Marcia Ball Live: Down The Road

Review A class act whose soulful, horn-laden swamp pop and murderous honky-tonk make her a stellar example of musical artistry -- The Austin Chronicle Her originals sound like timeless classics and southern soul masterpieces that no one else can imitate -- Living Blues Marcia has an uncanny ability to synthesize all the sounds of the Texas-Louisiana border and deliver them with an honesty -- Blues Revue Product Description The first-ever live release from beloved Texas pianist Marcia Ball. LIVE! DOWN THE ROAD is a marvelously boisterous Marcia Ball performance from 2004, backed by her road-tested touring band. The disc features a fan's dream set list of Marcia originals from throughout her career (Eugene, La Ti Da, Big Shot, Louella) as well as her defining versions of classics like Let Me Play With Your Poodle and Louisiana 1927. About the Artist After recording nine previous albums, Ball joined the Alligator Records family in 2001 (and also hooked up with the influential Rosebud booking agency that same year) and released the critically acclaimed PRESUMED INNOCENT, which took home the 2002 W.C. Handy Blues Award for "Blues Album of the Year." Her follow-up, SO MANY RIVERS, was nominated for a Grammy® Award, and won the 2004 W.C. Handy Blues Award for "Contemporary Blues Album of the Year" as well as the coveted "Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year" award. Born in Orange, Texas, in 1949 to a family whose female members all played piano, Ball grew up in the small town of Vinton, Louisiana, right across the border from Texas. She began taking piano lessons at age five, playing old Tin Pan Alley tunes from her grandmother’s collection. From her aunt, Marcia heard more modern and popular music. But it wasn’t until she was 13 that Marcia discovered the blues, as she sat amazed while Irma Thomas delivered the most soulful and spirited performance the young teenager had ever seen. According to Ball, "She just blew me away; she caught me totally unaware. Once I started my own band, the first stuff I was doing was Irma’s." In 1966, she attended Louisiana State University, where she played some of her very first gigs with a blues-based rock band called Gum. In 1970 Ball set out for San Francisco. Her car broke down in Austin, Texas, and while waiting for repairs, she fell in love with the city and decided to stay. It wasn’t long before Ball was performing in the city’s clubs with a progressive country band called Freda and the Firedogs, while beginning to hone her songwriting skills. It was around this time that Ball delved deeply into the music of the great New Orleans piano players, especially Professor Longhair. "Once I found out about Professor Longhair," recalls Ball, "I knew I had found my direction." When the band broke up in 1974, Ball launched her solo career, signing to Capitol Records and debuting with the country album Circuit Queen in 1978. She released six critically acclaimed albums on the Rounder label during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1990, Ball—collaborating with Angela Strehli and Lou Ann Barton—recorded the hugely successful Dreams Come True on the Antone’s label. At the end of 1997, Marcia finished work on a similar "three divas of the blues" project for Rounder, this time in the distinguished company of Tracy Nelson and Ball’s longtime inspiration, Irma Thomas. The album, Sing It!, was released in January, 1998 and was nominated for both a Grammy® and a W.C. Handy Blues Award as "Best Contemporary Blues Album." Ball also received the 1998 W.C. Handy Blues Award for "Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year" and for "Best Blues Instrumentalist–Keyboards." In 1999, Marcia and her band appeared in the nationally televised Public Television special In Performance! At The White House along with B.B. King and Della Reese. Her albums and performances received glowing reviews in major music publications, and Marcia was featured on leading television and radio programs, including Austin City Limits and National Public Radio’s Fresh Air and Piano Jazz. Since the release of her Alligator debut PRESUMED INNOCENT, Ball has received more popular and critical acclaim than ever before. Billboard called the CD "A stellar collection…Ball is a formidable musical force, and this is her best vocal performance to date featuring polished performances and true grit, capturing the totality of Marcia like no previous album." The album was in the Top 20 chart positions at Album Network, Gavin and FMQB and won the W.C. Handy Blues Award for "Best Blues Album of the Year." SO MANY RIVERS, her 2003 follow-up, continued the trend. Billboard again fueled the excitement, saying, "Ball is a consummate pro—a killer pianist, a great singer and songwriter. Powerful. Righteous. SO MANY RIVERS is the best album Ball has ever tracked."
ASIN: B0007YMV2O
VSKU: DBV.B0007YMV2O.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Marcia Ball
Binding: Audio cd
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!