Sandra Hall

Sandra L. Hall (born September 5, 1951)[3] is an American blues and soul blues singer and songwriter. She has been billed as Atlanta's "Empress of the Blues"[1] Hall is an Honorary Member of the Atlanta Blues Society.[4] To date she has released five albums, including three on Ichiban Records.[5]

Sandra Hall
Also known as	Atlanta's "Empress of the Blues"[1]
Born	September 5, 1951 Oakland City, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	Blues, soul blues[2]
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1960s-present
Labels	Various including Ichiban
Associated acts	Shemekia Copeland
Website	Official website

Life and career

Hall was born in Oakland City, Atlanta, Georgia, United States.[3][2] After singing from the age of four at a nearby church, Hall formed a duo with her sister, Barbara, called the Soul Sisters. She later formed the Exotics, singing and dancing particularly at the Royal Peacock Club, one of the premier Atlanta nightclubs. The Exotics opened for several touring acts at that venue, including Otis Redding, Joe Tex and the Temptations. By the late 1960s, Hall had trained as a nurse, supplementing her income by working variously as a singer, go-go dancer and stripper. She also raised her daughter during this time.[2][5]

She continued singing in a semi-professional vein, whilst working full-time as a nurse. She developed her stage act to include a risque repertoire which was ripe with innuendo. Her better known songs included "Big Long Sliding Thing," "One Drop Will Do You," and "Pump Up Your Love".[2][6][5] Hall's live work came to the attention of Ichiban Records and, in 1995, they released her debut solo album, Showin' Off.[7] The same year she appeared at the Sarasota Blues Fest. Hall continued to work largely around Atlanta, but her recording exposure led her on tours in Europe, which included her performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival.[2][6][5] Her second album, One Drop Will Do You, was issued in 1997. The Allmusic journalist, Alex Henderson, noted that One Drop Will Do You "isn't an innovative or groundbreaking album, but it's certainly a very satisfying and inspired one".[8]

In 2001, she self-released Miss Red Riding Hood.[5] Hall performed at the W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival in 2005.[2] As well as continuing to perform and record, she befriended Shemekia Copeland and gave guidance in her early career, and Hall regularly visits schools teaching blues culture and singing styles.[2] Hall continues to perform at Blind Willie's in Atlanta. In 2011, Hall appeared at the Julius Daniels Memorial Blues Festival.

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Record label	Notes
1995	Showin' Off	Ichiban
1997	One Drop Will Do You	Ichiban
2001	Miss Red Riding Hood	Self-released
2002	American Roots : Blues	Ichiban	Compilation album
2007	Red Bone Woman	Slang Records	Sandra Hall & Gnola Blues Band

[9][10][5]

See also

• Music of Atlanta
• List of blues musicians
• List of soul-blues musicians

References

1. Ford, Robert (2008-03-31). A Blues Bibliography - Robert Ford - Google Books. ISBN 9781135865078. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
2. "Sandra Hall | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
3. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 277. ISBN 978-0313344237.
4. "Atlanta's Home of the Blues". The Atlanta Blues Society. 1977-07-06. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
5. "Sandra Hall". Soulbluesmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
6. "Sandra Hall - The Empress of the Blues Official Site". Sandrahallbluesempress.org. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
7. "Showin' Off - Sandra Hall | Releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
8. Alex Henderson (1997-04-22). "One Drop Will Do You - Sandra Hall | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
9. "Sandra Hall | Discography". AllMusic. 1997-04-22. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
10. "Sandra Hall & Gnola Blues Band | BluesToBop". Bluestobop.ch. Retrieved 2014-03-11.