Ball was born and raised in Louisiana and resided for decades in Austin, Texas, and her music is thoroughly indigenous to those locales—the blues, boogie-woogie, and zydeco of the Bayou State, infused with the Texas swing and folk-rockabilly of the Austin melting pot, with cut-to-the-quick balladry thrown in for good measure. Now 70, she’s been touring in various configurations for so long, on piano and vocals, always with backing musicians who are wizened pros, that her regular appearances get taken for granted—until she’s in front of you, delivering the goods yet again.
Marcia Ball
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