René Hall

Who was René Hall?

René Hall was an African-American musician, performer, and music arranger whose guitar and arrangements can be heard on hundreds of enduring rock and roll and R&B recordings released by many of America's most notable labels including Aladdin, Decca, Motown, and RCA Records. His best-known recording was the instrumental "Twitchy", which featured a single-string guitar lead played by Willie Joe Duncan, the instrument's inventor,

Born in Morgan City, Louisiana, Hall first recorded in 1933 as a banjo player with Joseph Robichaux in New Orleans, Louisiana. He then worked around the country as a member of the Ernie Fields Orchestra before joining Earl Hines as musical arranger. During the 1940s, he built up a considerable reputation as a session musician in New York City. In the late 1940s, he formed his own sextet which recorded for various labels including Jubilee, Decca, and RCA. He also worked as a talent scout for King Records, discovering such acts as Billy Ward and the Dominoes.

In the mid-1950s, Hall moved to Los Angeles, California, and began doing session work with famed saxophone player, Plas Johnson, and drummer, Earl Palmer. The trio recorded for many of the emerging rock and roll and R&B artists on such labels as Aladdin, Rendezvous, and Specialty Records. In 1958, he recorded the electric bass track using a Danelectro 6-string bass guitar on the Ritchie Valens smash hit, "La Bamba", with Buddy Clarke on the upright acoustic bass.