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Joe Hall was an American accordionist and vocalist who performed Creole la la, Cajun, and zydeco music. He passed away on November 21, 2024.

Hall was born in Eunice, Louisiana, on December 15, 1971. He spent many of his later years living in Arnaudville.

Hall took an early interest in music from watching his grandfather, Clement "King" Ned play accordion for house dances. In an interview, Hall recalls, "That's where I got the love of playing music from. I would watch my grandfather and listen until finally one day, around the age of 7, I turned to my mama and I said, 'I am gonna do that, too.'" He eventually learned to play accordion from Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin. He is described as an accordion traditionalist, but he also draws from a broad variety of Cajun, Creole, and zydeco repertoires. One 2003 reviewer has described his music this way: "The gravelly-voiced Hall decorates his playing with plenty of syncopated accents, octave notes and rhythmic stops that’s unlike anything in contemporary zydeco or Cajun. Additionally, the arrangements' 'B' parts also deviate from their Cajun counterparts, which stir in a flavoring all its own."

Music career

In 2006, Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters formed and recorded La Danse Finit Pas: Classic Louisiana Creole Music. Hall learned some of the songs by listening to archival recordings at the Center for Louisiana Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This album also featured accordionists Mary Broussard and Nolton Semien on two tracks, Mitch Reed on fiddle, D’Jalma Garnier on guitar, Gus Ardoin on bass, and Dexter Ardoin on drums.

Other early lineups of the Louisiana Cane Cutters had Dexter Ardoin on bass, Jay Miller on drums, and Kevin Murphy on guitar.

In 2007, Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters released Good Times, Good Music.

In 2009, Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters released Live at Nunu's, the first live album recorded at the Arnaudville venue.

In 2011, Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters released Thirty Dobb Special, which was also a tribute to Hall's grandfather Clement "King" Ned. Reviewer Dan Willging noted, "Hall is a powerful singer and accordionist, and even though the 11 cuts hail from two different studios and three tracks captured live, he makes it feel like a single session."

In 2017, Joe Hall recorded Masse Family Two-Step under the group name Joe Hall and Friends. This group included Forest Huval (fiddle and vocals), Mark Palms (guitar and fiddle), Carol Palms (bass), and Paul Lavan (drums). "Nu Nu's Breakdown" additionally featured Al Berard (fiddle) and Christine Balfa (guitar), and "La Valse de Samedi Midi" featured Hall's own grandfather, Clement "King" Ned (accordion and vocals), recorded in 1965 by Library of Congress folklorist Ralph Rinzler in 1965.

In 2019, Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters released Aye Cher Catin ("Hey, dear doll"). This album had the same lineup as Masse Family Two-Step, with the addition of Marshall Baker (fiddle). Reviewer Dan Willging noted that this album was the first recorded in Fruge's Michigan studio, and called the album "the finest yet recorded by the husky-voiced Creole powerhouse accordionist."

In 2021, Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters released Proud to be a Creole. Mark Palms and Paul Lavan continued at guitar and drums respectively, while Chuck Bush replaced Carol Palms at bass. Special guests were Cedric Watson (fiddle and frottoir) and Michael Lockett (keyboard).

In 2022, Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters released Mélange. Reviewer Daniel Willging noted, "Hall and Watson fit together seamlessly, interlocking into a comfortable, natural groove propelled by drummer Paul Lavan’s whipping beats and Bush’s motoring but unobtrusive bass playing."

The current members of the Louisiana Cane Cutters are: Chuck Bush (bass), "Lil'" Paul Lavan (drums), Mark Palms (guitar), and Cedric Watson (fiddle).

Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters are signed to Fruge Records, located in Michigan, and owned by band guitarist Mark Palms.

Hall has appeared at several festivals, such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Festival International, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival, the New York's Swamp in the City Festival, and the French Quarter Festival.

Hall has appeared in two instructional DVDs, Cajun and Creole Accordion Lesson volumes I and II, produced by Fruge Records.

Awards and honors

Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters have been nominated for the OffBeat Best of the Beat Award in 2021–22 in the category of Best Zydeco Album, for Proud to be a Creole.

Discography

Joe Hall and Mitch Reed

Albums with the Louisiana Cane Cutters

Joe Hall and Friends

References

1. Tomko, Gene (2020). Encyclopedia of Louisiana Musicians: Jazz, Blues, Cajun, Creole, Zydeco, Swamp Pop, & Gospel. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. p. 122. ISBN 9780807169322.
2. ^ Roux, Margaret Zainey (December 1, 2015). "Joe Hall and The Cane Cutters". Acadiana Profile. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
3. Aswell, Tom (2010). Louisiana Rocks!: The True Genesis of Rock and Roll. New Orleans: Pelican Publishing Company. ISBN 9781589806771.
4. Willging, Dan (2003-12-01). "Joe Hall and Mitch Reed, Joe Hall and Mitch Reed (Independent)". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
5. Willging, Dan (2007-08-01). "Joe Hall, Mary Broussard and Nolton Simien, La Danse Finis Pas (Independent) - OffBeat Magazine". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
6. "Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters, Live at Nunu's (Fruge)". OffBeat Magazine. 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
7. Willging, Dan (2011-07-01). "Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters, Thirty Dobb Special (Fruge Records)". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
8. Willging, Dan (2017-07-26). "Joe Hall and Friends, "Massé Family Two Step" (Fruge Records)". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
9. LaFleur, Amanda (August 11, 2005). "A Cajun French-English Glossary". Louisiana State University Department of French Studies. Archived from the original on 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
10. ^ Willging, Dan (2019-06-26). "Joe Hall & the Cane Cutters, Aye Cher Catin (Fruge Records)". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
11. Willging, Dan (2022-12-28). "Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters, Mélange (Fruge Records)". OffBeat Magazine. Archived from the original on 2022-12-28. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
12. ^ "Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters". Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
13. "Acadian Cultural Center Sponsors Stage for Festival International de Louisiane". Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (U.S. National Park Service). April 7, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
14. Madison, Jakori (Aug 18, 2023). "Annual three-day free Cajun and Zydeco music festival announces music lineup". The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana). Archived from the original on 2023-08-26. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
15. Marszalek, Keith I. (2011-06-11). "2011 Louisiana Cajun Zydedo Festival music lineup". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
16. Willging, Dan (2022-01-27). "Joe Hall & the Louisiana Cane Cutters, Proud to be a Creole (Fruge Records)". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
17. Bailey, Shan (2022-02-15). "French Quarter Fest 2022: See the day-by-day lineup". Fox 8. Archived from the original on 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
18. "The Best of the Beat 2021-2022 Nominations". OffBeat Magazine. 2022-10-31. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2024-02-28.

• American accordionists
• Musicians from Louisiana
• People from Louisiana
• Cajun accordionists
• 21st-century accordionists
• 21st-century American male musicians
• Living people