Marcia Ball Comes to Sanctuary Concerts

The Sanctuary Concerts presents Marcia Ball, the "Queen of the Bayou Piano," this weekend at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township.

Ball started playing music at the age of 5, but she turned professional while a student at Louisiana State University where she played in a band called Gum. In 1970 she started an original country band called Freda and the Firedogs at the age of 21, and four years later she started her solo career.

Sanctuary Concerts Chair Scott Sheldon said, "Marcia mixes her infectious brand of New Orleans piano boogie with Texas roadhouse, R&B, honky-tonk, swamp music, and ballads."

USA Today had similar high praise for Ball's talents, calling her “a sensational saucy singer and superb pianist; where Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana blues-swamp meet.”

In the 39 years of her career since then, she has released 15 live and studio albums which have continued to garner praise from critics and fans alike. Her 1998 album "Sing It!" was nominated for both a Grammy Award and a Blues Music Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. She was nominated for two more Grammy awards for her albums "Live! Down the Road," released in 2005, and "Peace, Love & BBQ," released in 2008

Other accolades from Ball's career include:

• Austin Music Hall of Fame inductee, 1990
• 1998 Blues Music Award winner for Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year
• 1998 Blues Music Award winner for Best Blues Instrumentalist-Keyboards
• 2002 Blues Music Award winner for Contemporary Blues Album of the Year for her album "Presumed Innocent."
• 2004 Blues Music Award winner for Contemporary Blues Album of the Year for her album "So Many Rivers."
• 2004 Blues Music Award winner for Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year-Female
• 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 Blues Music Award winner for Best Blues Instrumentalist-Keyboards.

"We love Marcia for her sassy high-spirited stage show, her brilliant barrelhouse piano playing, and the unbelievable players she brings with her," Sheldon said.

Trina Hamlin will open for Ball. Sheldon described Hamin as "a soulful multi-instrumentalist and songwriter best known to local audiences for her harmonica, guitar, and percussion playing as accompanist to award-winning singer Susan Werner."

The concert begins at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township.

Tickets can by purchased at the Box Office for $30 by calling (973) 376-4946 or emailing boxoffce@sanctuaryconcerts.org. As always, coffee and desserts are included at intermission.

Sanctuary Concerts and Chatham Patch have teamed up to offer one pair of two free tickets to the first person to correctly answer this trivia question:

Saturday night is the time to see five-time Grammy nominated “Queen of the Bayou Piano” Marcia Ball and her band at The Sanctuary Concerts. But there’s only one place this year to see and hear Marcia Ball with Lyle Lovett, Harry Connick, Jr., Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. What is it?

Congratulations to our winner who correctly guessed the answer! Tickets are still available through the Sanctuary Concerts box office.