen.
Starting on bass drum as a child, Andrews picked up trombone and was playing with the New Birth and Lil’ Rascals brass bands by his early teens. His voice — a rasping, soaring instrument that moves from Louis Armstrong growl to Al Green falsetto — became his second calling card. His 2008 album Walking Through Heaven’s Gate, recorded live at Zion Hill Baptist Church with a full choir, appeared on the Grammy nominating ballot for Best Traditional Gospel Album but was never nominated.
