Aaron Hall (born August 10, 1964, The Bronx, New York, grew up in Roosevelt, New York) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. He is a current member of the group Guy, [1] which he founded in the late 1980s, along with new jack swing producer Teddy Riley and songwriter Timmy Gatling, who was later replaced by Hall's brother Damion Hall.
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In his earlier years, Aaron Hall once sang as part of Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Choir gospel group. As a member of Guy, Hall rose to fame as lead singer on hits like "Groove Me", "I Like" and "Piece of My Love" (from the group's self-titled debut album) and "Let's Chill" and "Do Me Right" (from their second album, The Future) before the trio disbanded in the end of 1991. His vocal distinction is similar to that of Charlie Wilson, a member of the R&B/funk group, The Gap Band. They also collaborated in 1992 on the soundtrack to Eddie Murphy's hit film, Boomerang, after Hall was criticised for not giving any credit to his mentor Charlie Wilson, this resulted in Charlie Wilson 1991 New Jack Swing release "Sprung on Me", where Charlie mimicked the GUY sound with his own distinct vocals which Hall copied.
As a solo singer, his hits include the #1 R&B single, "Don't Be Afraid" (from the Juice soundtrack in 1991 and also on the popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on New Jack Swing radio station CSR 103.9), the original and the remix of Don't Be Afraid was produced Hank Shocklee from The Bomb Squad, who also produced Public Enemy's music. His Top 3 single, "I Miss You" (from his solo debut in 1993), reached #2 on the R&B chart and later peaking at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his biggest pop hit.
In the spring of 1994, Hall recorded the song, "Gonna Give it to Ya" with Jewell from the Above the Rim movie soundtrack starring Tupac Shakur and Duane Martin.
He also participated in several projects with R. Kelly and joined Kelly and a group of fellow R&B singers in the song "U Will Know" from the Jason's Lyric soundtrack. Hall also recorded the song "Heaven's Girl" with R.Kelly, Ronald Isley & Charlie Wilson on Quincy Jones 1996 album Q's Jook Joint.
Hall also holds the distinction of having the very first electronic press kit created for an artist of any genre or medium. The EPK, invented by Andre Gray, who would go on to invent online music sales certifications, featured a bio, audio clips, videos, photos, press, set list, basic technical requirements, and a calendar. Hall's EPK made its debut on January 8, 1995, and Gray's invention would serve as the template for all future EPKs, regardless of genre or medium. Hall has a son with hip hop model Gloria Velez, who was born in the mid-1990s when Velez was a teenager. He was featured with K-Ci & JoJo and Danny Boy in the 2Pac single "Toss It Up" in his 1996 album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.
Being from New York, Hall has links with much of the influential Hip Hop community and Big Pun & Fat Joe appeared on his song "Been Around The World" (None Like You) in 1998. Hall was friends with Tupac Shakur and it has been reported that a young Puff Daddy (P Diddy), joined Uptown because of Guy.
Hall reunited with his brother and Riley as Guy on their 1999 reunion album, Guy III, which featured the modest hit, "Dancin'".
In July 2005, Aaron Hall released his most recent album entitled Adults Only: The Final Album.
As of 2009, Aaron Hall has a show titled "Aaron Hall's Dog Rehab".
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 |
US R&B/Hip-Hop |
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| 1992 | "Don't Be Afraid" | 44 | 1 | Juice soundtrack & The Truth |
| 1992 | "It's Gonna Be Alright" | - | - | Boomerang soundtrack |
| 1993 | "Get a Little Freaky with Me" | - | 48 | The Truth |
| 1993 | "Let's Make Love" | - | 36 | The Truth |
| 1994 | "I Miss You" | 14 | 2 | The Truth |
| 1994 | "When You Need Me" | - | 30 | The Truth |
| 1995 | "Curiosity" | - | 36 | Dangerous Minds soundtrack |
| 1995 | "Scent of Attraction (duet w/Patra)" | - | 82 | Scent Of Attraction |
| 1996 | "Toss It Up (Makaveli w/ Aaron Hall, Danny Boy, K-Ci & JoJo)" | - | 82 | The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory |
| 1998 | "All The Places (I Will Kiss You)" | 26 | 8 | Inside of You |
| 2000 | "Why You Tryin' to Play Me" | - | - | |
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