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While there are certain
similarities Hall shares with Charles, their careers have
taken very different paths and this tribute has evolved from
a relatively recent crossing of artistic paths.
Hall, like Charles and so
many famous black musicians, is blind. He was diagnosed at
an early age with congenital glaucoma and lost his sight
completely at the age of 18. However, he had found his
calling well before that. By the time he was 14 years old,
Hall knew that he would be making music his life.
Through the years, Hall
has been an all-around performer, producer, songwriter while
working with such luminaries as Natalie Cole, Patti LaBelle,
, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Sheila E., among many
others.
During the 1980s and his
“funk” period, he was the lead singer for Tower of Power, as
well as the group’s keyboardist, a producer and a
songwriter. He then stayed busy as a session musician in
Los Angeles while also singing and playing for Hollywood
productions such as The Lion King 2, Shrek 2, Chicken
Run, Invincible and Bruce Almighty. He even acted
occasionally in films such as Big Momma’s House and
Catch Me If You Can.
Hall finally met his idol
in 2001 when Charles heard him perform at a Christmas party.
“Who are you and why have I not heard of you until now,” the
Genius asked Hall. Charles eventually signed Hall to his
CrossOver Records label in 2002 but before Hall’s studio
album was released, Charles died. His mentor’s advice
however already had led him to finding yet another musical
direction – working with orchestras.
Since his time spent with
Charles in the last several years of Charles’ life, Hall has
performed extensively with orchestras around the country
blending R & B, soul and funk with symphonies in Pittsburgh,
Dallas, Boston, Detroit, Tucson and Washington, DC, to name
a few. He alternates his Ray Charles tribute with his “Soul
Unlimited” show.
Hall was born in Savannah,
Georgia and his family eventually moved to Massachusetts
where he attended the Perkins School for the Bind. He made
his recording debut in 1971 at the age of 20 when he played
bass and provided background vocals for rocker Paul Pena. He
formed the Ellis Hall Group in 1973, an opening act on
occasion for the Temptations and the Spinners.
Although Hall has been
completely blind for more than five decades, when he is
performing he can see quite a lot.
“I can see colors when I’m
doing the music,” he says. “I’m singing my solos in color.
It’s a very colorful display.”
“As we planned our 75th
Anniversary season, we looked back to the most memorable
performances of our past,” says Zak Vassar, president & CEO
of the Toledo Symphony. “One of those was Ray Charles’s 2001
concert with the Toledo Symphony at the Stranahan Theater.
It’s a performance that people still talk about, since Ray
was such a showman and a real pleasure to work with. We
sadly never got to perform with Ray again before he passed
away, but this performance with Ellis Hall will allow us to
pay tribute to Ray Charles and bring us about as close as we
can to recapturing the magic of that 2001 concert.”
Ellis Hall: A Tribute to Ray Charles will take place
Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 8 PM at the Stranahan Theater.
Tickets are available at toledosymphony.com or by calling
the Toledo Symphony Box Office at 419.246.8000.
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