Most persons prefer to keep relationships that went nowhere as private as possible, but when Marcia J Ball first saw the lyrics to ‘This Man of Mine’, she jumped at the chance to record it.
Released in September, the song is written by Dwight Oliver and produced by Trevor Elliott for Musical Ambassador Production. “Even though I did not write the song I can relate to the words. Many years ago, I found myself in a similar situation and I had to get out quickly,” Ball disclosed.
A veteran of the South Florida reggae scene, Ball has been relatively quiet in the past year. ‘This Man of Mine’ is her first song for 2023 and sees her getting reacquainted with Elliott, best known for producing Edi Fitzroy’s classic songs like ‘Princess Black’ and ‘Check For You Once’.
Ball was born in Derby, England to Jamaican parents, and has been musically active since age six. She moved with her family to New York City during the 1970s when there was massive West Indian migration to that area and continued her career as a member of Rumbling Express, a band that included three of her brothers, a sister and uncle.
Rumbling Express disbanded in 1982 and eight years later, Ball’s first solo song, ‘Tell Me’, was released. Produced by her brother George, it set the tone for a prolific career that has to date yielded five albums and a number of singles.
