MARCIA BALL INDUCTED INTO THE LOUISIANA MUSIC HALL OF FAME

Pianist/vocalist/songwriter Marcia Ball received a surprise induction in Baton Rouge's Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame on April 23, 2012. Ball, an Austin, Texas fixture raised in Vinton, LA, was about to start her show when Hall Of Fame Executive Director Mike Shepherd bestowed her with the induction award artwork and certificate signed by the governor. According to Shepherd, "Ball has made a great cultural contribution by taking the piano styles of Louisiana to Austin and essentially cross-pollinating the Texas music scene. Marcia Ball is a truly unique artist, one of a kind, just like Gatemouth Brown was truly unique."

"I'm shocked," said Ball. "Don't you make me want to cry."

Ball's latest CD, Roadside Attractions, was nominated for a Grammy Award.