Born in
Morgan City, Louisiana, René Hall first recorded in 1933 as a
banjo player with
Joseph Robichaux in
New Orleans. He then worked around the country as a member of the
Ernie Fields Orchestra, with whom he made his earliest recordings. In the group he was known by the nickname ''Lightnin' ''. Later he joined
Earl Hines as musical arranger. During the 1940s he built up a considerable reputation as a session musician in
New York City. In the late 1940s, he formed his own sextet which recorded for various labels including
Jubilee, Decca, and RCA. He also worked as a
talent scout for
King Records, discovering such acts as
Billy Ward and the Dominoes. In the mid-1950s, Hall moved to
Los Angeles,
California, and began doing session work with
saxophone player,
Plas Johnson, and
drummer,
Earl Palmer. The trio recorded for many of the emerging rock and roll and R&B artists on such labels as Aladdin,
Rendezvous, and
Specialty Records. In 1958, he pioneered the usage of a
Danelectro 6-string bass guitar as a supplement to standup bass on recording sessions with
Ritchie Valens and others. This approach was widely imitated by arrangers all over the world. Hall was a virtual one-man dynasty on the West Coast from the mid-1950s through the early 1970s, organizing such studio concoctions as
B. Bumble & The Stingers hit "
Nut Rocker", surf-rock group
The Marketts ("Surfer's Stomp"), and
The Routers of "
Let's Go" fame. All featured Hall, Palmer and Johnson, but were then promoted by young white groups who performed the songs on tour. He gave his former employer Ernie Fields an unlikely rock hit with a version of the
big band standard, "
In The Mood", which reached #4 in Billboard during 1959. When Hall, Palmer, and Johnson did not want to issue it under their own names and tour behind it, they gave it to Fields, who then did join them in the studio for a follow-up hit. Hall arranged
Ike & Tina Turner's 1963 album ''
Don't Play Me Cheap''. He also arranged some of
Sam Cooke's best-known recordings including the 1964 song, "
A Change Is Gonna Come", in which Hall devised a dramatic arrangement with a symphonic overture for
strings,
kettledrum, and
French horn. He prepared arrangements for many successful artists including
The Impressions and
Marvin Gaye. He also played guitar on
Marvin Gaye's "
Let's Get It On" and did a lot of work for
Bobby Womack. René Hall died of heart disease in Los Angeles, California at the age of 75. ==Discography==