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 75–76) 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 musician. She plays percussion, which means she uses instruments like drums and shakers. Bobbye has played with many famous rock, soul, blues, and jazz artists. Her music has been part of 20 songs that made it to the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart!

Bobbye Hall's Early Music Career

Starting in Detroit

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

Bobbye played bongos, congas, and other percussion instruments. She played on many Motown recordings in the 1960s, but her name was not always listed.

Moving to Los Angeles

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. At that time, there were not many female session musicians. This means she was one of the few women who played music for recordings without being part of a main band. She sometimes worked with famous groups like the Funk Brothers and the Wrecking Crew.

Playing with Famous Artists

By 1971, Bobbye was already a very experienced musician. She played congas in a studio video for the Temptations song "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 1971 album, L.A. Getaway. Chris Ethridge said she was "great." She also played on the Gene Clark album, White Light, that same year.

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

In 1973, she toured with Carole King. Bobbye had already played on two of Carole King's studio albums. During this tour, Bobbye asked Carole King to stop calling her "Little Bobbye from Detroit." Carole King suggested "Ms. Bobbye Hall," and from then on, she was known by that name.

In 1974, she performed at Carnegie Hall again. This time, she was playing for James Taylor, after appearing on two of his albums. Stevie Wonder also used Bobbye's percussion skills for some songs in 1974 and 1976. On his song "Bird of Beauty," her amazing quica playing made it sound like Brazil at Carnival.

Her Own Album

From 1973 to 1974, Bobbye Hall was sometimes credited as Bobbye Hall Porter or Bobbye Porter Hall. This was after she married record producer Joe Porter.

In March 1977, Bobbye Hall released her own album called Body Language For Lovers. It was a soul-jazz instrumental album. She wrote some of the songs with her husband. The magazine Billboard recommended the album, but it did not become a big hit.

Bobbye Hall's World Tours

Touring with Bob Dylan

In 1978, Bob Dylan asked Bobbye Hall to join him on a world tour. The tour lasted from February to December. She was paid a lot of money each week. This was to make up for the studio recording sessions she would miss.

The musicians on tour with Bob Dylan had to wear special costumes. The band members did not like them. The show's songs were mostly Bob Dylan's greatest hits. All the songs, even the quiet ones, were played by a full band with a big sound. Bobbye and the other musicians stayed in the best hotels with Dylan. They also flew on a private jet that had suites and a bar.

Bobbye sometimes had dinner with Dylan. She was surprised to learn he loved soul food. He also entertained her with card tricks.

The tour was long, and Dylan sometimes got tired. He would hold meetings and tell his musicians they were playing too much the same way. Bobbye said that when he spoke to them, "he was not the poet."

A two-disc album was made from 22 songs recorded live in Japan. It was called Bob Dylan at Budokan. Dylan and most of the touring band also recorded a studio album, Street-Legal, with Bobbye Hall playing percussion.

More Famous Recordings

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

In 1979, she recorded "Run Like Hell" with Pink Floyd for their album The Wall. She also recorded with Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band in the early 1980s.

Bobbye Hall joined Stevie Nicks for her album Bella Donna. She also toured with Stevie Nicks in 1981, 1983, and 1986.

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

Other Artists Bobbye Hall Played With

Bobbye Hall has recorded music for many other musicians. Some of these include Fanny, Kim Carnes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Janis Joplin, Tavares, Randy Newman, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, Leo Sayer, Diana Ross, The Doobie Brothers, Smokey Robinson, The Doors, and Tracy Chapman.

Instruments Bobbye Hall Plays

Bobbye Hall is a very talented percussionist and drummer. She has recorded using many different instruments. These include:

• 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 Chart

Many songs that Bobbye Hall played on became popular hits. Here are some of the songs that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: