At the age of 20, he moved to Macon, Georgia with his newly formed band, Wet Willie, and was signed by Capricorn Records. Hall shared the studio and stage with artists such as The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jeff Beck Group, Grand Funk Railroad, and a host of others while Wet Willie gained the reputation as one of the hardest working bands on the road. Gregg Allman once said that Hall “…is the hardest man to follow on stage that I ever worked with”. As Wet Willie helped to create the Southern Rock genre they scored a major radio success with Keep on Smiling. This record solidified their place in rock and roll history, and Wet Willie’s hits are still being played on the radio today.
In 1980 Hall recorded the hit single I’m Happy That Love Has Found You, then went on to work with Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks (Allman Brothers Band), and Chuck Leavell (Allman Brothers Band, Rolling Stones) in BHLT. It was, however, his featured vocals in 1986 on the critically acclaimed Jeff Beck album Flash that Hall received his greatest accolade: a Grammy nomination for Best Male Vocalist.
In 1981 Hall moved to Nashville to raise his family, hugely influencing his three sons as they grew into their own remarkable musical talents. During this time Hall worked as bandleader, vocalist, saxophonist, and harmonica player for Hank Williams, Jr. Next, Hall formed the Prisoners of Love with top Nashville musicians and recorded the outstanding Rendezvous CD. Gregg Allman later recorded one of the album’s tunes, the Hall-penned Rendezvous with the Blues.
Jimmy Hall has numerous television performances under his belt including American Bandstand, Solid Gold, and recent CMT specials such as Crossroads (with Hank Williams, Jr. and Kid Rock), CMA Music Fest (with Hank, Jr.), Summer Fest (with Hank, Jr.), and The Jeff Foxworthy Show. He also appeared in numerous interviews on Greatest Moments with Hank Williams, Jr. and was featured on backing vocals, harmonica, and sax in the first televised Outlaws concert.
Hall’s latest endeavors include the Triple Trouble CD with Lloyd Jones and Tommy Castro and backed by Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band Double Trouble. He also has compiled a soul-stirring CD called The Mighty Jeremiahs featuring Greg Martin from the Kentucky Headhunters. The newest Jimmy Hall project is a tribute to the great singer and songwriter Eddie Hinton called Build Your Own Fire. This CD features legendary Muscle Shoals musicians and guest vocalist Delbert McClinton and is due out in spring of 2007.
Now Jimmy Hall is continuing the southern musical tradition by fronting a new all-star southern rock band called Deep South. His soulful voice is richer than ever and you can be sure the best is still to come.
