James Hall (singer)

Last updated

James Hall
Birth nameJames Vincent Hall
Born (1968-01-02) January 2, 1968 (age 53)
Harris County, Texas, United States
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Labels RCA/Silvertone, Daemon Records
Associated actsMary My Hope, Marilyn Manson, Zilch
Website James Hall.com

James Vincent Hall (born January 2, 1968, in Harris County, Texas, United States) is an American rock singer and guitarist, best known for his gothic-style lyrics, distinctive voice, eccentric behavior and eclectic compositions.

Contents

Early career – Mary My Hope and solo

Before launching his solo career in 1990, James Hall was the singer for Atlanta band, Mary My Hope, which released one album entitled Museum in 1989, [1] and one EP, 1990's Suicide Kings, both on RCA/Silvertone. An expanded version of Suicide Kings appeared at the same time, called Monster Is Bigger Than The Man. This contained, in addition to the unreleased material and Museum album cuts, two live tracks recorded at the Princess Charlotte in Leicester, England. In 1993, Hall's My Love, Sex, and Spirit was put out by Daemon Records, [2] Indigo Girl Amy Ray's co-op effort. Three singles were released from My Love, Sex, and Spirit, each containing non-album tracks. Subsequently, he signed to Geffen Records, and in 1996 his album, Pleasure Club , was released. [1] In 1994, he contributed a trumpet part to the songs "Fugitive" and "Touch Me Fall", from the Indigo Girls' album, Swamp Ophelia .

Pleasure Club

In 2002, Hall appeared with a new band named Pleasure Club. This band featured Hall on vocals and guitar, Michael Jerome on drums, Grant Curry on bass, and Marc Hutner also on guitar. They released three albums, Here Comes The Trick, The Fugitive Kind and the last Scatter Rose (2020). Here Comes The Trick was later re-released as a double with a live album entitled Live: Out of the Pulpit accompanying it. Pleasure Club have since disbanded, and Hall has returned to his solo work.

The Futura Bold

After the disbanding of Pleasure Club and the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina receded, Hall was in Atlanta, Georgia. Multi-instrumentalists Chris Piskun and Bruce Butkovich joined James during what was to be his third solo record, yet ultimately morphed into a new entity christened, The Futura Bold.

Other projects

In 1997, James toured with Brad, playing guitar and keyboards in support of their Interiors album.

Hall has formed a working relationship with singer Jimmy Gnecco of the band Ours, and is featured on the third Ours album, Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy) .

He also is the lead singer of the Aristocrats, a recent project started by Hall, Darren Dodd, and Dropsonic's Dan Dixon and Dave Chase. [3]

Related Research Articles

Indigo Girls American folk rock duo

Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. They started performing with the name Indigo Girls as students at Emory University, performing weekly at The Dugout, a bar in Emory Village.

Jack Bruce Scottish singer-songwriter and composer (1943–2014)

John Symon Asher Bruce was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the co-lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a solo career and also played with several bands.

Bernard Sumner English singer, songwriter, musician

Bernard Sumner is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is a founding member of the bands Joy Division, New Order, and Electronic. Sumner was an early force in several areas, including the post-punk, synthpop, and techno music scenes, as well as their various related genres, and was an early influence on the Manchester music scene that presaged the "Madchester" movement of the late 1980s centered on Factory Records and The Haçienda club in Manchester.

Chris Spedding Musical artist

Christopher John Spedding is an English musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his studio session work. By the early 1970s, he had become one of the most sought-after session guitarists in England. Spedding has played on and produced many albums and singles. He has also been a member of eleven rock bands: the Battered Ornaments, Frank Ricotti Quartet, King Mob, Mike Batt and Friends, Necessaries, Nucleus, Ricky Norton, Sharks, Trigger, and The Wombles. In May 1976, Spedding also produced the very first Sex Pistols recordings.

Andy Summers British guitarist

Andrew James Somers, known professionally as Andy Summers, is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band the Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated with other musicians, composed film scores, and exhibited his photography in galleries.

Divinyls Australian rock band

Divinyls were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school uniform and fishnet stockings, and often used an illuminated neon tube as a prop for displaying aggression towards both band members and the audience. Originally a five-piece, the band underwent numerous line-up changes, with Amphlett and McEntee remaining as core members, before its dissolution in 1996.

Kings of Rhythm R&B/Soul band led by Ike Turner

The Kings of Rhythm are an American rhythm and blues and soul group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has undergone considerable line-up changes over time.

André 3000 American rapper and actor from Atlanta, Georgia

André Lauren Benjamin, better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi.

Lime Spiders were an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1979 with Mick Blood on lead vocals. He was later joined by Tony Bambach on bass guitar, Gerard Corben on guitar, Richard Lawson on drums, and David Sparks on guitar. Their debut studio album, The Cave Comes Alive! was released in June 1987 and reached the top 60 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart. Their most successful single, "Weirdo Libido", was released in January that year and reached the top 50 on the related Kent Music Report Singles Chart. In April its music video was the first ever shown on Australian Broadcasting Corporation TV music series rage. The track was used on the 1988 feature film Young Einstein's soundtrack. The group disbanded in 1990 and in 1999 Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, noted they had provided "raucous sound mixed screaming vocals and wild, fuzz-tone guitar riffs to arrive at a mutant strain of acid punk that bordered on heavy metal".

Pink Fairies

Pink Fairies are an English rock band initially active in the London underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug use, and anarchy, and often performed impromptu gigs and other stunts, such as playing for nothing outside the gates at the Bath and Isle of Wight pop festivals in 1970, as well as appearing at Phun City, the first Glastonbury and many other free festivals including Windsor and Trentishoe.

Gilby Clarke Rock rhythm guitarist, most notably with Guns N Roses

Gilbert J. "Gilby" Clarke is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He had a 3-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991 during the Use Your Illusion Tour, and also featured on "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993). Following this, Clarke went on to forge a solo career as well playing guitar with Slash's Snakepit, Kat Men, Heart, Nancy Sinatra, Kathy Valentine, MC5 and forming his own group Rock Star Supernova with members of Metallica and Mötley Crüe.

Rising Sons

Rising Sons was an American, Los Angeles, California-based blues rock and folk music band, which was founded in 1965. Their initial career was short-lived, but the group found retrospective fame for launching the careers of singer Taj Mahal and guitarist Ry Cooder.

Scott Weinrich American rock musician and songwriter

Robert Scott Weinrich, better known as Wino, is an American rock singer, guitarist and songwriter. He has been highly influential in helping develop and codify doom metal's trademark sound, and is also considered an influential figure in the stoner rock and punk rock genres.

Denny Laine British rock musician

Denny Laine is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, known as a founder of two major rock bands: the Moody Blues, with whom he played from 1964 to 1966, and Wings, with whom he played from 1971 to 1981. Laine has worked with a variety of artists and groups over a six-decade career, and continues to record and perform as a solo artist. In 2018, Laine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues.

Jakko Jakszyk Musical artist

Michael "Jakko" Jakszyk is an English musician, record producer, and actor. He has released several solo albums as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist and has been the lead singer for King Crimson since 2013. His work has been variously credited to "Jakko", "Jakko Jakszyk", and "Jakko M. Jakszyk".

Kasim Sulton American musician

Kasim Sulton is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free," Utopia's only top 40 hit in the United States. As a solo artist, Sulton hit the Canadian top 40 in 1982 with "Don't Break My Heart".

Drag the River was a rock band based in Atlanta, Georgia featuring singer/songwriter Michelle Malone. They began as a collection of Atlanta rock-scene mainstays, performing Malone's original songs at local venues such as Little Five Points Pub and Avondale Towne Cinema, often featuring guests from other local bands, including The Indigo Girls, Kristen Hall, and others.

Michael Jerome Musical artist

Michael Jerome Moore, known as Michael Jerome is an American rock musician and drummer. He is a former member of the Toadies (1990–91), Course of Empire (1994–1998), and James Hall's band Pleasure Club, which was formed in 2002. He was a member of the Saginaw, Texas band Pop Poppins, a metroplex cult follow. He played on Charlie Musselwhite's 2004 release Sanctuary, and has also toured or recorded with Blind Boys of Alabama, John Cale, Anna Egge, Tom Freund and many others. Jerome is double-jointed and ambidextrous.

American Pleasure Club, also known as Teen Suicide, is an American indie rock band from Baltimore, Maryland.

Johnny O'Neal was an American R&B singer best known as a member of Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm. He also sang with blues guitarist Earl Hooker. O'Neal used various pseudonyms such as Brother Bell, Burntface Brother, and Scarface Johnny. As a solo artist he recorded for King Records and Sun Records in the 1950s. He also formed his own group called Johnny O'Neal and the Hound Dogs.

References

  1. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 200. ISBN   0-7535-0257-7.
  2. Bush, John. "Biography: James Hall". AllMusic . Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  3. Burdges, Kim. "Mixtape Atlanta: Causing Trouble". Mixtape Atlanta. Retrieved June 17, 2010.