James Hall has been practicing to be a choir director for as far back as he can remember. "As a kid," he recalls, "I would have my nieces and nephews come together. They would sing, I would direct and we'd act out the whole ritual at church." But Hall would have to wait until he was a student at James Madison High School before he would test out what he'd been practicing. And, it was with that moment, that his destiny was sealed. "I was nervous at first," Hall recounts, "but once I got really comfortable, it was all over. It was like second nature."

In no time at all, Hall's choir amassed a local following. But the school wasn't so comfortable with them venturing out on singing dates. So, in 1987 he formed his choir ensemble, "Worship & Praise".

"We were having such a good time that we decided to continue after graduation," Hall reports. "In 1988, we were doing all the local church choir functions. We even went to some programs we weren't invited to and would wait our turn as if we belonged. That's how badly we wanted to sing."

Then, in 1991, they traveled to Atlanta to appear on Bobby Jones Gospel. "That's about the time I wrote "God Is In Control", Hall recounts. "When we got to the facility, we were given a set five minutes on stage. But the spirit fell and when the curtains came down on our performance, the audience was messed up for a good five to ten minutes."

It was just the break they had been looking for. The exposure gamered from the show landed them a record deal with a small independent label, Tehillah Records (with distribution through Central South). When demand for the single "God Is In Control", exceeded the label's capabilities, Central South gospel buyer Larry Blackwell told an Intersound executive about the choir and the CD. Shortly thereafter, a pact was made with Intersound.

With greater distribution and exposure the debut album soared up the Billboard charts, becoming a top ten hit, and Hall was being hailed as a major force on the New York choir scene. In 1995, with his sophomore set "King of Glory" (released through Intersound) "King of Glory", Hall scored another top ten release and was dubbed "the Doctor" by New York industry professionals like WWDJ gospel announcer Samuel Williams who cites Hall as one who "really knows how to operate gospel music". Similar accolades have come from writing contemporaries who refer to him as "the Professor".

The youngest of seven children, Hall- who can play piano by ear-was born and raised in Brooklyn, the son of a jazz musician. Seeing his keen musical talent and striking soprano range, his mother, a trained pianist, enrolled him in classical training and at the age of five, put him up to sing solos in church, where he was as "Master James Hall".

So strong was attraction that as a young boy he would beg his mother to take him to church choir anniversaries and while browsing through record stores, would affix his eyes to anything with a choir on it and ask her to buy it for him. He became hopelessly hooked when-at the age of nine-his mother took him to see the Hawkins Family and James Cleveland in concert.

Tragedy struck when, at the age of 13, his mother died. Still, he credits her with his gospel successes. "Having grown up in the projects, I could have gone so many different ways, " he reports." Most of my friends got caught up in a lot of negative stuff, but I decided to stay in church and stick with God. The reverence for my mother is the reason I am where I am today."

Despite of Hall busy schedule he still find time to be in prayer on Tuesday and Bible study on Thursdays. He rehearses with all the choirs at Citadel.