A Musician's Life: Marcia Ball

From: WXPN
Series: A Musician's Life
Length: 05:00

Austin based musician Marcia Ball is best known for her infectious brand of Louisiana Swamp rock and two-fisted piano playing. And even though she comes from a musical family, Ball says the Rolling Stones gave her the idea to play music for a living. Marcia Ball is Tracey Tanenbaum's guest on this edition of "A Musician's Life". Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: A Musician's Life: Marcia Ball
From: WXPN

Marciaball_small "Long tall Marcia Ball" was raised in the town of Vinton, Louisiana across the border from East Texas. But now resides in Austin. Her music reflects her roots, a blend of funky blues and boogie woogie. And even though she knows how to raise the roof with her spirited sound, Ball can also deliver an intimate ballad. She's won eight Blues Music Awards. Her latest album is called "Peace, Love & BBQ".

Also in the A Musician's Life series

A Musician's Life: Graham Parker (05:00)
From: WXPN

Veteran songwriter Graham Parker joins Tracey Tanenbaum on this edition of "A Musician's Life". Early in his career, critics in his native Britain tagged Parker "an angry ...

A Musician's Life: Exene Cervenka (05:00)
From: WXPN

As one of the leaders of the seminal LA band X, Exene Cervenka is punk rock royalty. On this edition of "A Musician's Life" Exene takes us through her life. She also reveals ...

A Musician's Life: Wendell Holmes (of the Holmes Brothers) (05:00)
From: WXPN

The Holmes Brothers have been entertaining audiences with their uplifting blend of gospel, blues and R&B for three decades. Their latest album "Feed my Soul" was inspired by ...

A Musician's Life: Shelby Lynne (05:00)
From: WXPN

On this edition of "A Musician's Life" Tracey Tanenbaum speaks with Shelby Lynne. In 2001 she won a Grammy for best new artist. At the time, Lynne had about a half dozen ...

A Musician's Life: Gordon Gano (of Violent Femmes fame) (05:01)
From: WXPN

The son of a minister, Gordon Gano hardly seemed like an obvious candidate to front the 1980's post-punk band, The Violent Femmes. But his smart lyrics and manic energy spoke ...

A Musician's Life: The Swell Season (05:00)
From: WXPN

On this edition of "A Musician's Life" Tracey Tanenbaum speaks with Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova of The Swell Season. Most people will remember the pair from the 2007 ...

A Musician's Life: Mike Gordon of Phish (05:00)
From: WXPN

When Phish formed in the early '80's they played to audiences in their college town of Burlington, Vermont. By the mid 1990's, they were performing in amphitheaters to sold ...

A Musician's Life: Josh Ritter (05:00)
From: WXPN

In 2006 Paste magazine named Josh Ritter one of the top 100 living songwriters. But shortly after completing his 2008 album, "Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter", the ...

A Musician's Life: Jace Everett (05:00)
From: WXPN

You may not know his name but if you're a fan of HBO's "True Blood" you know Jace Everett's baritone. Each week Jace's song "Bad Things" accompanies the program's opening ...

A Musician's Life: Luka Bloom (05:00)
From: WXPN

To his fans his story is legendary. Ireland's Barry Moore began playing music with his older brother Christy when he was a young teenager. He reinvented himself on a plane ...

Piece Description

"Long tall Marcia Ball" was raised in the town of Vinton, Louisiana across the border from East Texas. But now resides in Austin. Her music reflects her roots, a blend of funky blues and boogie woogie. And even though she knows how to raise the roof with her spirited sound, Ball can also deliver an intimate ballad. She's won eight Blues Music Awards. Her latest album is called "Peace, Love & BBQ".