Bobbye Hall

Bobbye Hall
Bobbye Hall and her pug, Ching Ching
Background information
Instruments	Percussion

Bobbye Jean Hall Porter is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 22 songs that reached the top ten in the Billboard Hot 100, six of those reaching No. 1.

Bobbye Jean Hall was born in Detroit, Michigan, and began her career there playing percussion in nightclubs while still in her teens. Using bongos, congas and other percussion, she played uncredited on many Motown recordings. She lived in Europe for a few years during which time she changed the spelling of her name from Bobby to Bobbye, to distinguish herself as a woman and as a unique musician. She moved to Los Angeles in 1970 where she was one of the few female session musicians in a male-dominated profession, a sometime associate of the Funk Brothers. Already a veteran player by May 1971, she added her bongo skills to Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". Her first studio gig behind a full rock drum kit was with Chris Ethridge on his album L.A. Getaway—Ethridge said "she was great".

Hall recorded several albums with Bill Withers, including his No. 1 hit "Lean On Me", and an album recorded live at Carnegie Hall. She toured with Carole King in May–June 1973 after having participated on two of King's studio albums. During this tour Hall asked King to stop introducing her as "Little Bobbye from Detroit". King suggested "Ms. Bobbye Hall" and from that time forward, Hall was known as Ms. Bobbye Hall. In May 1974, she performed again at Carnegie Hall, this time backing James Taylor, a follow-up to appearing on two of his albums. Stevie Wonder used Hall's percussion skills for a few songs in 1974 and 1976, including "Bird of Beauty" where her artful quica work established a mood of Brazil at Carnival.