It’s difficult to argue against Marcia Ball’s intense cultural upbringing in western Louisiana. Known as a hotbed for great food and an eclectic variety of Americana, this region of the South invited Ball to join the ranks of artists by the likes of Clifton Chenier, George Jones and Gatemouth Brown.

Her upbeat, jump rhythms are influenced by country, zydeco, gospel, rockabilly, blues and Cajun, collectively known as “Gulf Coast R&B.”

“It evolved out of Houston all the way up to Mobile,” Ball says.

Ball began taking piano lessons at age five, and in a matter of years was introduced to Irma Thomas. Some of her first gigs at Louisiana State University included a few of Thomas’ songs. This early introduction to soulful blues is now heard in Ball’s highly spirited piano boogie.

After fronting Freda and the Firedogs up until 1974, Ball set out on a solo career of her own.

“In 1975, I hit the road,” Ball says. “Now we do dates from coast to coast.”

Ball is eager to point out she’s played all of the major blues festivals in the United States.

But things could have turned out differently for Ball had her car not broken down in Austin on the way to San Francisco. It was by accident she fell in love with “The Live Music Capital of the World.” Not only did she fall in love with Austin, she and her husband opened the venue La Zona Rosa.

“We opened La Zona Rosa in 1989,” Ball says.

“It was just a little Mexican restaurant, but I was not tempted to be a cook.”

Marcia and husband eventually sold the club when it became too much to handle.

Although she never got her time in on the serving line, she has had her hand on the stove at home.

The latest issue of Saveur features an article with this Queen of the Bayou. Ball says it was a friend who mentioned her to the editor of Saveur, who also happens to be a big music fan.

“I realized something was odd when I read the title of an article called `East of Houston, West of Baton Rouge’ because it’s the title of a Chris Gaffney song,” Ball says.

It’s a surprise to no one that Ball chose a Cajun dish.

“Grillades and grits which is a smothered round steak in dark chili and grits,” Ball says.

As delectable as that sounds, Ball has to be even more thrilled over the five W.C. Handy Award nominations bestowed upon her by The Blues Foundation for excellence in performance and recording of the Blues. Among the nominations are Blues Entertainer of the Year, Blues Album of the Year and Blues Instrumentalist – Keyboards.

With her latest release on Alligator Records, Marcia appears to just be hitting her stride in what has already been a respectable career.

“I’d like to make a more piano-intensive album, do a live album of what we do and showcase more lyrical things,” Ball says. “I’d like to write more fiction too, but not for the public consumption.”