A classical pianist turned lawyer turned boogie woogie enthusiast will perform two Live in the House
shows in Wood County next weekend.
Matthew Ball, billed as "the Boogie Woogie Kid," will perform Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the
Pemberville Opera House and Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. in the Grand Rapids Town Hall auditorium. Growing up in
Detroit, he was started on piano by his mother, a church pianist, and though his interest waned, it was
rekindled when he discovered the joy of performing for his peers. Attending the Interlochen Fines Arts
camp further stoked his creative fires, and he ended up attending Oakland University where he doubled
majored in piano and history.
He took a detour into law, but his discovery of boogie woogie, a blues-based jazz piano style, swung him
back into music. "It’s a happy version of the blues," he told the Sentinel-Tribune before his
2009 Live in the House concert.
Ball puts his own spin on the classics of the style, both as developed in Chicago and New Orleans, as
well as playing his own originals.
His online videos have drawn more than 2.5 million hits.
Tickets are $10 at the door and available in advance in Pemberville at Beeker’s General Store or by
calling 419-287-4848 and in Grand Rapids at Washer’s Laundromat or by calling 419-832-5664.