Marcia Ball
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| Marcia Ball | |
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 Marcia Ball in concert (2005)
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 20, 1949 Orange, Texas, United States |
| Genre(s) | R&B Blues |
| Occupation(s) | musician |
| Instrument(s) | Piano Vocals |
| Years active | 1970-present |
| Associated acts | Lou Ann Barton Angela Strehli Irma Thomas Tracy Nelson |
| Website | Marcia Ball.com |
Marcia Ball (born March 20, 1949, Orange, Texas[1]) is an American blues singer and pianist, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton, Louisiana.[1]
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[edit] Career
Born into a musical family, Ball began playing piano at age 5, and showed an early interest in New Orleans style piano playing, as exemplified by Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, and James Booker. Ball entered Louisiana State University in the late 1960s as an English major.[1] In college, she played in a psychedelic rock and roll band, called Gum.[1] In 1970, at age 21, she started a progressive country band called Freda and the Firedogs in Austin, Texas, and began her solo career in 1974.
Ball is known for her piano style, which shows elements of zydeco, swamp blues, Louisiana blues and boogie woogie.[2] Her best-known recordings were released on Rounder Records in the 1980s and early 1990s. She was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
Her album, Sing It!, released in January 1998 was nominated for both a Grammy Award and a Blues Music Award as "Best Contemporary Blues Album." Ball also received the 1998 Blues Music Award for "Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year" and "Best Blues Instrumentalist-Keyboards."[3]
Ball, who has established herself as an important player in the club scenes in both New Orleans, Louisiana and Austin, continues to work at festivals and clubs throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.[1]
[edit] Discography
- 1972 Freda and the Firedogs
- 1978 Circuit Queen (Capitol)
- 1984 Soulful Dress (Rounder)
- 1985 Hot Tamale Baby (Rounder)
- 1989 Gatorhythms (Rounder)
- 1990 Dreams Come True (Antone's) (with Lou Ann Barton and Angela Strehli)
- 1994 Blue House (Rounder)
- 1997 Let Me Play With Your Poodle (Rounder)
- 1998 Sing It! (Rounder) (with Tracy Nelson and Irma Thomas)
- 2001 Presumed Innocent (Alligator)
- 2003 So Many Rivers (Alligator)
- 2004 Live at Waterloo Records (Alligator)
- 2005 Live! Down The Road (Alligator)
- 2007 JazzFest Live (MunckMusic\Munck)
- 2008 Peace, Love & BBQ (Alligator)
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Festival appearances
- San Francisco Blues Festival - 1984
- Long Beach Blues Festival - 1996
- Thursday at the Square - 2002
- Monterey Jazz Festival - 2002
- Austin City Limits Music Festival - 2004
- National Folk Festival (USA) - 2005
- Portland (Ore.) Waterfront Blues Festival - 2007
- New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival - 2007, 2008
[edit] See also
- List of blues musicians
- List of boogie woogie musicians
- List of Louisiana blues musicians
- List of Swamp blues musicians
- List of people from Texas
- List of Austinites
- Music of Austin
- Lake Eden Arts Festival
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ball, Marcia |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Blues singer and pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 20, 1949 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Orange, Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
