Gloria Dean Gilchrist Calloway Larson (1933-2019) was born in Louisville, Kentucky, where she attended Virginia Avenue Elementary School and graduated from Central High School, the only Black public school in the city at that time. She attended Kentucky State College for a brief period, majoring in elementary education, before enrolling in Helena's Business College. She married Irvin Calloway, a U.S. Air Force non-commissioned officer at the Francis Warren Air Force Base, and they had three sons: Gregory L. Calloway, Reginald L. Calloway and Vincent L. Calloway. After the Calloways divorced, Gloria later married William Larson, the first Black Greyhound bus driver in the Louisville area, and they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1964 where Gloria worked for the City of Cincinnati's Manpower Planning Division and Department of Labor. She later purchased a home in the upper middle class North Avondale neighborhood and opened her first business, Larson's Flower Barn. James Brown, who was in town for recording sessions at King Records, attended the grand opening at Gloria's personal invitation. All three sons worked at Larson's Flower Barn and ice cream parlor, learning important aspects of business and entrepreneurship, until the business closed in 1970.

By the early 1970s, the Calloway family was immersed in the funk and jazz scene of the Dayton-Cincinnati corridor. The three brothers and two friends formed the jazz-fusion group SunChild and in 1975 released their first single on their own label, Starbound Records. For two summers SunChild served as the back-up band for Sonny Stitt. Desiring a more permanent group, Reggie formed the popular electro-funk band Midnight Star in the fall of 1976 during his senior year at Kentucky State University, and Vincent joined the group shortly thereafter. From 1976-1986, Gloria's primary focus was the management of Midnight Star with Gregory coming aboard in 1984 as vice president of business affairs through the company Midstar Music. They later signed other local bands, including The Deele featuring Antonio "L.A." Reid and Indianapolis native Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, as well as Sharp. Gloria and Gregory then formed Soundway Management and for the next five years Sharp became their principle account.

When Reggie and Vincent left Midnight Star in 1986, they also entered the production and business side of the music industry. Reggie wrote and produced with Vincent the 1987 Grammy-nominated hit single "Casanova" for the group LeVert, and both brothers received writing credits on Teddy Pendergrass's 1988 hit single "Joy." The family also opened Crystal Clear Sound Studios in Cincinnati. Gloria was a dedicated community servant who helped to mentor and develop young artists in Cincinnati by coordinating the youth talent festivals Nati Live (1992-1993) and Back on the Block (1992-2002) in conjunction with the City of Cincinnati and with the assistance and participation of various family members. During this time she also formed Gloria Larson Entertainment and the non-profit, Horizons Unlimited, as a platform to educate emerging artists. Gregory went on to earn an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management and became the Associate Executive Director of Finance for the American Library Association (ALA). Prior to her death, Gloria moved to California to join her sons Reggie and Vincent, who remain active in the music industry.