Connie Hall’s Road To Success

A while back we featured singer/songwriter Jimmie Skinner, who was a force in country music during the 1950s and 1960s, not only as a performer but also behind the scenes. Today we’re spotlighting Connie Hall, a lady who got her start as Skinner’s singing partner but went on to a brief but successful career as a solo star.

Being born  in rural Kentucky but growing up in Cincinnati meant that Connie Hall (b. Inez Kerr) had a lot in common with Skinner, who’d followed the same route a couple of decades earlier. That might have helped her get a job at his Cincinnati music center while still in her teens, but she didn’t get a chance to get into the performing side of things in those early days. Instead she built her experience up by working in radio and occasionally on local TV, sometimes as a weathergirl. After a few years the now-married singer became a regular on Skinner’s own radio station, and then finally made her record debut in 1957 as part of a singing duo with her mentor.

But even though her recording career began as part of a duet, it was as a soloist that Connie Hall made her mark. Although none of her records hit the top of the charts, she had several solid hits over the next few years. Among her biggest records were “It’s Not Wrong,” “Fool Me Once,” and “Sleep Baby Sleep.” She was also a skilled songwriter, and a popular guest on the Grand Ole Opry and the Louisiana Hayride.

Things inevitably began winding down in the late 1960s, and she eventually retired from performing and moved with her husband to Louisville. If she’s still around she would now be in her eighties.

Connie Hall – “Fool Me Once”