Fred Hall (né Fred Arthur Ahl, 1898–1954, aka Fred 'Sugar' Hall) was an American pianist, bandleader and composer. Hall was born in New York and began his musical career working as a song-plugger for various music publishers. As a bandleader Hall and his men from recorded prolifically for many labels (see below) from 1925 onwards. Many recordings featured vocalist Arthur Fields with whom Hall enjoyed a lengthy partnership, co-writing several songs, the better known ones including "Eleven More Months And Ten More Days" and "I Got A Code In My Dose". Hall and Fields also appeared together on the NBC radio show The Sunday Driver. Notable musicians in Hall's band included trumpeters Mike Mosiello and Leo McConville. Apart from playing piano, conducting and composing, Hall sometimes performed scat singing on his records. Hall made his last recordings in 1932, after which little is known of him. He died in New York on October 6, 1954 at the age of 56. Hall's records were issued under a variety of names (including pseudonyms). Discographer Brian Rust reports the following: Fred "Sugar" Hall and His Sugar Babies (Okeh); Fred Hall's Orchestra/and His Orchestra (Harmony, Bell, Goodson (UK)); Fred Hall's and His Roseland Orchestra (Emerson and Bell); Fred Hall's Jazz Band (Banner and associated labels); Arthur Fields and His Orchestra (Perfect); Arthur Fields and His Assassinators (Edison); Arthur Fields and The Noodlers (Banner and associated labels); Claremont Dance Band/Orchestra (Duophone); The Home Towners (Cameo and associated labels, Banner and associated labels); Honey Swamp Stompers (Harmony) as well as The Tin Pan Paraders (Gennett). There were also several Hall recordings issued anonymously on Grey Gull and related labels. The records issued on the Harmony, Diva and Velvet Tone labels as Jerome Conrad and His Orchestra were also earlier ascribed to Hall by Rust, but has in later editions been revised as being by a Harry Reser group. Hall also recorded and broadcasted with Fields as a country ensemble called Rex Cole's Mountaineers. This brilliant record was made in 1928. Vocal by Arthur Fields. The scat solo might either be by Fred Hall himself or by Arthur Fields.
