Vera Hall American folk singer Date of Birth: 06.04.1902 Country: USA

Biography of Vera Hall

Adell Hall Ward, better known as Vera Hall, was born in 1902 near Livingston, Alabama. From an early age, she sang and was encouraged by her parents, Agnes Efron and Zully Hall. Her parents taught her songs such as "I Got the Home," "In the Rock," and "When I'm Standing Wondering, Lord, Show Me the Way."

In 1917, Adell married a miner named Nash Riddle and soon gave birth to a daughter named Minnie Ada Riddle. However, in 1920, Nash was killed, and Adell decided to pursue a career as a singer. It wasn't until the late 1930s that she achieved national recognition. A breakthrough for Vera Hall came when musicologist John Avery Lomax showed interest in her music and recorded her voice for the Library of Congress. Lomax even wrote that he had never heard such a wonderful and pure voice as Vera Hall's.

In 1943, Vera Hall's rendition of the song "Another Man Done Gone" was aired on BBC radio as a representation of American folk music. In 1948, with the support of Alan Lomax, Hall traveled to New York and performed at the American Music Festival at Columbia University on May 15th. During this trip, Lomax had several conversations with the singer and conducted several official interviews. He described Vera Hall's singing as "resembling the deep voices of shepherd's flutes, her voice soft and pure... its sound comes from the very depths."

Vera Hall passed away in January 1964 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She was extremely poor at the time of her death and was buried in an anonymous grave. Interest in Hall's work experienced a resurgence after her death. The Alabama Blues Project established a foundation to honor the talent and fate of the African-American singer who died in obscurity despite her immense talent.

Her early recordings have been reissued several times and include spirituals, blues, children's songs, and other folk material. Today, Vera Hall's name is included in the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame.