Bobbye Hall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bobbye Hall
Bobbye Hall and her pug, Ching Ching
Background information
Birth name	Bobby Jean Hall
Born	1950 (age 74–75) Detroit, Michigan
Genres	Jazz pop rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Percussion
Years active	1963 to present
Associated acts	Bill Withers, Carole King, James Taylor, Marvin Gaye, Tavares, Seals and Crofts, Smokey Robinson, Jefferson Starship, Leo Sayer, Diana Ross, Pink Floyd, Marty Balin, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger

Bobbye Jean Hall is an amazing American percussionist. She plays many different instruments that make sounds when you hit or shake them. Bobbye has played with lots of famous rock, soul, blues, and jazz musicians. She has even been part of 20 songs that made it into the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart!

Bobbye Hall's Musical Journey

Starting Young in Detroit

Bobbye Jean Hall was born in Detroit, Michigan. She started playing percussion in nightclubs when she was still a teenager. In 1961, a music arranger from Motown Records, Paul Riser, asked her to play on a recording.

She played bongos, congas, and other percussion instruments on many Motown songs in the 1960s. Her name wasn't always listed on these early recordings.

Moving to Los Angeles and a New Name

Bobbye lived in Europe for a few years. During this time, she changed the spelling of her name from "Bobby" to "Bobbye." She wanted to show that she was a female percussionist and a special musician.

In 1970, she moved to Los Angeles. Back then, it was mostly men who were session musicians. These are musicians who play on recordings but aren't part of the main band. Bobbye was one of the few women doing this important job. She sometimes worked with famous groups like the Funk Brothers and Wrecking Crew.

By 1971, Bobbye was already a very experienced player. You can see her playing congas in a video of the Temptations performing "Sorry Is A Sorry Word." She also added her bongo skills to Marvin Gaye's song "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)."

Her first time playing a full drum kit in a studio was for Chris Ethridge's album L.A. Getaway in 1971. He said she was "great"! She also played on the Gene Clark album, White Light, that same year.

Working with Music Legends

Bobbye Hall recorded several albums with Bill Withers. This included his number one hit song "Lean On Me" and his Live at Carnegie Hall album.

She also toured with Carole King in 1973. Bobbye had already played on two of Carole King's studio albums. During the tour, Bobbye asked Carole King to stop introducing her as "Little Bobbye from Detroit." Carole King then suggested "Ms. Bobbye Hall," and that's how she became known by that name!

In 1974, she performed at Carnegie Hall again, this time with James Taylor. She had also played on two of his albums. Stevie Wonder used Bobbye's percussion skills for some of his songs in 1974 and 1976. Her amazing quica playing on "Bird of Beauty" made it sound like a Brazilian party!

In 1973–1974, Bobbye sometimes got credit as Bobbye Hall Porter or Bobbye Porter Hall. This was after she married record producer Joe Porter. In 1977, Bobbye released her own album called Body Language For Lovers. It was a soul-jazz album with instrumental songs she wrote with her husband.

Bobbye Hall's Global Tours

Touring the World with Bob Dylan

In 1978, Bob Dylan asked Bobbye to join him on a huge world tour. It lasted from mid-February to mid-December. She was paid a lot of money each week, which helped make up for the studio work she was missing.

The musicians on tour had to wear special costumes. The shows featured many of Dylan's most famous songs. All the songs, even the quiet ones, were played with a full band and a big sound. Bobbye and the other musicians stayed in the best hotels and flew on a private jet with suites and a bar.

Bobbye sometimes had dinner with Bob Dylan. He would even entertain her with card tricks. The tour was long, and sometimes Dylan would talk to the band about their playing. A two-disc album called Bob Dylan at Budokan was made from 22 songs recorded live in Japan. Also, Dylan and most of the touring band recorded a studio album, Street-Legal, with Bobbye playing percussion.

More Famous Recordings

In August 1978, between Dylan's tour dates, Bobbye played congas for Tom Waits's album Blue Valentine. Her playing on the song "Romeo Is Bleeding" gave it a cool Latin feel.

In 1979, she recorded "Run Like Hell" with Pink Floyd for their famous album The Wall. She also recorded with Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band in the early 1980s. Bobbye joined Stevie Nicks for her album Bella Donna and toured with her in 1981, 1983, and 1986.

For the 1986 movie Little Shop of Horrors, Bobbye played tambourine and congas on the soundtrack.

Bobbye Hall has recorded with many other famous musicians too! Some of them include Kim Carnes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Janis Joplin, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, Aretha Franklin, the Doobie Brothers, Diana Ross, the Doors, and Tracy Chapman.

Instruments Bobbye Hall Plays

Bobbye Hall is a master of many percussion instruments. She has recorded using:

• Bongos
• Congas
• Tambourine
• Claves
• Quica
• Wood block
• Tabla
• Full drum kit
• Tom-toms
• Cabasa
• Maracas
• Cowbell
• Bells
• Shaker
• Güiro
• Triangle
• Mark tree
• Hand claps
• Finger snaps
• Finger cymbals

Songs on the Billboard Hot 100

Here are some of the songs Bobbye Hall played on that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart: