He was born Wendell Woods Hall on August 23, 1896, in St. George, Kansas.
He was an American country singer, vaudeville artist, songwriter, pioneer radio performer, recording artist, and ukulele player.
Hall was nicknamed the Red-haired Music Maker and the Pineapple Picador.
Hall began his career in 1922 Chicago as a song plugger for Forster Music. He traveled around the country and stopped in towns to play in music stores, theaters, and radio.
In vaudeville he began singing and playing the xylophone.
He preferred ukulele since it was portable. He quickly deft with that instrument.
In 1923, he recorded "It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'," which sold well.
On June 4, 1924, Hall married Marion Martin.
The wedding was performed live on the radio, and it may be the first broadcast wedding ceremony in history.
In January, 1924 he signed with the National Carbon Company to host the Eveready Hour a pioneer commercially sponsored variety program on WEAF in New York.
On November 4, 1924 the program was on a pre-network 18 station "hook-up" to broadcast election returns with entertainers Will Rogers, Carson Robison, Art Gillham, and the Waldorf Astoria Orchestra.
Eveready painted their batteries with a red top to cash in on Hall's popularity.
In 1929 Wendell Hall hosted the Majestic Music Hour and a few years later Gillette's Community Sing. He made a few musical short films.
After he ceased being a radio performer, Wendell Hall wrote commercials for radio.
He did some collaborations with Carson Robison, recording versions of Stephen Foster tunes such as "Camptown Races" and "Oh! Susanna."
Hall performed on a variety of stringed instruments, including the standard ukulele, the taropatch ukulele, banjo, and the hybrid banjolele, as well as the tiple.
Like so many of the other performers during the era, Hall was a big fan of the instruments created by the C.F. Martin & Company, particularly their Taropatch. Like other performers, he was unsuccessful in obtaining an endorsement deal with Martin, but in response to his letter offering to endorse their product, Martin offered their 20% discount for professional performers and to inlay his name in the head of the instrument.
He published an instruction book, Wendell Hall's Ukulele Method, with Forster Music in 1925, that was edited by May Singhi Breen.
He also marketed a series of custom ukuleles, The Red Head Ukulele and banjolele with red tuning pegs that became collectors' items for several generations afterward.
When the ukulele dropped in popularity, many performers distanced themselves from it, Hall was no exception. It wasn't until Arthur Godfrey brought the instrument back to life in the 1950s that it re-emerged.
Due to this resurgence, Hall landed a radio show on WBKB five days a week. His instruction booklets were updated and republished at that time as well.
He died on April 2, 1969, in Fairhope, Alabama.
He was an American country singer, vaudeville artist, songwriter, pioneer radio performer, recording artist, and ukulele player.
Hall was nicknamed the Red-haired Music Maker and the Pineapple Picador.
Hall began his career in 1922 Chicago as a song plugger for Forster Music. He traveled around the country and stopped in towns to play in music stores, theaters, and radio.
In vaudeville he began singing and playing the xylophone.
He preferred ukulele since it was portable. He quickly deft with that instrument.
In 1923, he recorded "It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'," which sold well.
On June 4, 1924, Hall married Marion Martin.
The wedding was performed live on the radio, and it may be the first broadcast wedding ceremony in history.
In January, 1924 he signed with the National Carbon Company to host the Eveready Hour a pioneer commercially sponsored variety program on WEAF in New York.
On November 4, 1924 the program was on a pre-network 18 station "hook-up" to broadcast election returns with entertainers Will Rogers, Carson Robison, Art Gillham, and the Waldorf Astoria Orchestra.
Eveready painted their batteries with a red top to cash in on Hall's popularity.
In 1929 Wendell Hall hosted the Majestic Music Hour and a few years later Gillette's Community Sing. He made a few musical short films.
After he ceased being a radio performer, Wendell Hall wrote commercials for radio.
He did some collaborations with Carson Robison, recording versions of Stephen Foster tunes such as "Camptown Races" and "Oh! Susanna."
Hall performed on a variety of stringed instruments, including the standard ukulele, the taropatch ukulele, banjo, and the hybrid banjolele, as well as the tiple.
Like so many of the other performers during the era, Hall was a big fan of the instruments created by the C.F. Martin & Company, particularly their Taropatch. Like other performers, he was unsuccessful in obtaining an endorsement deal with Martin, but in response to his letter offering to endorse their product, Martin offered their 20% discount for professional performers and to inlay his name in the head of the instrument.
He published an instruction book, Wendell Hall's Ukulele Method, with Forster Music in 1925, that was edited by May Singhi Breen.
He also marketed a series of custom ukuleles, The Red Head Ukulele and banjolele with red tuning pegs that became collectors' items for several generations afterward.
When the ukulele dropped in popularity, many performers distanced themselves from it, Hall was no exception. It wasn't until Arthur Godfrey brought the instrument back to life in the 1950s that it re-emerged.
Due to this resurgence, Hall landed a radio show on WBKB five days a week. His instruction booklets were updated and republished at that time as well.
He died on April 2, 1969, in Fairhope, Alabama.
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Música