Marcia Ball
NewMusicforOldFolks says …
I spend a lot of time and space on this site raving about guitar players, and rightly so, there are some incredibly talented players featured here. But when it comes to Blues/Boogie Woogie piano players, there's only one Marcia Ball. Take a look at a YouTube video and you'll see what I'm talking about. Ball's Louisiana roots are obvious in her music, but there's some Texas and Arkansas mixed in there as well. The newest album, The Tattooed Lady and the Alligator Man, is very good, as is the Grammy nominated Roadside Attractions. And everyone should own a copy of "Let Me Play With Your Poodle."
Artist's Info
Website: marciaball.com
See her live: Tour dates
Record company: Alligator Records
Genre: Blues
If you like this, look into: Tab Benoit, Sonny Landreth, Delbert McClinton
Bio (From the artist's website)
The Texas-born, Louisiana-raised musical storyteller has earned worldwide fame for her ability to ignite a full-scale roadhouse rhythm and blues party every time she strolls onto the stage. Her groove-laden New Orleans boogie, deeply soulful ballads and rollicking Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite with music fans all over the world. In 2010, she was inducted into the Gulf Coast Hall Of Fame and in 2012 into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. She’s received a total of six Living Blues Awards and nine Blues Music Awards (and has a whopping 42 nominations). She’s received five Grammy Award nominations, including five of her six previous Alligator albums. Always a songwriter of renown, Ball delved deeper into songwriting than she ever had in her career with her Grammy-nominated 2010 Alligator release, Roadside Attractions, creating one of her best and most personal albums. (more)
Spotify sampler
Recordings
Most Recent
THE TATtOOED LADY AND THE ALLIGATOR MAN (2015): The title track of singer/songwriter/pianist Marcia Ball's new album, The Tattooed Lady And The Alligator Man, is an irresistible tale of true love at the traveling carnival. It's a story that nobody but Ball could spin, filled with vivid details, universal truths, and a rambunctious sense of fun and desire. With raucous horns punctuating Ball's legendary piano pounding and emotional, melodic vocals, the song kicks off a CD of 11 dazzling originals and one stirring cover. The release mixes Ball's Gulf Coast Blues, New Orleans R&B, swampy Louisiana ballads, and jumping, Tex-Mex flavored Zydeco into a one-of-a-kind musical gumbo, a sound she has been perfecting over the course of her legendary career.
Others
Circuit Queen (1978)
Soulful Dress (1984)
Hot Tamale Baby (1985)
Gatorhythms (1989)
Dreams Come True (1990) (with Lou Ann Barton and Angela Strehli)
Blue House (1994)
Let Me Play With Your Poodle (1997)
Sing It! (1998) (with Tracy Nelson and Irma Thomas)
Presumed Innocent (2001)
So Many Rivers (2003)
Live at Waterloo Records (2004)
Live! Down The Road (2005)
JazzFest Live (2007)
Peace, Love & BBQ (2008)
Roadside Attractions (2011)
