Danniebelle Hall (October 6, 1938 – December 28, 2000), was an American

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

ian, recording artist,

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

Biography

Early life

Danniebelle Hall was born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

the fourth of eight children. She was born to William Butler Jones and Danniebell Jones. Danniebelle learned to play piano at the age of three. She played piano for her hometown church. To advance her passion for spreading the gospel through song, she enlisted the talents of her two younger sisters and formed the trio, The Jones Sisters. She moved to

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, when she was 17 years old, where she met and married Charles E. Hall. They had three children

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

and

Cynthia Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, ...

Musical career

In 1969, she formed a group called The Danniebelles. The group went on tour overseas. This promoted the growth and the popularity of The Danniebelles beyond expectations. They were able to record an album and minister to thousands while touring with World Vision International in Zamboanga, Mindanao, Philippines, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. World Crusade Ministries. A few years later, Danniebelle joined the gospel group of

Andraé Crouch Andraé Edward Crouch (July 1, 1942 – January 8, 2015) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as "the father of modern gospel music" by contemporary Christian and gospel music profess ...

and the Disciples. She was featured on such classic Gospel recordings as "Take Me Back" and "Soon and Very Soon." Danniebelle sang and recorded several solo albums that spanned the next 2 and a half decades. She has traveled worldwide. Using her own personal trials as an example, she spread the love of Jesus Christ. Although she composed and arranged music, she found great fulfillment in being a lyricist. She is admired for having set biblical passages to music. She also penned the popular Gospel song, "Ordinary People," which is included on her 1977 recording, "Let Me Have A Dream" and was also recorded by James Cleveland and the Salem Inspirational Choir in 1978.

Personal life

Being an insulin dependent diabetic for a number of years, she was also under treatment for hypertension. She survived a mastectomy due to breast cancer, left leg amputation below the knee, and a host of other health related issues. She died on December 28, 2000.

Discography

Albums

* ''Danniebelle'' (Light, 1974) * ''This Moment'' (Light, 1975) * ''He Is King'' (Light, 1976) * ''Let Me Have a Dream'' (Sparrow, 1977) * ''Danniebelle Live in Sweden with Choralerna'' (Sparrow, 1978) * ''Unmistakably Danniebelle'' (Onyx International, 1983) * ''Song of the Angels'' (Onyx International, 1983) * ''Designer's Original'' (CGI, 1992) * ''The Best Gets Better'' (CGI, 1995) * ''Remembering the Times'' (EMI, 2001)

External links

Danniebelle.com

References

* Danniebelle Hall at AllMusic.com
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel death notice

Work the works: the role of African-American women in the development of contemporary gospel at TheFreeLibrary.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Danniebelle American Pentecostals Members of the Church of God in Christ American gospel singers 1938 births 2000 deaths Musicians from Pittsburgh Singers from Pennsylvania 20th-century American singers