Joe Hall (born Hans Joachim Boenke; May 15, 1947 – March 22, 2019), was a
German-Canadian
German Canadians (german: Deutsch-Kanadier or , ) are Canadian citizens of German ancestry or Germans who emigrated to and reside in Canada. According to the 2016 census, there are 3,322,405 Canadians with full or partial German ancestry. Some i ...
folk rock singer-songwriter.
Biography
Hall was born in
Wuppertal, Germany, the son of Johann Boenke and Johanna Maria Zeirmann.
[ "Joe Hall: Obituary", ''National Post'', March 29, 2019]
Retrieved April 2, 2019 He grew up in London, Ontario, Canada, and by the 1960s had begun performing in a trio, ''Drummond-McCaul'', with pianist, Daryl LeBerg and guitar player, Bill Williams, and by the mid-1960s had begun performing and touring with another band, the ''Eyeball Wine Company'' with Roger Brant on bass and George Dobo on guitar and piano. An album, ''Joe Hall and the Eyeball Wine Company'', was recorded in 1972 and released as a CD many years later. An earlier record, produced by Bob Ezrin, was never released. His first release was an album entitled ''H J Boenke'', his birth name, produced by Hall and his longtime collaborator, Tony Quarrington, and engineered by
Daniel
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...
and
Bob Lanois
Robert Jacques Lanois (April 4, 1948 – April 19, 2021) was a Canadian sound engineer, record producer, and harmonica player. He released his first album, ''Snake Road'', in 2006, in collaboration with his brother Daniel Lanois. He also record ...
, in 1976. Also playing on the album were George Dobo, keyboards; Roger Brant, bass; Mike Boyer (of the Humble Sponge), drums, and Joe Mendelson, "demented steel". The album was actually Volume 5, Number 2 of ''Impulse'', a Canadian arts magazine edited and published by
Eldon Garnet
Eldon Garnet (born 1946) is a multidisciplinary artist and novelist based in Toronto, Ontario and a professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design. From 1975 to 1990 he was the editor of ''Impulse'', a Canadian magazine of art and culture.
Ca ...
, a frequent collaborator of Hall’s in diverse realms including performance art and garden variety absurdity.
[ Kerry Doole, "RIP: Continental Drifter Joe Hall", ''FYI Music News'', March 25, 2019]
Retrieved April 2, 2019 In the 1970s and 1980s he led a new band, ''Continental Drift'', composed of Hall , Tony Quarrington on guitar, George Dobo on keyboards, and additionally Paul Quarrington
Paul Lewis Quarrington (July 22, 1953 – January 21, 2010) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician and educator.
Background
Born in Toronto as the middle of three sons in the family of four of Bruce Quarrington, on bass and Martin Worthy on drums, based in Toronto, and released several more albums. Many of his later records were released independently and included new incarnations of the continental drift with J.P. Hovercraft on bass and no one at all on drums.[ Kerry Doole, "RIP: Continental Drifter Joe Hall", ''FYI Music News'', March 25, 2019]
Retrieved April 2, 2019 Hall collaborated with Willie P. Bennett as well as Continental Drift members Tony Quarrington and J.P. Hovercraft as “The Screaming Vegetables” on two independent releases in the 90’s.
As well as his songs, Hall became noted for his "eccentric and often very funny stage chatter". Johnny Loftus, Review of ''Travelling Without Deodorant'', ''Allmusic''
Retrieved April 2, 2019 One obituary commented on his performances: "From his then-considered daring stage apparel (a kilt-like skirt with workboots and oversized flowing bow tie, for example...) to his Zappaesque monologues and asides during songs, he seemed to do whatever came to mind with no regard for decorum or convention, his aim solely on the integrity of his artistic expression."[ "Death of Joe Hall leaves empty space on Canadian music scene", ''Toronto Moon'', March 25, 2019]
Retrieved April 2, 2019
From the late 1980s he lived in Peterborough, Ontario. He continued to perform, and recorded and mentored younger musicians. He died at home in 2019, aged 71, after suffering from liver cancer
Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...
for several years.[
]
Bibliography
* ''Hans Wurst songs by: Joe Hall'' (1990)
Discography
* ''Joe Hall and the Eyeball Wine Company'' (1972)
* ''H J Boenke'' (1976)
* ''Joe Hall and the Continental Drift'' (1977) *
* ''On the Avenue'' (1978) *
* ''Drinking with the Continental Drift'' (1979) *
* ''Rancho Banano'' (1980) *
* ''Skeleton Key'' (1987)
* ''Rapture'' (1993)
* ''Fresh Outta Rehab'' (1995) as ''Joe Hall And The Screaming Vegetables''
* ''Travelling Without Deodorant: The Best of Joe Hall 1972–1988'' (1999) Compilation
* ''Geezerhood'' (2005)
* ''Incontinental Drift'' (2007)
* ''Direct to Delete'' (2016) as ''Joe Hall And The Drift''
* Credited to ''Joe Hall And The Continental Drift''
See also
* List of German Canadians
References
External links
Website
Archived blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Joe
1947 births
2019 deaths
Canadian male singer-songwriters
Canadian singer-songwriters
German emigrants to Canada
Canadian folk rock musicians