James Vincent Hall (born January 2, 1968, in
Harris County, Texas
Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, ...
, United States) is an American rock singer and guitarist, best known for his gothic-style lyrics, distinctive voice, eccentric behavior and eclectic compositions.
Early career – Mary My Hope and solo
Before launching his solo career in 1990, James Hall was the singer for
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
band, Mary My Hope, which released one album entitled ''Museum'' in 1989,
and one EP, 1990's ''Suicide Kings'', both on
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
/
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
Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American alto singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls. She also pursues a solo career and has released six albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daemo ...
,
Indigo Girl Amy Ray
Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American alto singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls. She also pursues a solo career and has released six albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daem ...
'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
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
, and in 1996 his album, ''
Pleasure Club'', was released.
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
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 ...
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
Brad may refer to:
* Brad (given name), a masculine given name
Places
* Brad, Hunedoara, a city in Hunedoara County, Romania
* Brad, a village in Berești-Bistrița Commune, Bacău County, Romania
* Brad, a village in Filipeni, Bacău, Romania
* ...
, playing guitar and keyboards in support of their ''
Interiors
''Interiors'' is a 1978 American drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt, Richard Jordan, Diane Keaton, E. G. Marshall, Geraldine Page, Maureen Stapleton, and Sam Waterston.
Allen's first ful ...
'' album.
Hall has formed a working relationship with singer
Jimmy Gnecco of the band
Ours
One Union of Regional Staff (OURS) was a trade union in the United Kingdom.
The union was formed in early 2010 by the merger of the Derbyshire Group Staff Union and the Cheshire Group Staff Union. It organises former Derbyshire Building Soc ...
, 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.
References
External links
Official Home Page of James HallJames Hall MySpace PageJames Hall vocals for Player Kommander
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, James
American rock singers
Musicians from Atlanta
Living people
1968 births