Leggy spitfire Marcia Ball's ebullient piano-playing evokes the spice and swamp of Louisiana, where she was raised, and the bounce of roadhouse rock from Texas, where she was born. She's in the privileged company of a small number of women who can produce authentic roadhouse blues graced with notable songwriting skills.
Ball grew up in a family of piano players, and while at Louisiana State University she started a bluesy rock band called Gum. Famously, on her way to San Francisco in 1970, her car broke down in the music hub of Austin, where she eventually set up shop. Her skills at barroom boogie made her a natural fit for the city's vibrant club scene, where she formed her second band, Freda and the Firedogs (whose one and only storied recording was produced by Jerry Wexler). She released her first solo album, Circuit Queen, in 1978.
Across her 30-year career, with long stints on both Rounder and Alligator, Ball has proven herself to be consistent in the studio and a joy to behold on stage, drawing Grammy and W.C. Handy Blues awards nominations along the way. She's also shown a deft ability to handpick ideal collaborators, and — although she writes the majority of the material she records — she owns fine covers by songwriters including Clifton Chenier, Joe Ely, Delbert McClinton and Allen Toussaint. Her non-solo recordings include the nicely received Dreams Come True (1990) with Lou Ann Barton and Angela Strehli, and Sing It! (1998) with Tracy Nelson and Irma Thomas. Her 2008 album, Peace, Love & BBQ, features a whole backyard of friends including Terrance Simien, Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack, Stephen Bruton (who also produced) and Wayne Toups.
Provenance: Orange, Texas
Latest Release: Peace, Love & BBQ (2008)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Marcia Ball
