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 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, and was estimated to be 5,009,302 in 2024, making it the List of counties in Texas, most populous cou ...

, United States) is an American rock singer and guitarist, best known for his gothic-style lyrics, distinctive voice, avant-garde performances 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

band, Mary My Hope, which released one album entitled ''Museum'' in 1989, and one EP, 1990's ''Suicide Kings'', both on

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

/ 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 singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls with Emily Saliers. She also pursues a solo career, releasing ten albums under her own name, and founded the independent ...

, Indigo Girl

Amy Ray Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls with Emily Saliers. She also pursues a solo career, releasing ten albums under her own name, and founded the independent ...

'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 (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

, 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 Pop Poppins (1989-1997), the Toadies (1990–91), Course of Empire (1994–1998), and James Hall's band Pleasure Club, which was ...

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 Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

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. The Futura Bold released a CD called "The Futura Bold" on March 23, 2010 featuring

Jimmy Gnecco James Francis Gnecco III (born September 30, 1973) is an American singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist who makes music both under his name and the moniker Ours (band), Ours. Gnecco is known for his multi-octave vocal range and singing st ...

of the band

Ours Ours may refer to: People * Ours (singer), a French singer and songwriter. * Wes Ours (born 1977), an American football player Music * Ours (band), an American rock group Songs * "Ours" (song), by Taylor Swift, 2011 * "Ours", a song by Ed Sh ...

on background vocals on " Consenting Adults", "Evil Twin" and "Good Times".

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 ...

'' album. Hall has formed a working relationship with singer

of the band

, 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. Currently James Hall performs with his touring band called "James Hall and the Ladies of Music".

References

External links

Official Home Page of James Hall

James Hall MySpace Page

James Hall vocals for Player Kommander
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, James American rock singers Singers from Atlanta Living people 1968 births