David Ball (born July 9, 1953) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer-songwriter and musician. Active since 1988, he has recorded a total of seven studio albums on several labels, including his

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

certified debut '' Thinkin' Problem''. Fourteen of Ball's singles have entered the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

charts. His highest-peaking chart entries are 1994's " Thinkin' Problem" and 2001's "

Riding With Private Malone "Riding with Private Malone" is a song written by Wood Newton and Thom Shepherd, and recorded by American country music artist David Ball (country music), David Ball. It was released in August 2001 as the first single from his album ''Amigo (David ...

", both of which peaked at No. 2.

Biography

David Ball was born into a large musical family headed by his father, William "Billy" Ball, a Baptist minister, and his mother, Bessie Ball, a pianist. Later, he moved with his family to

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 11th ...

, where his father was pastor of Fernwood Baptist church. He eventually learned to play guitar after persuading his parents to buy him one. Having written his first song in seventh grade, he played it in a school talent show with a band he had formed, the Strangers. Afterwards, he played

upright bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

in various local youth groups and also the school orchestra. Together with friends, he took part in various bluegrass and

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

festivals in the Carolinas. By the time Ball had left high school, he had a gig playing bass in Uncle Walt's Band, a trio headed by

Walter Hyatt Walter Hyatt (October 25, 1949 – May 11, 1996) was an American singer and songwriter. His group, Uncle Walt's Band, was involved in the alternative music scene in Austin, Texas. Early life Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Walter Hyatt was ...

, who relocated to

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, in the mid-1970s, in an attempt to make a mainstream breakthrough. Ball subsequently focused on a solo career, moving to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, where he was signed to a publishing contract. Three singles for

RCA Nashville RCA Nashville is an American country music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is distributed by Sony Music Nashville which is part of Sony Music. Artists Current artists *Kane Brown * Corey Kent * Nate Smith * Morgan Wade Former art ...

in the late 1980s failed to provide a solo breakthrough, however, and a projected album was shelved and was not released until 1994. The experience did at least serve to introduce him to producer

Blake Chancey Blake Chancey (born September 11, 1962) is an American record producer and music business executive, known primarily for his work in country music. Formerly an executive vice president and chief creative officer for Sony Music, he later formed a ...

, son of country producer

Ron Chancey Ron Chancey (born August 6, 1935) is a record producer who works primarily in the country music field. He has produced albums and songs by The Oak Ridge Boys, and produced Jeris Ross and Billy "Crash" Craddock. Chancey also served as the head of a ...

. In the spring of 1993, Chancey called

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

director Doug Grau on Ball's behalf. A new recording contract followed. ''Thinkin' Problem'', his debut album, was released on Warner Bros. Its title track served as the lead-off single, reaching No. 2 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' country music charts and No. 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album, which received a platinum certification in the U.S., also produced the singles " When the Thought of You Catches Up with Me", "Look What Followed Me Home", "What Do You Want with His Love", and "Honky Tonk Healin'", although the latter two singles failed to make Top 40 on the country charts. Ball recorded two more albums for the label – ''Starlite Lounge'' and ''Play'' – without much chart success. However, "Riding with Private Malone", from the 2001 album ''Amigo'' on the Dualtone label, reached a peak of No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts (now Hot Country Songs) chart, and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. This album failed to produce any other hits, however, and Ball exited Dualtone in 2002. ''Freewheeler'' followed in 2004, ''Heartaches by the Number'' in 2007 and ''Sparkle City'' in 2010. In the 1995 album "Come Together: America Salutes The Beatles" David Ball's version of "I'll Follow The Sun" starts off the collection of Beatles songs by other artists. Ball's "Thinkin' Problem" was parodied by Cledus T. Judd. Ball then appears in Judd's Shania Twain parody "If Shania Was Mine", standing behind the cameras and saying, "At least he's not picking on me this time."

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

, - ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, " Thinkin' Problem" , Best Male Country Vocal Performance ,

TNN/Music City News Country Awards & CMT Flameworthy Awards

, - ,

, David Ball , Male Star of Tomorrow , , - ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, "

Riding with Private Malone "Riding with Private Malone" is a song written by Wood Newton and Thom Shepherd, and recorded by American country music artist David Ball (country music), David Ball. It was released in August 2001 as the first single from his album ''Amigo (David ...

" , Love Your Country Video of the Year ,

Academy of Country Music Awards

, - ,

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, rowspan=2, David Ball , rowspan=2, Top New Male Vocalist , , - ,

Country Music Association Awards

, - , rowspan=2,

, David Ball , Horizon Award , , - , " Thinkin' Problem" , Song of the Year ,

References

External links

David Ball's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, David 1953 births Living people People from Rock Hill, South Carolina American country singer-songwriters Country musicians from South Carolina Dualtone Records artists Warner Records artists American male singer-songwriters Uncle Walt's Band members Singer-songwriters from South Carolina Lyle Lovett and His Large Band members