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Historical marker at 88 Pearl Street -
William "Bill" Hall
At 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, a dedication ceremony for the William G. “Bill” Hall historical marker will be conducted at 888 Pearl St. in Beaumont, announced the Jefferson County Historical Commission. The marker is at the site of the old Gulf Coast Recording Studio.
According to Jennifer Trenbeath, the marker sponsor is David Vincent of Nashville and formerly of Beaumont. Vincent is artist relations manager at KMC Music.
Trenbeath noted Jimmy Simmons and Sam Monroe will speak at the dedication and Hall’s widow, Marge, should be in attendance. Simmons worked a short time for Hall in various positions before moving to Memphis, Tennessee, and worked with several music studios.
“After I worked at a couple of studios, I found out how extremely famous he was as a record producer,” Simmons said.
Simmons also served as president and a music instructor at Lamar University, while Monroe was a longtime president of Lamar State College-Port Arthur and help found the Museum of the Gulf Coast.
Hall, born in 1929, was booking local acts, including, a young George Jones from Saratoga, by 1957.
According to the Museum of the Gulf Coast, in 1961, Hall and Jack Clement, a songwriter and former recording engineer with Sun Records in Memphis, formed Gulf Coast Recording Studio. They recorded artists like Johnny and Edgar Winter, Rodger Miller, and Tex Ritter.
They also employed songwriter Bob McDill, whose first big hit was Dickie Lee’s “Patches” in 1965.
Hall joined Clement in Nashville in 1967. Later, the pair divided their companies’ interests in 1973, and Hall went on to build Hall-Clement (BMI)/Jack & Bill (ASCAP) into one of the most successful song publishing firms in Nashville. In the mid-1970s, it was ASCAP’s leading award-winner.
In 1975, Hall sold the seven-company Hall-Clement to the Welk Music Group and joined them as the Nashville division manager. He placed and promoted hits from Willie Nelson, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap and Mel McDaniel.
Before his death in 1983, Hall was named a vice president with Welk Music Group. Through Welk, Hall launched the Oak Ridge Boys’ career with “Y’all Come Back Saloon,” and had 14 No. 1 records for Don Williams. He also managed the multi-hit Statler Brothers song company, American Cowboy Music.