Marcia Ball
Encyclopedia
Marcia Ball is an American
blues
singer and pianist
, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in 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." 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."
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 major
. In college, she played in a psychedelic
rock and roll
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
career in 1974.
Ball is known for her piano style, which shows elements of zydeco
, swamp blues
, Louisiana blues
and boogie woogie. 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
, 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." She was awarded “Contemporary Blues Album of the Year” for her albums Presumed Innocent (2002) and So Many Rivers (2004). The same year she 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! 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 club
scenes in both New Orleans
, Louisiana
and Austin
continues to work at festivals
and clubs throughout the United States
, Canada
, and Europe
. The current band members are Ball (piano, vocals); Don Bennett (bass, vocals); Mike Schermer (guitar, vocals); Damien Llanes (drums, vocals); Thad Scott (saxophone).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton
Vinton, Louisiana
Vinton is a town in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,338 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History of Vinton:...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. She was described in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
as "a sensation, saucy singer and superb pianist... where Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana blues-swamp meet." 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."
Career
Born into a musical family, Ball began playing pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
at age 5, and showed an early interest in New Orleans style piano playing, as exemplified by Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
, Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair was a New Orleans blues singer and pianist...
, and James Booker
James Booker
James Carroll Booker III was a jazz, New Orleans rhythm and blues and soul musician born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.-Biography:...
. She has named Irma Thomas
Irma Thomas
Irma Thomas is an American Grammy Award-winning soul and rhythm and blues singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans"....
, the New Orleans vocalist, as her chief vocal inspiration. Ball entered Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in the late 1960s as an English major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
. In college, she played in a psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, called Gum. In 1970, at age 21, she started a progressive country
Progressive country
Progressive country is a subgenre of Texas country music started in the early 1970s in Austin, Texas. The term was coined by programmers at Austin's KOKE-FM in 1972 as a way to differentiate the style of country music in Austin from that being made in Nashville...
band called Freda and the Firedogs in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and began her solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career in 1974.
Ball is known for her piano style, which shows elements of zydeco
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
, swamp blues
Swamp blues
Swamp blues, sometimes the Excello sound, is a sub-genre of blues music and a variation of Louisiana blues that developed around Baton Rouge in the 1950s and which reached a peak of popularity in the 1960s. It generally has a slow tempo and incorporates influences from other genres of music,...
, Louisiana blues
Louisiana blues
Louisiana blues is a genre of blues music that developed in the period after World War II in the state of Louisiana. It is generally divided into two major sub-genres, with the jazz-influenced New Orleans blues based around the city and the slower tempo swamp blues incorporating influences from...
and boogie woogie. She began her recording career as a solo artist with Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 2001, she joined Chicago-based Alligator Records
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is a Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971.Iglauer started the label with his own savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record...
.
Her Rounder album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Sing It!, which also featured vocalists Irma Thomas
Irma Thomas
Irma Thomas is an American Grammy Award-winning soul and rhythm and blues singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans"....
and Tracy Nelson
Tracy Nelson (singer)
-Youth in Wisconsin:Nelson was born and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. There she first learned about R&B music from WLAC radio in Nashville. In her teens, Nelson sang folk music in coffeehouses and with a group called The Fuller's Wood Singers and was lead singer in a band called The Fabulous...
, released in January 1998 was nominated for both a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
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." She was awarded “Contemporary Blues Album of the Year” for her albums Presumed Innocent (2002) and So Many Rivers (2004). The same year she 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! 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
Burgundy Records
Burgundy Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.- History :In January 2006 the Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group announced the launch of its new record label, Burgundy Records. The new Sony BMG SMG imprint label, which was spearheaded by former Executive...
/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
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino is a 2007 tribute album by various artists to Fats Domino, issued by Vanguard Records.-History:In contrast to an earlier tribute album, That's Fats: A Tribute to Fats Domino , which mostly contained previously released cover versions, Goin' Home: A Tribute to...
(Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
).
Ball, who has established herself as an important player in the club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
scenes in both New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
continues to work at festivals
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
and clubs throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The current band members are Ball (piano, vocals); Don Bennett (bass, vocals); Mike Schermer (guitar, vocals); Damien Llanes (drums, vocals); Thad Scott (saxophone).
Solo or principal artist
- 2011: Roadside Attractions (Alligator Records)
- 2008: Peace, Love & BBQ (AlligatorAlligator RecordsAlligator Records is a Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971.Iglauer started the label with his own savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record...
) - 2007: JazzFest Live (MunckMusic\Munck)
- 2005: Live! Down The Road (Alligator Records)
- 2004: Live at Waterloo Records (Alligator Records)
- 2003: So Many Rivers (Alligator)
- 2001: Presumed Innocent (Alligator Records)
- 1998: Sing It! (Rounder) (with Tracy NelsonTracy Nelson (singer)-Youth in Wisconsin:Nelson was born and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. There she first learned about R&B music from WLAC radio in Nashville. In her teens, Nelson sang folk music in coffeehouses and with a group called The Fuller's Wood Singers and was lead singer in a band called The Fabulous...
and Irma ThomasIrma ThomasIrma Thomas is an American Grammy Award-winning soul and rhythm and blues singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans"....
) - 1997: Let Me Play With Your PoodleLet Me Play With Your PoodleLet Me Play With Your Poodle is a blues album by Marcia Ball, it was released on 24 June 1997 through Rounder Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Marcia Ball except as noted.#"Let Me Play With Your Poodle" - 4:14...
(Rounder) - 1994: Blue HouseBlue House (album)Blue House is a blues album by Marcia Ball, it was released in 1994 by Rounder Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Marcia Ball except as noted.#"Red Beans" - 4:09#"The Facts of Life" - 5:44#"Down the Road" - 3:56...
(Rounder) - 1990: Dreams Come True (Antone's) (with Lou Ann BartonLou Ann BartonLou Ann Barton is an American blues singer based, out of Austin, Texas since the 1970s.-Biography:...
and Angela StrehliAngela StrehliAngela Strehli is an American electric blues singer and songwriter. She is also a Texas blues historian and impresario. Despite a sporadic recording career, Strehli spends time each year performing in Europe, the US and Canada.-Biography:In the early 1960s, Strehli learned the harmonica and bass...
) - 1989: GatorhythmsGatorhythmsGatorhythms is a blues album by Marcia Ball, it was released in 1989 by Rounder Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Marcia Ball except as noted.# "How You Carry On" - 2:42# "La Ti Da" - 3:42...
(Rounder) - 1985: Hot Tamale BabyHot Tamale BabyHot Tamale Baby is a blues album by Marcia Ball, released in April 1985 by Rounder Records.-Track listing:#"Never Like This Before" – 2:55#"I'm Gonna Forget About You" – 2:54#"Love's Spell" – 3:59...
(Rounder) - 1984: Soulful DressSoulful DressSoulful Dress is a blues album by Marcia Ball, released in 1984 through Rounder Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Marcia Ball except as noted.#"Soulful Dress" – 3:16#"Make Your Move Too Soon" – 3:19...
(Rounder) - 1978: Circuit Queen (CapitolCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
) - 1972: Freda and the Firedogs
Other contributions
- 2007: Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats DominoGoin' Home: A Tribute to Fats DominoGoin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino is a 2007 tribute album by various artists to Fats Domino, issued by Vanguard Records.-History:In contrast to an earlier tribute album, That's Fats: A Tribute to Fats Domino , which mostly contained previously released cover versions, Goin' Home: A Tribute to...
(Vanguard RecordsVanguard RecordsVanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
) Duet with Irma Thomas, "I Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind". - 2006: Sing Me Back Home New Orleans Social Club (Burgundy RecordsBurgundy RecordsBurgundy Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.- History :In January 2006 the Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group announced the launch of its new record label, Burgundy Records. The new Sony BMG SMG imprint label, which was spearheaded by former Executive...
/Honey Darling Records) Duet with Irma Thomas, "Look Up".
Filmography
- 2006: New Orleans Music in ExileNew Orleans Music in ExileNew Orleans Music in Exile is a documentary/ music film that was made in 2006 and released on DVD on August 7, 2007. It was directed by Robert Mugge.-Summary:...
- 2003: The BluesThe Blues (film)The Blues is a 2003 documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of blues music. In each of the seven episodes, a different director explores a stage in the development of the blues...
, episode Piano Blues directed by Clint EastwoodClint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
Festival appearances
- Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (Helena, AR) - 2010
- New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival - 2007, 2008, 2009
- Waterfront Blues FestivalWaterfront Blues FestivalThe Waterfront Blues Festival is an annual event in Portland, Oregon, United States featuring three to five days of performances by blues musicians. The festival started in 1988 and takes place in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, along the west bank of the Willamette River in downtown Portland...
(Portland, OR) - 2007 - National Folk Festival (USA)National Folk Festival (USA)The National Folk Festival is an itinerant folk festival in the United States. Since 1934, it has been run by the National Council for the Traditional Arts and has been presented in 26 communities around the nation...
- 2005 - Austin City Limits Music FestivalAustin City Limits Music FestivalThe Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park...
- 2004 - Monterey Jazz FestivalMonterey Jazz FestivalThe Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
- 2002 - Thursday at the SquareThursday at the SquareThursday at the Square is a free weekly concert series held annually from May through August in Buffalo, New York in Downtown Buffalo in Lafayette Square.-History:...
- 2002 - Long Beach Blues FestivalLong Beach Blues FestivalThe Long Beach Blues Festival, in Long Beach, California, was established in full in 1980, and is one of the largest Blues festivals and is the second oldest on the West Coast . It is held on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend. For many years it was held on the athletic field on the...
- 1996 - San Francisco Blues FestivalSan Francisco Blues FestivalDebuting in 1973, the San Francisco Blues Festival is the longest running blues festival in the United States. Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the blues festival to educate the public about the history and evolution of the blues...
- 1984
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 AustinMusic of AustinThe music of Austin, Texas, USA has gone beyond 6th Street and now includes other areas such as Red River, the University of Texas, the Warehouse District and Downtown, South Lamar, South Austin, East Austin and the Market District where bars and clubs of every kind can be found. Every night over...
- Lake Eden Arts FestivalLake Eden Arts FestivalLake Eden Arts Festival is a non-profit organization established to build community and enrich lives through the arts, locally and globally, through festivals, events, mentoring, and educational programs....
External links
- Official Marcia Ball website
- Marcia Ball at Facebook
- Fan site
- Le ShowLe ShowLe Show is a weekly syndicated public radio show hosted by satirist Harry Shearer.The program is a hodgepodge of satirical news commentary, music, and sketch comedy...
interview: