Queens Stories: The Story of Tim Maurer

Queens Stories is a series of character-driven journalistic documentaries with a positive message. These are the real stories that demand to be told, from the voices of the people who need to be heard. Stories that include: The empowerment of human trafficking victims by human trafficking survivor...the three lives saved by a father’s decision to donate his son’s organs after his death...an Afghan refugee building a normal life in the USA after escaping from war-torn Afghanistan and finding shelter in Pakistan. These are stories from our community: the voices of people who inspire us to be kinder to one another every day. This episode features Tim Maurer. Tim Maurer has been singing for over 40 years with his first solo performance coming at the age of 14 in a choir that his mother directed. He would go on to sing in later years with the 6-time Grammy Award winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir as a soloist, and would travel the world as part of the choir. Tim would also serve with the New York City Police Department for 20 years, and he would also find himself singing for the NYPD’s ceremonial unit. One of Tim’s most profound moments of singing would occur in December of 2014. Tim would have the honor of singing for the funeral of fellow officer Det. Rafael Ramos, who was gunned down in his patrol car along with his partner. In attendance would be Vice President Of The United States Joe Biden, Governor Mario Cuomo, and Mayor Bill de Blasio, along with numerous honored guests. Currently, Tim is performing a one-man musical called “On The Radio” in an unplugged format in Astoria Queens. “On The Radio” is an autobiographical depiction of Tim’s life in a storytelling and musical format, with songs that influenced his life that he heard on the radio at different times in his life. There are also several original songs by Tim in the show. According to Tim, “On The Radio” is not only a show, but it also is a presentation that he hopes would inspire and bring a level of hope to those who may be going through a painful experience in their lives.