Dave Ball aka David James Ball is an English producer and electronic musician who has worked with other producers such as Ingo Vauk and Chris Braide.
On record covers, he is frequently referred to as Dave Ball.
Omnibus Press has released his book, Electronic Boy: My Life in and Out of Soft Cell. Learn the book to get more insight into his life.
Meet Guitarist Dave Ball Wife Gini Hewes
Guitarist Dave Ball aka David James Ball was married to his wife, Gini Hewes. However, because she is referred to as his “then-wife” on his wiki, we infer the pair is no longer together.
Gini graduated from the Royal College of Music and co-founded the crazy and beautiful punk classical duo Humoresque with Anne Stephenson, according to Siouxsie.
She was together on tours and recordings with Siouxsie and the Banshees and Marc Almond, as well as backup vocals for Soft Cell.
Gini worked for Dave Ball and Psychic TV for the following six years. She collaborated with Dave on the music for the play Suddenly Last Summer and with Genesis P. Orridge on the soundtrack for the film The Wanderer.
Following the dissolution of Soft Cell, Ball created a new band, Other People, with Gini Hewes and Andy Astle, although they only issued one single, “Have a Nice Day.”
She continued to collaborate with Marc Almond, including on the number one hit Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart, which she co-wrote with Gene Pitney.
Mike Hedges, who has worked with Gini since the beginning, asked Gini to put together the greatest string section possible for upcoming projects. It was with Bernard Butler and The Manic Street Preachers.
Brilliant Strings was the product of their collaboration with Anne Stephenson and Sally Herbert.
You can find some of her vocals, here.
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Dave Ball Was Adapted By A Family In Blackpool Family In England
Dave Ball was born in Chester, Cheshire, England, and was adopted in Blackpool by a disciplinarian father. He was aware that he was adopted and remembers Blackpool as warmly.
“It was a wonderful location to grow up. It had a significant impact at the time. All of the funfairs and chaos, as well as the entertainment business.”
“There was always something showbizzy going on. That had a big influence on me which I found quite interesting,” said Ball.
His father had an influence as well. He was “quite dictatorial, but he was also an engineer,” according to Ball. Ball believed that’s what sparked his interest in electronics.
However, there were more disadvantages than positives in that connection, as he recalled.
“At first, I was quite depressed. I was quite sexually repressed. I didn’t have my first full-fledged sexual encounter until he died.”
“I was very afraid of him. I didn’t like him all that much. He probably despised the fact that I wasn’t his biological son. I was a lot closer to my mother. I believe there was animosity that my mother couldn’t have his children.”
He would have loved to have his own children. He was more interested in my sister than in me. There was always some resentment there, he spoke to HeraldScotland.
His father passed away from cancer. When he died, Ball thought, ‘Right, he’s gone now.’ He bought his first guitar with the money he left behind.
He eventually realized he wasn’t very good at it and traded it in for his first synthesizer. He couldn’t bear the dreadful situation at home, where his mother had become an alcoholic and there was no communication with his sister.
He then arrived in Leeds where he was immediately drawn to Almond. There he started his career as a musician.
Dave Ball Is The Guitarist On Record Sleeves
Dave Ball began his career with Marc Almond in 1978, when they formed the synthpop duo Soft Cell, which lasted until 1984.
While still a member of the band, he recorded a solo album, In Strict Tempo, in 1983, which featured Gavin Friday, Genesis P-Orridge, and Virginia Astley.
Later, he worked with P-Orridge on the music for the West German film Decoder, with other Some Bizzare artists.
Following that, he developed a number of short-lived bands, including Other People and English Boy on the Loveranch. With them, he recorded “Have a Nice Day,” as well as two hi-NRG songs, “The Man in Your Life” and “Sex Vigilante.”
He was also a member of Psychic TV, contributing to the compilation albums Jack the Tab and Tekno Acid Beat, where he met Richard Norris. He subsequently formed another band, the Grid with Norris.
He made many remixes with Norris as The Grid.
In 2001, Ball reunited with Almond in Soft Cell, releasing the new album Cruelty Without Beauty. Nitewreckage was created in 2010 by him, Celine Hispiche, Rick Mulhall, and Terry Neale.
Take Your Money and Run, their debut album was released on Alaska Sounds on June 6, 2011, with the song “Solarcoaster” preceding it.
Ball partnered with classical pianist Jon Savage on the experimental electronic album Photosynthesis in 2016. Soft Cell reunited for a farewell live concert in 2018, commemorating the duo’s 40th anniversary since its inception.
In the 1980s, Ball worked as a producer with Vicious Pink Phenomena, the Virgin Prunes, and the Rose McDowall side-project Ornamental. And subsequently with Kylie Minogue, Gavin Friday, and Anni Hogan.
He has remixed for David Bowie, Vanessa-Mae, and Erasure, among others. Ball and Friday also collaborated on a rendition of Suicide’s “Ghost Rider” for Alan Vega’s 70th Birthday Limited Edition EP Series.