BLUES & BEYOND:
Atlanta’s ‘Empress of the Blues’ retains her crown.
Sandra Hall’s triumphant half century singing blues and soul
Check out Hal Horowitz’s excellent article about our own Honorary Lifetime Member Recipient, Sandra Hall, a legend in Atlanta Blues music.
“As with many in her genre, Hall started singing in the church. In her case, she was just four years old. She had an “in,” though. Her grandfather was the Pastor of Whitesville Baptist Church, and her grandmother was the pianist. Fast forward to 1962. A 14-year-old Hall and her sister (one year older), already with eight years of gospel experience, get an offer to perform at a new Atlanta nightspot called Club 400. Although Hall had been used to singing church music and had to be chaperoned by her grandmother, the duo — dubbed The Soul Sisters — put together an R&B act based on the hits of era. “Ike and Tina Turner, Etta James, we didn’t have any music of our own at that time,” she explains. That got her into the business.”
– Hal Horowitz
