Minor Hall (March 2, 1897 – October 16, 1959), better known as Ram Hall,''Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians''
Levin, Floyd (2002), p. 32. University of California Press At Google Books; retrieved June 11, 2013. was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

drummer active on the New Orleans jazz scene. He was the younger brother of

Tubby Hall Alfred "Tubby" Hall (October 12, 1895 – May 13, 1945) was an American jazz drummer. Hall was born in Sellers, Louisiana; his family moved to New Orleans in his childhood. His younger brother Minor "Ram" Hall also became a professional drummer ...

. Minor Hall was born in Sellers, Louisiana. He studied at New Orleans University until 1914, then began playing with Kid Ory in the middle of the decade. He played in various New Orleans ensembles, including the Superior Band, then moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1918. He took his brother's spot in

Lawrence Duhe Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

's band briefly before serving in the U.S. Army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. By the time he returned, King Oliver was leading Duhe's band, which Hall rejoined in 1921. In 1926 he played with

Jimmie Noone Jimmie Noone (April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. After beginning his career in New Orleans, he led Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, a Chicago band that recorded for Vocalion and Decca. Classical ...

, and then moved to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

for an extended run with Mutt Carey's Jeffersonians (1927–32). He played in the Winslow Allen Band in the 1930s, but took a hiatus from music for part of the decade, and served briefly in the Army again in 1942. In 1945 he rejoined Ory in his Creole Jazz Band and became one of his most longstanding members, remaining with Ory's ensemble until 1956, when he retired on account of poor health. Hall never led his own recording date, though he recorded extensively with Ory and also did some recording with

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

in the 1940s. He died in

Sawtelle, California Sawtelle is a district in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, California, partially within the West Los Angeles subregion. It was established in 1899 and named after a manager of the Pacific Land Company who was initially responsible fo ...

, aged 61.

References

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

Minor Hall Minor Hall (March 2, 1897 – October 16, 1959), better known as Ram Hall,Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Minor 1897 births 1959 deaths American jazz drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers People from Norco, Louisiana Jazz musicians from Louisiana 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians