Ellis Hall (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ellis Hall
Ellis Hall performing Soul Unlimited in 2017
Born	Ellis Hall Jr. (1951-05-10) May 10, 1951 (age 74) Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Singer Songwriter Composer Multi-instrumentalist Actor
Years active	1967–present
Spouse(s)	Susan Hancock ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1983)​ Ruth Ann Capone ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 1992)​ Karen Murphy ​ ​ (m. 1994; died 2007)​ Leighala Jimenez ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	Four
Musical career
Genres	Soul rhythm & blues jazz Funk Gospel rock blues
Instruments	Vocals keyboards drums guitar bass
Labels	CBS Columbia HCRC Records Cypress/A&M Records Crossover Records Ear-Say Records Priority

Ellis Hall Jr. (born May 10, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is also a talented musician who can play many instruments. Conductor Jeff Tyzik called him "The Ambassador of Soul."

Ellis Hall has been blind since he was 18 years old. He was inspired by the famous musician Ray Charles. Hall has written over 4,000 songs, including soul, gospel, blues, and pop music. He has performed with many famous artists like Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, and Patti LaBelle. Ray Charles even signed Hall to his record label and helped guide him until Charles passed away in 2004.

Ellis Hall's Early Life and School

Ellis Hall was born on May 10, 1951, in Savannah, Georgia. He grew up with his brothers and sisters in Claxton, Georgia. When he was young, doctors found out he had a serious eye condition called congenital glaucoma. This meant his vision was not good and getting worse.

Because of his vision, his family moved to Boston, Massachusetts. This allowed him to attend The Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown. He started learning piano in third grade. He loved to sing doo-wop songs for money, which he used to buy snacks.

When he was 14, he saw a band called Quint Harris & the Preachers perform. They made the audience very excited. This show made him serious about a music career. After that, he built his own drum set and started practicing bass guitar too. He practiced all his instruments in the dark. This way, he would always be able to play, even if he lost his sight completely.

In high school, Ellis played football and wrestled. His left eye was still strong enough for these sports. However, a wrestling injury to that eye in 1969 caused him to lose his sight completely. He was 18 years old at the time.

Ellis Hall's Music Career

Because of his great music education, Ellis Hall became a master of many instruments. He could play drums, piano, keyboards, guitar, and bass. He also became a powerful singer with a five-octave vocal range.

His first professional recording was in 1971. He played bass and sang background vocals for rocker Paul Pena. In 1973, Ellis Hall started his own group, the Ellis Hall Group. They performed for famous people like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Nelson Mandela. They also opened shows for popular bands like the Temptations and Tower of Power. The leader of Tower of Power, Emilio Castillo, even asked Ellis to join his band several times.

After moving to California in the early 1980s, Ellis Hall finally joined Tower of Power. He sang lead vocals and wrote music for their 1987 album, Power. After leaving Tower of Power, Hall worked as a session musician. This means he played on other artists' recordings. He worked with artists like Kenny G, where he had a hit song called "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)."

Ellis Hall also wrote and performed songs for many movies and TV shows. These include The Lion King 2, Shrek 2, and Bruce Almighty. He sang gospel songs in Big Momma's House and a Louis Armstrong song in Catch Me If You Can.

Ray Charles signs Hall to Crossover Records in 2002. Charles co-produced Hall's album Straight Ahead released in 2004

In 2001, Ellis Hall met Ray Charles at a Christmas party. Ray Charles was very impressed by Ellis's performance. Their friendship lasted until Ray Charles passed away in 2004. Ray Charles signed Ellis Hall to his Crossover Records label in 2002. Ellis was the only artist Charles ever signed. Ray Charles also helped produce Ellis's first album. In 2003, Ellis performed at the Kennedy Center because Ray Charles asked him to. When the movie Ray was being filmed, Ellis Hall was an advisor on set.

Ellis Hall continues to make a lot of music. In 2015, he was nominated for an award for his role in the play The Gospel at Colonus. He is featured on three songs on Bootsy Collins's album The Power of the One. One of these songs, "Wishing Well," was written by Ellis. In 2020, Ellis Hall received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in film and television music. In 2021, he released a new version of "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." He also released a new studio album called Doc Kupka Presents: Let's Make an Arrangement in September 2021.

Ellis Hall's Symphony Performances

After finishing his album, Ellis Hall started performing with symphony orchestras. His first symphony show was in 2005 at the Hollywood Bowl. This show celebrated Ray Charles's 75th birthday. Since then, he has performed with 81-piece orchestras around the world. These include the Boston Pops and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Ellis Hall created his first special show called "Ellis Hall Presents: Ray, Motown and Beyond." In 2016, he debuted his newest show, "Beyond Ellis Hall: Soul Unlimited." In this show, he performs songs from artists like David Bowie and George Harrison. Ellis co-produced both of these shows with his wife and manager, Leighala Jimenez-Hall.

Ellis Hall's Personal Life

Ellis Hall married his manager, Leighala Jimenez-Hall, in May 2013. They met in 2011 on a music cruise. Ellis is also the stepfather to Leighala's daughter, Krystina Arielle.

Ellis Hall's Charity Work

Ellis Hall uses his music to help others. He recorded his own version of Sting’s "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" for an album called Rock Against Trafficking. He also helped with the song "Set Them Free" for the same album.

He often goes back to the Perkins School for the Blind for their yearly event. He has performed there as the main act twice, in 2015 and 2018.

In 2020, Ellis Hall was one of the singers on a charity song called "One World." This song brought together songwriters who first met 30 years ago in Moscow. They created a new version of their song to raise money for five charities. These charities were helping people affected by the pandemic. Ellis Hall had sung the original demo of "One World" 30 years earlier. The song reached #27 on the Billboard Top 30 Mainstream Adult Contemporary chart.

Ellis Hall's Music Albums

• The Spirit Lingers On...and On – ESP-Disk (2005)
• Straight Ahead – Crossover Records (2004)
• Love Can Make It Better – Crossover Records (2004)
• The Spirit Lingers On – ESP-Disk (1999)
• From Where I Stand (with Carl Anderson) – Chameleon Records (1989)
• Every Little Bit Hurts / Back It Up (Try It Again) / 12 inch – Houston Connection Recording Corporation (1983)

Ellis Hall's Vocal Credits

Ellis Hall's Film Appearances

Ellis Hall on Television