Marcia Ball: Blues Singer & Pianist

“Fifty years have passed in a flash,” says pianist, songwriter, and vocalist Marcia Ball of her long and storied career.  Ball, the 2018 Texas State Musician Of The Year, has won worldwide fame and countless fans for her ability to ignite a full-scale roadhouse party every time she takes the stage. Born in Orange, Texas and raised in Vinton, Louisiana, her deep Acadian heritage and a lifetime of absorbing Gulf Coast rhythm and blues is evident in her original songs and the classics she chooses to cover.  This has made her a one-of-a-kind favorite with music lovers all over the world.  With each new release, her reputation as a profoundly soulful singer, a boundlessly talented pianist and a courageous, inventive songwriter continues to grow. Her love of the road has led to years of soul-satisfying performances at festivals, concert halls and clubs.

In Marcia’s most recent album, Shine Bright, she has put together the most musically substantial, hopeful and uplifting set of songs of her five-decade career.  Produced by Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) and recorded in Texas and Louisiana, Shine Bright contains twelve songs (including eight originals), ranging from the title track’s rousing appeal for public and private acts of courage to the upbeat call to action of Pots And Pans, a song inspired by renowned Texas political writer and humorist Molly Ivins.  From the humorous advice of Life Of The Party to the poignantly optimistic World Full Of Love, the intensity of Ball’s conviction never wavers while, simultaneously, the fun never stops.  “It is a ridiculously hopeful, cheerful record,” she says, in light of some of the album’s more serious subject matter.  The secret, according to Ball “is to set the political songs to a good dance beat.”

Marcia Ball - Blues Artist - pianist, songwriter, and vocalist
“A welcome ray of sunshine…Ball is a killer pianist, a great singer and songwriter. Potent blues, sweet zydeco, soulful, fast and furious Texas boogie…heartfelt, powerful and righteous.” – Billboard

Marcia Ball - Blues Artist - pianist, songwriter, and vocalist
Marcia grew up in a family whose female members all played piano and she began taking lessons at age five, playing old Tin Pan Alley and popular music tunes from her grandmother’s collection.  But it wasn’t until she was 13 that Marcia discovered the power of soul music.  One day in 1962, she sat amazed as Irma Thomas performed on a show at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans and delivered the most spirited and moving performance the young teenager had ever seen.  A few years later she attended Louisiana State University and after dropping out to explore the brave new hippie world of the late 1960s, she was invited to try out for a blues-based rock band called Gum.  She made the cut and her future was set.

In 1970, Ball left Baton Rouge for San Francisco.  Her car broke down in Austin, and while waiting for repairs she fell in love with the city and decided to stay.  It wasn’t long before she was performing in local clubs with a band called Freda And The Firedogs, a group that pioneered the Progressive Country movement, which attracted many musicians and significant media attention to Austin.   It was around this time that she discovered Professor Longhair, the seminal New Orleans piano player.  “Once I found out about Professor Longhair,” recalls Ball, “I knew I had found my direction.”