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Marcia Ball (born March 20 1949, Orange
Orange, Texas

Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, Texas, United States. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, Texas, and is the easternmost city in Texas....
, Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
 singer and pianist
Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an musical ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton
Vinton, Louisiana

Vinton is a town in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,338 at the 2000 United States Census. It is part of the Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles metropolitan area....
, Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
.

into a musical family, Ball began playing piano
Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition 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 is a classic Rhythm and blues and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter....
, Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair

Professor Longhair was a New Orleans blues singer and pianist. Byrd is noteworthy for having been active in two distinct periods, both in the heyday of early rhythm and blues, and in the resurgence of interest in traditional jazz after the founding of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival....
, and James Booker
James Booker

James Carroll Booker III was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, son and grandson of Baptist ministers, both of whom played the piano....
. Ball entered Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a state university, coeducational, Level l Research University located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System....
 in the late 1960s as an English major
Academic major

An academic major, major concentration, concentration, or simply major is mainly a United States and Canada term for a college or university student's main field of specialization during his or her undergraduate studies which would be in addition to, and may incorporate portions of, a core curriculum....
. In college, she played in a psychedelic
Psychedelic

The word 'psychedelic' is an English term coined from the Greek language words for "soul," ???? , and "manifest," d???? . A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters....
 rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 band
Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:...
, called Gum.






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Marcia Ball (born March 20 1949, Orange
Orange, Texas

Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, Texas, United States. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, Texas, and is the easternmost city in Texas....
, Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
 singer and pianist
Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an musical ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton
Vinton, Louisiana

Vinton is a town in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,338 at the 2000 United States Census. It is part of the Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles metropolitan area....
, Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
.

Career

Born into a musical family, Ball began playing piano
Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition 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 is a classic Rhythm and blues and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter....
, Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair

Professor Longhair was a New Orleans blues singer and pianist. Byrd is noteworthy for having been active in two distinct periods, both in the heyday of early rhythm and blues, and in the resurgence of interest in traditional jazz after the founding of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival....
, and James Booker
James Booker

James Carroll Booker III was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, son and grandson of Baptist ministers, both of whom played the piano....
. Ball entered Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a state university, coeducational, Level l Research University located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System....
 in the late 1960s as an English major
Academic major

An academic major, major concentration, concentration, or simply major is mainly a United States and Canada term for a college or university student's main field of specialization during his or her undergraduate studies which would be in addition to, and may incorporate portions of, a core curriculum....
. In college, she played in a psychedelic
Psychedelic

The word 'psychedelic' is an English term coined from the Greek language words for "soul," ???? , and "manifest," d???? . A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters....
 rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 band
Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:...
, called Gum. In 1970, at age 21, she started a progressive country
Progressive country

Progressive country is a subgenre of 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 of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Travis County, Texas. Situated in Central Texas and part of the Southwestern United States, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 16th-largest in the United States....
, 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. In practice this means a number of different things, depending on the type of music and the context....
 career in 1974.

Ball is known for her piano style, which shows elements of zydeco
Zydeco

'Zydeco' is a form of American roots or traditional music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 20th century from forms of Louisiana Creole music....
, swamp blues
Swamp blues

Swamp blues is a form of blues music that is highly evolved and specialized. It arose from the Louisiana blues and is known for its laidback rhythms which dominate a music that is simultaneously funky and often lighthearted — for a blues sub-genre....
, Louisiana blues
Louisiana blues

The Louisiana blues is a type of blues music that is characterized by plodding rhythms that make the sound dark and tense. As a result of this sound, a subgenre appeared called swamp blues , which emphasizes the dark sound and laidback rhythms of the standard Louisiana blues....
 and boogie woogie. Her best-known recordings
Sound recording and reproduction

Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical or mechanics inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects....
 were released on Rounder Records
Rounder Records

Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is an independent record label founded in 1970 in music by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students....
 in the 1980s and early 1990s. She was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 1990.

Her album
Album

An album or record album is a collection of related Sound recording and reproduction or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites....
, Sing It!, released in January 1998 was nominated for both a Grammy Award
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements 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."

Ball, who has established herself as an important player in the club
Nightclub

A nightclub is a Alcoholic beverage, Dance and entertainment Music venue which does its primary business after dark. People who frequent nightclubs are known as clubbers....
 scenes in both New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
, Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
 and Austin, 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....
 and clubs throughout the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending 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, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
.

Discography

  • 1972 Freda and the Firedogs
  • 1978 Circuit Queen (Capitol
    Capitol Records

    Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood, California and New York City as part of Capitol Music Group....
    )
  • 1984 Soulful Dress
    Soulful Dress

    Soulful Dress is a blues album by Marcia Ball, released in 1984 through Rounder Records....
     (Rounder)
  • 1985 Hot Tamale Baby
    Hot Tamale Baby

    Hot Tamale Baby is a blues album by Marcia Ball, released in April 1985 by Rounder Records....
     (Rounder)
  • 1989 Gatorhythms
    Gatorhythms

    Gatorhythms is a blues album by Marcia Ball, it was released in 1989 by Rounder Records.Track Listing1. "How You Carry On" - 2:42...
     (Rounder)
  • 1990 Dreams Come True (Antone's) (with Lou Ann Barton
    Lou Ann Barton

    Lou Ann Barton is an US roadhouse blues singer based out of Austin, Texas, Texas since the 1970s. She recorded the album "Old Enough" for Asylum Records in 1982, a well-received recording that was co-produced by the legendary Jerry Wexler and Glenn Frey....
     and Angela Strehli)
  • 1994 Blue House
    Blue House (album)

    Blue House is a blues album by Marcia Ball, it was released in 1994 by Rounder Records.Track Listing1. "Red Beans" - 4:092. "The Facts of Life" - 5:44...
     (Rounder)
  • 1997 Let Me Play With Your Poodle
    Let Me Play With Your Poodle

    Let Me Play With Your Poodle is a blues album by Marcia Ball, it was released on 24 June 1997 through Rounder Records.Track Listing...
     (Rounder)
  • 1998 Sing It! (Rounder) (with Tracy Nelson
    Tracy Nelson (singer)

    Tracy Nelson is an United States singer....
     and Irma Thomas
    Irma Thomas

    Irma Thomas is a Grammy Award winning soul music and rhythm and blues singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans."...
    )
  • 2001 Presumed Innocent (Alligator
    Alligator Records

    Alligator Records is a Chicago-based independent record label blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971 in music. Iglauer started the label with his own small savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record....
    )
  • 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)


Filmography

  • 2003 The Blues
    The Blues (film)

    The Blues is a 2003 documentary film 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 Eastwood
    Clint Eastwood

    Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American actor, film director, film producer and composer. He is known for his tough guy, anti-hero acting roles in Action films and western films, particularly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s....
  • 2006 New Orleans Music in Exile
    New Orleans Music in Exile

    New Orleans Music in Exile is a Documentary film/ music film that was made in 2006 and released on DVD on August 7, 2007. It was directed by Robert Mugge....


Festival appearances

  • San Francisco Blues Festival
    San Francisco Blues Festival

    Debuting 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
  • Long Beach Blues Festival
    Long Beach Blues Festival

    The Long Beach Blues Festival, in Long Beach, California, is one of the largest Blues festivals and is the second oldest on the West coast of the United States ....
     - 1996
  • Thursday at the Square
    Thursday at the Square

    Thursday at the Square is a free weekly concert series held annually from May through September in Buffalo, New York in Downtown Buffalo in Lafayette Square, Buffalo....
     - 2002
  • Monterey Jazz Festival
    Monterey Jazz Festival

    The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuting on October 3, 1958 and was founded the by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster James L....
     - 2002
  • Austin City Limits Music Festival
    Austin City Limits Music Festival

    The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day music and art festival in Austin, Texas's Zilker Park. The Festival brings together more than 130 bands on eight stages, including rock, country, folk, indie, Americana, hip-hop, reggae, and bluegrass, and attracts a crowd of about 65,000 visitors each day....
     - 2004
  • 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
  • Portland (Ore.) Waterfront Blues Festival - 2007
  • New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival - 2007, 2008


See also

  • List of blues musicians
    List of blues musicians

    Performers in the blues style range from primitive, one-chord Delta players to big bands to country music to rock and roll to european classical music....
  • List of boogie woogie musicians
    List of boogie woogie musicians

    Among the many Boogie-woogie musicians are not only blues players, but rock and roll, and country musicians as well, and at least one european classical music....
  • List of Louisiana blues musicians
    List of Louisiana blues musicians

    The following is a list of Louisiana blues musicians....
  • List of Swamp blues musicians
    List of swamp blues musicians

    The following is a list of swamp blues musicians....
  • List of people from Texas
    List of people from Texas

    The following are people who were either born/raised or have lived for a significant period of time in Texas....
  • List of Austinites
    List of Austinites

    Famous current and former Austin, Texas residents include:*Harry Anderson ? actor, comic, magician*Wes Anderson ? film director*Clifford Antone ? music impresario...
  • Music of Austin
    Music of Austin

    File:SRV.jpegThe music of Austin, Texas centers on 6th Street , Red River, and South Congress, where bars and clubs of every kind can be found....
  • Lake Eden Arts Festival
    Lake Eden Arts Festival

    Lake 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

  • Le Show
    Le Show

    Le 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: