Life Story: Marcia Hall
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A live band can make any party a lot more festive.
Last month a woman who played lead guitar in bands across the Twin Cities died. Marcia Hall performed with several groups during the 1950s all the way through the 1980s. She was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame in 2005.
As we discovered in this week's Life Story, she left a lasting impression on her fans and her bandmates.
Whether it was a country tune, an old-time classic or modern music, this woman could play it. She was born Marcella Isaac, but her stage name was Marcia Hall, and playing lead guitar in bands was her passion.
Nancy Manning is a former bandmate.
"That was her world, she loved it. She was a cute little thing. She had quite a following," Nancy said.
Nancy and Jackie Dubbe-Ohana each have fond memories of being in all-female bands with Hall at a time when you didn't see that many women onstage with instruments.
In the 1970s, Jackie, who is a drummer, joined Marcy in the group "Self Renewal."
"Just a small little package, but she was a pistol," Jackie said. "There was a lot in that package. There was a lot of talent. There was a lot of feeling, a lot of creativity."
She remembers the skeptical looks Marcy would get as the band set up, and then watching their amazed faces after her tiny hands started to play the guitar.
"Marcy said something like, 'Let's kick some butt here!' So when she broke into 'G Boogie,' that all stopped. It was instant respect," Jackie said.
"She had salty language, but she had fun, and she always made you have fun," Nancy added. "If you'd miss something, she'd laugh about it."
Nancy played bass guitar alongside Marcy beginning in the 1960s. The Flame Cafe nightclub in downtown Minneapolis was a regular gig.
She credits Marcy for encouraging her and other women to be adventurous in life and to be generous. Not only did Marcy entertain audiences, she entertained friends in her home.
"You never went away from her house hungry because she'd feed you till you fell off the chair," Nancy said. "Food was her deal."
Marcia Hall also worked at the University of Minnesota's ophthalmology department for many years. She was 88 years old when she died last month.
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