Marcia Ball

Blues-rock singer and pianist Marcia Ball was born in the Texas Gulf coast town of Orange on March 20, 1949, and raised in nearby Vinton, Louisiana. Settling in Austin in the early 1970s, Ball fronted a short-lived country rock band called Freda & the Firedogs before beginning her solo career with 1978's CIRCUIT QUEEN. Signing with the roots label Rounder Records in 1984, Ball quickly became known as a standout performer on the blues and roots-rock circuits with albums like 1985's HOT TAMALE BABY and 1994's BLUE HOUSE.