More Info on Marcia BallSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist|name = Marcia Ball|image = MarciaBall.jpg|caption = Marcia Ball in concert (2005)|background = solo_singer|birth_name =|birth_date = birth date and age|mf=y|1949|3|20|birth_place = Orange, Texas|Orange , Texas , United States |death_date =|origin =|instrument = Piano Singing|Vocals |genre = New Orleans R& B Swamp blues Louisiana blues Texas blues |occupation = Musician |years_active = 1970–present|associated_acts = Lou Ann Barton Angela Strehli Irma Thomas Tracy Nelson (singer)|Tracy Nelson |website = http://www.marciaball.com/ Marcia Ball.com Marcia Ball (born March 20, 1949, Orange, Texas|Orange , Texas , United States )Allmusic|class=artist|id=p265/biography|pure_url=yes Allmusic biography is an United States|American blues singing|singer and pianist , born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton, Louisiana|Vinton , Louisiana . She was described in USA Today as "a sensation, saucy singer and superb pianist... where Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana blues-swamp meet."Gundersen, Edna. http://www.usatoday.com USA Today, February 5, 2006 The Boston Globe described her music as "an irresistible celebratory blend of rollicking, two-fisted New Orleans piano, Louisiana swamp-rock and smoldering Texas blues from a contemporary storyteller."citation | last = Gilbert | first = Andrew | title = A Gulf Coast treasure breaks out | newspaper = Boston Globe | url = http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/02/19/a_gulf_coast_treasure_breaks_out/ | date = 19 February 2006 | accessdate = 26 October 2009
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 . She has named Irma Thomas , the New Orleans vocalist, as her chief vocal inspiration. Ball entered Louisiana State University in the late 1960s as an English (language)|English Academic major|major . In college, she played in a psychedelic rock and roll band (music)|band , called Gum. In 1970, at age 21, she started a progressive country band called Freda and the Firedogs in Austin, Texas , and began her solo (music)|solo career in 1974.cite book | first= Tony | last= Russell | year= 1997 | title= The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray | edition= | publisher=Carlton Books Limited | location= Dubai | pages= 90 | isbn= 1-85868-255-X
Ball is known for her piano style, which shows elements of zydeco , swamp blues , Louisiana blues and boogie woogie . http://blues.about.com/od/marciaball/p/blproMarciaBall.htm Blues.about.com biography She began her recording career as a solo artist with Rounder Records in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 2001, she joined Chicago-based Alligator Records .
Her Rounder album , Sing It! , which also featured vocalists Irma Thomas and Tracy Nelson (singer)|Tracy Nelson , 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." http://www.rosebudus.com/ball/LiveDownTheRoad.html The Rosebud Agency Bio She was awarded “Contemporary Blues Album of the Year” for her albums Presumed Innocent (2002) and So Many Rivers (2004). The same yearshe also won “Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year-Female.” She won the "Best Blues Instrumentalist-Keyboards" again in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009. Her 2003 Alligator release, So Many Rivers, was nominated for a Grammy as were Live& #33; Down The Road (2005) and Peace, Love& BBQ (2008). She was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
Ball has continued to work with Irma Thomas. In 2006, the two contributed a duet ("Look Up") on the New Orleans Social Club release, Sing Me Back Home ( Burgundy Records /Honey Darling Records). In 2007, the two contributed another duet ("I Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind") to '' Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino ( Vanguard Records ).
Ball, who has established herself as an important player in the nightclub|club scenes in both New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans , Louisiana and Austin, Texas|Austin continues to work at music festival|festivals and clubs throughout the United States , Canada , and Europe . The currentwhen? |date=April 2012 band members are Ball (piano, vocals); Don Bennett (bass, vocals); Mike Schermer (guitar, vocals); Damien Llanes (drums, vocals); Thad Scott (saxophone). http://www.marciaball.com Marciaball.com
Discography
Solo or principal artist
2011: Roadside Attractions (Alligator Records) - Grammy nominated album
http://www.marciaball.com/ Official Marcia Ball website
IMDb name|1274765
myspace|marciaballband
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marcia-Ball/106204424717 Marcia Ball at Facebook
http://www.dirtynelson.com/linen/feature/62ball.html Fan site
Le Show interview: cite web | url= http://media.harryshearer.com/? ProgramID=473 | last=Shearer | first=Harry |authorlink=Harry Shearer | title=le Show | publisher=HarryShearer.com | date=May 8, 2005 | accessdate=January 5, 2009
Persondata|NAME=Ball, Marcia |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION= American blues singer and pianist |DATE OF BIRTH=March 20, 1949 |PLACE OF BIRTH=Orange, Texas, United States |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH= DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Marcia Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:People from Orange, Texas Category:American blues singers Category:Musicians from Texas Category:American female singers Category:Louisiana blues musicians Category:American blues pianists Category:Swamp blues musicians Category:People from Austin, Texas Category:People from Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana Category:Musicians from Louisiana
