finetune artist: Marcia Ball

b. 20 March 1949, Orange, Texas, USA. Born into a musical family, Ball took piano lessons throughout her childhood until she was 14. Her formative years were spent in Vinton, Louisiana, and while at Louisiana State University she played in a blues-rock band, Gum. She also took particular interest in the styles of Fats Domino and Professor Longhair. Moving to Austin in the early 70s, she joined the progressive country group Freda And The Firedogs, along with guitarist John X. Reed. She went solo in 1974 and had a country single released the following year. Her subsequent solo albums combine R&B standards with original songs that combine elements of blues and country swing. She wrote the title song for Dreams Come True, a project that began in 1985 and took five years to bring to fruition with the help of producer Dr. John. Constant touring may have been a factor in the subsequent four-year hiatus before Blue House was finally issued in 1994. Let Me Play With Your Poodle included songs by Randy Newman and Tampa Red alongside Ball originals. Presumed Innocent, her debut for Alligator Records, was a particularly strong album, and on a creative roll she followed with So Many Rivers in 2003.

Listen to Marcia Ball at Finetune.

I'm Coming Down With The Blues
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Scene Of The Crime
Louella
I Have The Right To Know