Steve grew up in Palo Alto, CA. Playing guitar and performing in bands, he decided that music was to be his life's calling. Early on he became a huge fan of blues artists BB King, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Little Junior Parker.
During high school he was introduced to jazz trumpet great Tom Harrell and his horizons broadened. At that time he also began guitar lessons with Vern Older. Playing gigs with Tom and bassist Seward McCain he began his lifelong love affair with jazz and blues.
He attended the Berklee College of Music and studied guitar with Jack Peterson and later with Bill Leavitt. The 1960's included a year in Bien Hoa, Vietnam while in the US Army. He graduated from Berklee in 1970.
Upon graduation from Berklee, Steve moved to Los Angeles to break into the studio scene. Despite highlights such as performing with Willie Bobo's latin jazz band, some recording sessions, and numerous big bands including LA's top sidemen Steve decided to return to the Bay Area.
Back in the Bay Area, Steve bought a Hammond B-3 and taught himself how to play jazz organ. Applying the keyboard techniques that he had learned at Berklee from teacher Dean Earl, Steve quickly began working five nights a week with the great vocalist Nate Pruitt. He performed in local night clubs, restaurants, and hotels. In the late 1970's and early 1980's he designed and operated a recording studio (Sensa) in the South Bay area. He also began studying the fluglehorn during this period.
During the late 1980's, Steve performed with weekend bands and worked in high-tech companies during the day. This ended in 1989 when he and his family left the Bay Area and moved to Spokane, WA where they lived for six and 1/2 years. While in Spokane, Steve performed extensively with Spokane-area jazz greats Steve Maurer and Terri Cooley. These two renewed his love of jazz and performing.
In 1996 Steve moved to Portland, OR and formed The Steve Hall Trio in early 2001. The band has since expanded to a quintet. When he's not playing organ with the quintet, Steve can often be found playing fluglehorn at one of Portland's many jam sessions or the occasional solo jazz guitar gig.
