Fred Hall (musician)
Encyclopedia
Fred Hall was an American
pianist
, bandleader
and composer
.
and began his musical career working as a song-plugger
for various music publishers.
As a bandleader Hall and his men from recorded prolifically for many labels (see below) from 1925 onwards. Many recordings featured vocalist Arthur Fields
with whom Hall enjoyed a lengthy partnership, co-writing several songs, the better known ones including Eleven More Months And Ten More Days and I Got A Code In My Dose. Hall and Fields also appeared together on the NBC
radio show The Sunday Driver.
Notable musicians in Hall's band included trumpeters Mike Mosiello
and Leo McConville. Apart from playing piano, conducting and composing Hall himself sometimes performed scat singing
on his records. A selection of Hall's recorded work has been reissued on CD by The Old Masters label.
Little is known of Hall's musical activities after 1932 when he made his last records, but he did join ASCAP in 1939. He died in New York on October 6, 1954 at the age of merely 56.
reports the following:
There were also several Hall recordings issued anonymously on Grey Gull
and related labels. The records issued on the Harmony, Diva and Velvet Tone labels as "Jerome Conrad and His Orchestra" were also earlier ascribed to Hall by Rust, but has in later editions been revised as being by a Harry Reser
group.
Hall also recorded and broadcasted with Fields as a country
ensemble called Rex Cole's Mountaineers
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Life and career
Fred Hall was born in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and began his musical career working as a song-plugger
Song-plugger
A song-plugger was a piano player employed by music stores in the early 20th century to promote and help sell new sheet music, which is how hits were advertised before quality recordings were widely available. Typically, the pianist sat on the mezzanine level of a store and played whatever music...
for various music publishers.
As a bandleader Hall and his men from recorded prolifically for many labels (see below) from 1925 onwards. Many recordings featured vocalist Arthur Fields
Arthur Fields
Arthur Fields was a United States singer and songwriter.He was born Abraham Finkelstein in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, but grew up mainly in Utica, New York. He became a professional singer as a youngster...
with whom Hall enjoyed a lengthy partnership, co-writing several songs, the better known ones including Eleven More Months And Ten More Days and I Got A Code In My Dose. Hall and Fields also appeared together on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
radio show The Sunday Driver.
Notable musicians in Hall's band included trumpeters Mike Mosiello
Mike Mosiello
Mike Mosiello was an Italian-born American trumpet player.- Biography :...
and Leo McConville. Apart from playing piano, conducting and composing Hall himself sometimes performed scat singing
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
on his records. A selection of Hall's recorded work has been reissued on CD by The Old Masters label.
Little is known of Hall's musical activities after 1932 when he made his last records, but he did join ASCAP in 1939. He died in New York on October 6, 1954 at the age of merely 56.
Band names used on records
Hall's records were issued under a variety of names (including pseudonyms). Discographer Brian RustBrian Rust
Brian Rust , was an English jazz discographer.Brian Arthur Lovell Rust was born in London, and collected records from the age of five. He worked in the BBC's record library from 1945 to 1960, and supervised broadcasting selections...
reports the following:
- Fred "Sugar" Hall and His Sugar Babies (OkehOkeh RecordsOkeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
) - Fred Hall's Orchestra/and His Orchestra (HarmonyHarmony RecordsHarmony Records was a label owned by Columbia Records. It was originally used as a label for low-price 78 rpm records in the 1920s and 1930s; subsequently it was revived as a label for budget albums of reissued tracks during the 1950s with nine or ten songs per album...
, BellBell Records (1920s)The United States based Bell Records record label started issuing records in about 1920. The label's parent company was the Standard Music Roll Company of Orange, New Jersey, which was also the parent of Arto Records...
, Goodson (UK)) - Fred Hall's and His Roseland Orchestra (EmersonEmerson RecordsEmerson Records was a record label active in the United States between 1916 to 1928. Emerson Records produced between the 1910s and early 1920s offered generally above average audio fidelity for the era, pressed in high quality shellac. The fidelity of the later issues compares less...
and BellBell Records (1920s)The United States based Bell Records record label started issuing records in about 1920. The label's parent company was the Standard Music Roll Company of Orange, New Jersey, which was also the parent of Arto Records...
) - Fred Hall's Jazz Band (BannerBanner RecordsBanner Records was a United States based record label of the 20th century.Banner Records was launched in January 1922 by the Plaza Music Company of New York City. Banner was an extremely popular label in the 1920s, concentrating on popular music of the day. To this day, Banners are often found all...
and associated labels) - Arthur Fields and His Orchestra (PerfectPerfect RecordsPerfect Records was a United States based record label of the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Pathé Records, producing standard lateral cut 78 rpm disc records for the US market....
) - Arthur Fields and His Assassinators (EdisonEdison RecordsEdison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...
) - Arthur Fields and The Noodlers (BannerBanner RecordsBanner Records was a United States based record label of the 20th century.Banner Records was launched in January 1922 by the Plaza Music Company of New York City. Banner was an extremely popular label in the 1920s, concentrating on popular music of the day. To this day, Banners are often found all...
and associated labels) - Claremont Dance Band/Orchestra (Duophone)
- The Home Towners (CameoCameo RecordsCameo was a USA based budget record label, first flourishing in the 1920s, not connected with a later record label of the same name which was active in the 1950s and 1960s.The Cameo Record Company was based in Manhattan, New York...
and associated labels, BannerBanner RecordsBanner Records was a United States based record label of the 20th century.Banner Records was launched in January 1922 by the Plaza Music Company of New York City. Banner was an extremely popular label in the 1920s, concentrating on popular music of the day. To this day, Banners are often found all...
and associated labels) - Honey Swamp Stompers (HarmonyHarmony RecordsHarmony Records was a label owned by Columbia Records. It was originally used as a label for low-price 78 rpm records in the 1920s and 1930s; subsequently it was revived as a label for budget albums of reissued tracks during the 1950s with nine or ten songs per album...
) - The Tin Pan Paraders (GennettGennett RecordsGennett was a United States based record label which flourished in the 1920s.-Label history:Gennett records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. The company took its name from its top managers: Harry, Fred and Clarence Gennett....
)
There were also several Hall recordings issued anonymously on Grey Gull
Grey Gull Records
Grey Gull Records was a record label based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America from 1919 through 1930. According to the Massachusetts Department of Corporation and Taxation, Grey Gull was officially incorporated on 31 December 1919. It was dissolved on 31 March 1934 Grey Gull...
and related labels. The records issued on the Harmony, Diva and Velvet Tone labels as "Jerome Conrad and His Orchestra" were also earlier ascribed to Hall by Rust, but has in later editions been revised as being by a Harry Reser
Harry Reser
Harry F. Reser was an American banjo player and bandleader. Born in Piqua, Ohio, Reser was best known as the leader of The Clicquot Club Eskimos.- Career :...
group.
Hall also recorded and broadcasted with Fields as a country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
ensemble called Rex Cole's Mountaineers
Rex Cole's Mountaineers
Rex Cole's Mountaineers was an American country music band.The Mountaineers were actually the creation of two New Yorkers, vaudeville singer Arthur Fields and songwriter/bandleader/manager Fred Hall. Fields had had a recording contract with several high-profile labels but never had a hit; Hall...
.
Sources
- Randy SkretvedtRandy SkretvedtRandy Skretvedt is an American film and music scholar, author, lecturer and broadcaster. His 1987 book Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies is the reference standard for Laurel and Hardy fans Randy Skretvedt (b. November 1958) is an American film and music scholar, author, lecturer and...
: Liner notes to the CD Fred Hall's Sugar Babies featuring Arthur Fields (TOM mb 106) - Brian RustBrian RustBrian Rust , was an English jazz discographer.Brian Arthur Lovell Rust was born in London, and collected records from the age of five. He worked in the BBC's record library from 1945 to 1960, and supervised broadcasting selections...
: The American Dance Band Discography (2 vol), New Rochelle, New York 1975