John Hall

John Joseph Hall (born July 23, 1948) is an American musician, songwriter, politician, environmentalist, and community activist. He was elected to the legislature of Ulster County, New York, in 1989 and the Saugerties, New York Board of Education in 1991, and he was the U.S. representative for , serving from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Hall also founded the rock band Orleans in 1972 and continues to perform with them. Early life and musical career Hall was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Elmira, New York. He is the son of James A. Hall, who was a PhD in electrical engineering and Marie W. Hall, who had M.A. in divinity. A three-time National Science Foundation summer scholar, he skipped two grades in school and left Notre Dame High School in Elmira at age sixteen to study physics at the University of Notre Dame, and then English at Loyola College, Baltimore. Hall began playing piano at age 4, and later studied French horn in school and taught himself guitar and bass. After changing his concentration to creative writing and performing in numerous musical ensembles, Hall quit college to begin his professional musical career in the clubs in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., and then in Greenwich Village in New York City. In 1967, his group Kangaroo released an album on MGM Records, and Hall also composed music for a Broadway theatre trilogy Morning, Noon and Night. He released his debut solo album, Action in 1970. Since then he has released 7 albums solo or as the John Hall Band.