LIHUE — Marcia Ball, a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter from Louisiana, says she was born to be on stage. “My grandmother and aunt played the piano, and my great-grandfather was a musician, so I inherited a certain amount
LIHUE — Marcia Ball, a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter from Louisiana, says she was born to be on stage.
“My grandmother and aunt played the piano, and my great-grandfather was a musician, so I inherited a certain amount of the ham gene,” she said.
Ball was introduced to rhythm and blues, zydeco and Cajun music early on. She learned how to play the piano when she was 5 years old, and by the time she was 18, she joined a rock and roll band.
“It was the birth of the hippie era, and they let me be in the band,” she said.
It was also during that time when Ray Charles, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles were emerging.
“The music scene was busted open, so if you wanted to join a band, it was easy,” she said. “Once I joined, I never looked back.”
In 1970, Ball moved to Austin, where she joined a country progressive band called “Freda And the Firedogs.”
“Country progressive was the hippie version of country music,” she said.
After dabbling in various genres of music, Ball returned to her rhythm and blues roots in 1974. She’s been a solo artist ever since.
Ball has been nominated for five Grammy awards and has won several Living Blues Awards and Blues Music Awards.
As a Grammy nominee, she has attended two of the shows. What people see on TV is only half of what goes on that night, she said.
“The Grammy’s scenes in the movie are quite a big party, then there’s another big party after the show,” she said.
The night before, the nominees are honored with a party, and you never know who you’re going to be standing next to, she said.
“Carrie Underwood stepped on my husband’s shoe once,” she said.
Ball will be on a smaller stage when she brings her hometown music to Kauai on Friday.
As part of a 10-day Hawaiian islands tour, Ball, along with Johnny Nicholas, will be playing in the Jasmine Ballroom at the Kauai Beach Resort. They will be bringing the feel of Mardi Gras to Kauai, complete with beads, masks and hurricane drink specials.
Tickets are available at www.longhairproductions.com, at the door and at select locations like Hanalei Surf, Kauai Soap and Candle and Aloha-N-Paradise. General admission tickets cost $35 and Gold Circle tickets cost $45.
Ball, who has never been to Kauai, has a list of sights to see before she leaves. Among them are Hanalei and Lumahai Beach, where South Pacific was filmed.
“We have a couple days off on Kauai, and we’re not the type of people who do a show and just stay in the hotel room,” she said. “We’re going to pack as many beach trips, food and fun times as we can.”
