About Darrell

I was born and raised in a gospel-singing family in Southern Illinois where my parents, brother and sister and I traveled to various churches and provided special music and concerts. In 1973, I graduated from high school and started singing in a men's quartet where we had the opportunity to go to Nashville and record an album. We sang together for about a year. In 1976, I joined a men's trio named The Shiloh's and we were together for about two years. We also had the privilege of going to Nashville to record an album.

In 1980, I started working in the coal mine in Carmi, Illinois and continued working there for 14 years. In 1981 I met and married my wife, Gayla and we remained married for 21 years until her death in 2002. During our marriage, we were very involved in our local church, working in the youth group, and raising our two daughters, Kami and Alea. While working in the coal mine, I traveled to area churches to sing as a soloist.

In 1994, I left the coal mine to start a seamless gutter business with my wife, but still God wanted me to sing. In 1999, God provided the opportunity for me to join Danny Sheldon at the Three Angel Broadcasting Network where I regularly sang as a soloist and appeared on their television broadcasts. In between my work for them, I traveled all over the country, singing in various churches. It was during this time that God provided another opportunity to record. My CD "All of The Above" was released in 2001.

On October 18, 2002, I experienced the tragic loss of my wife, Gayla, due to an accident while she was working with me in our gutter business. This event changed my life and, while devastating to me and my family, gave me an opportunity to draw close to God and realize how trustworthy He is. I saw how much I needed God and my faith grew as a result of that need. I quickly learned how to rely on, depend on and trust in a God that wants nothing more than to comfort, encourage and heal the broken-hearted.

During the grieving period, God laid something else on my heart to share with people, and that is how important it is to treasure our relationships while we have them, and how we need to make sure that our spouses and families hear those words of love from us. You never know when we or one of our loved ones will be called Home.

I'm excited about God's calling on my life but even more so, I am humbled and honored that God would want to use me to sing for Him and spread His message of love.

Just a few months after my wife's death, I had the opportunity to join another men's trio. We were called One Voice and, as the name depicts, we were known for our close harmony. We recorded and released a CD in 2003. We sang together for 3 1/2 years, but the two other men had jobs and young families and couldn't sing as often as I felt lead to.

In August of 2002, I first started singing with The Heritage Singers, directed by Max Mace. I was invited to join them on their annual Northwest Tour, sometimes as a fill-in singer, but often as a soloist. I continue to sing with them and have traveled with them to Jamaica, Hawaii, and all over the country. I have felt very honored to be invited along to travel and sing with such a Godly group of people!

In 2004, I returned to the studio to record my third CD, "Armor of God." God put the words of the title song, taken from Ephesians 6, in my heart as a friend and I wrote the song:

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me, so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel.
Ephesians 6:19-20

In 2006, God gave me the opportunity to record my fourth CD, "Just A Rose Will Do." This CD is a tribute to my gospel-singing heritage, starting with my grandmother and continuing through the life of my parents and now my own life. It is more traditional in nature and includes many of the old hymns. My grandmother would have wholeheartedly approved of it! I first heard my grandmother sing the title song, "Just A Rose Will Do," in church as a little boy. My grandmother died on Christmas of 2005 and this CD is dedicated to her and the legacy she left behind.

Another song on that CD that has great personal meaning for me is "I Want To Stroll Over Heaven With You." I wrote the third verse of that song to stress that as we feel the loss and grieve over the deaths of our loved ones, God promises to give us a new day when we can all be together again. Knowing this gives us great comfort as we watch people that we love pass on to a better place. We will be with them again in that better place and it will be a wonderful time of reunion and joy, not only because we will be with our loved ones again, but will be with them in the presence of our Lord and Savior!

Today, I continue to feel the same God-given call on my life, though I have been pondering the idea of secular work for financial reasons. But when I start leaning that way, God's Holy Spirit speaks right up and says, "What did I tell you to do with your life? The life I gave you? That beautiful singing voice that I gave you? That I use for My glory to show people who I am and how much I love them? What are you thinking, Darrell?" Yes, He kind of lets me have it with both barrels, so I will continue to step out in faith and sing. I will continue to live my life for Him in full-time ministry.

My prayer is that I grow stronger in the Lord everyday and that whenever I open my mouth to sing, people will hear, see and come to believe in the saving Grace of Jesus, for that is truly the mystery of the Gospel!

Praise God and God Bless you!

--Darrell

Marshall Ministry Board Members

Pictured Left to Right:
Pastor Ken Rager lives with his wife Rita in Carmi, Illinois. They have two sons and one granddaughter.
John Harris lives in Mt. Vernon, Indiana with his wife Cristie and three sons. They attend Harvestime Temple Assembly of God church.
Darrell Marshall is pictured on the right.

Ken and John are prayer warriors who help hold me accountable and pray for me as I travel. These are wonderful men of God, and when you pray for me, please include them in your prayers also.
--Darrell