Bob Hallett

{{short description|Canadian musician and founding member of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea}} {{notability|date=December 2017}} {{Infobox person | name = | image = Bob -3.jpg | alt =  | caption = Hallett at rehearsal with the Planks. | birth_name = Robert Hallett | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1966}} | birth_place = St. John's, Newfoundland | death_date =  | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Musician, Talent manager, Record producer, Author | years_active = | known_for = Great Big Sea (band member), Come From Away (music consultant) | notable_works = }}

'''Robert Hallett''' (born 1966) is a Canadian musician, author, producer, and entrepreneur, best known as a founding member of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea (1993–2013). He is also a native of St. John's, Newfoundland, Hallett co-founded Great Big Sea in 1993, with Alan Doyle, Sean McCann, and Darrell Power. The band sold over a million and half records around the world, over a twenty-year period. Through his company, Kilbride Music, Hallett has managed bands and produced records, radio specials, and live concerts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dooley |first=Danette |date=27 December 2017 |title=East Coast Music Association (ECMA) still a music industry 'catalyst' after 30 years |url=http://www.lportepilot.ca/news/regional/ecma-still-a-music-industry-catalyst-after-30-years-172976/ |work=CBC News |location=Canada |access-date=7 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717124842/http://www.lportepilot.ca/news/regional/ecma-still-a-music-industry-catalyst-after-30-years-172976/ |archive-date=17 July 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Hallett is a vocal proponent of talent development within the Newfoundland and East Coast Music Industries, and has authored a career guidebook for aspiring musicians.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 April 2014 |title=Aspiring musicians need to 'work hard,' says Bob Hallett |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/aspiring-musicians-need-to-work-hard-says-bob-hallett-1.2613872 |access-date=7 January 2018 }}</ref><ref name="guidebook">{{cite book |last=Hallett| first=Bob |date=2007 |title= The Art of Managing your career in Music and Sound Recording|url=https://mrsasaki.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/the-art-of-managing-your-career.pdf |location=Canada |publisher=HRDC - Cultural Human Resources Council of Canada }}</ref> He works with the producers of the Broadway musical ''Come From Away'' as a Music Consultant, and has also worked at the Stratford Festival as a Composer & Music Director.

As an author he has written dozens of magazine articles, essays and several books, including the best-selling memoir ''Writing Out The Notes''. He is the owner of Erin's Pub and Tavola Restaurant in downtown St. John's.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} Hallett currently plays accordion and other instruments in the band Kelly Russell and the Planks; he has also been associated with The Once, The Dardanelles, Fabian James, and the Irish Descendants, in various capacities.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

==Early life and education== {{BLP unreferenced section|date=January 2018}}

Hallett attended Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in English and History in 1989. The other members of Great Big Sea attended Memorial University at the same time, and together were named Alumni of the Year in 1999. Prior to becoming a full-time musician, Hallett served as Managing Editor of the Newfoundland Herald and as a Communications Officer with Employment and Immigration Canada.

==Career== ===Great Big Sea===

A founding member of Great Big Sea, Hallett performed vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, banjo, fiddle, guitar, whistles, bagpipes, accordion, and concertina with the band.<ref name="ency">{{cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/great-big-sea-emc|title=Great Big Sea |first=Glenn D. |last=Colton|date=March 22, 2015|website=Encyclopedia of Music in Canada|publisher= Historica Canada|accessdate=September 1, 2019}}</ref> Hallett, Darrell Power, and Séan McCann began playing together in a Celtic band called ''Rankin Street'' in 1989, with Alan Doyle joining in 1993.<ref name="ency"/>

Rankin Street built a following playing at local St. John's pubs, including Bridgett's and Greensleeves, and released one recording on cassette titled "Rankin Street". As Great Big Sea, the group played its first official gig on March 11, 1993, opening for the Irish Descendants at Memorial University, and focusing on playing traditional instruments.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} Great Big Sea released nine albums between 1993 and 2010, including several platinum and gold titles.

Touring intensively, the band and band members gained acclaim across North America prior to retiring in 2013 following a 20th anniversary tour. Highlights include reaching the top ten of the Canadian RPM pop chart in 1997 with "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)", a cover of a song by the British folk group Oysterband;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3296&type=1&interval=30&PHPSESSID=l217vq7csbvjmuaq5l1kcq7s56 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2018-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225120456/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3296&type=1&interval=30&PHPSESSID=l217vq7csbvjmuaq5l1kcq7s56 |archive-date=2013-12-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=50 legendary Canadian songs in honour of Canada's 150th birthday|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3539103/canadian-songs-music-artists-canada-day/|website=Global News|language=en}}</ref> winning the Entertainer of the Year award at the East Coast Music Awards every year between 1996 and 2000;[5] and receiving nominations for several Juno Awards<ref>{{cite web | title= Juno Awards/Canadian Music Hall of Fame winner and nominations| work=juno-awards.ca|url=http://www.juno-awards.ca|access-date=26 November 2006}}</ref> including Group of the Year in 1998, 2005, 2009, and 2011.

See ''Great Big Sea discography''.

===''Come From Away''===

Since 2015, Hallett has served as the Newfoundland Music Consultant for the Tony Award-winning Broadway theater production ''Come from Away''.<ref> {{cite news |date=4 November 2016 |title=Come From Away goes home to Gander, Nfld. before heading to Broadway |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/come-from-away-goes-home-to-gander-nfld-beforebroadway/article32678264/ |work=The Globe and Mail |location=Gander, Newfoundland, Canada |access-date=8 January 2018 }} </ref><ref> {{cite web |url=https://nfldherald.com/bob-hallett-what-dreams-are-made-of/ |title=Bob Hallett: what dreams are made of |last=Pardy-Ghent |first=Pam |date=27 April 2017 |website= nfldherald.com|publisher=The Newfoundland Herald |access-date=7 January 2018 }} </ref> The show is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein; the ''Rock music-feel'' of the musical has been attributed to Hallett's contributions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Auerbach |first=Brad |date=12 June 2015 |title=Come From Away – World Premiere at La Jolla Playhouse |url=http://entertainmenttoday.net/theater/16953/2015/06/come-from-away-world-premiere-at-la-jolla-playhouse/ |work=Entertainment Today |access-date=9 January 2018 }}</ref>

Set in the week following the September 11 attacks, the musical tells the true story of what transpired when 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. At the 71st Tony Awards, the production was nominated for seven awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Jenn Colella, ultimately winning for Best Direction of a Musical. In November 2017, plans for a Mark Gordon Company feature film adaptation were announced.<ref>{{cite news |last=Busch |first=Anita |date=16 November 2017 |title=Tony-Winning 'Come From Away' Director Boards Feature Film Adaptation For Mark Gordon Co. |url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/come-from-away-broadway-musical-tony-award-winning-movie-mark-gordon-1202209043/ |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=9 January 2018 }}</ref>

===Stratford Shakespeare Festival===

In 2016, Hallett served as Musical Composer and Arranger for the Stratford Festival production of Shakespeare's ''As You Like It,'' directed by Jillian Keiley.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/1381311-great-big-seas-bob-hallett-finds-new-voice-as-theatrical-composer |title=Great Big Sea's Bob Hallett finds new voice as theatrical composer |last=La Rose |first=Lauren |date=18 July 2016 |website=thechronicleherald.ca |publisher=The Canadian Press |access-date=7 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107233056/http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/1381311-great-big-seas-bob-hallett-finds-new-voice-as-theatrical-composer |archive-date=7 January 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In this adaptation, the play was set in Newfoundland in the 1980s, and audience members were encouraged to participate in the performance, incorporating props that the audience selected when entering the lobby. All music was composed by Hallett and played by a roots band.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/theatre-reviews/newfoundland-setting-for-stratfords-as-you-like-it-brings-audience-into-the-play/article30327389/|title=Newfoundland setting draws audience into Stratford's As You Like It|access-date=2017-11-26}}</ref>

===Author===

Hallett is the author of four books. *''Writing Out the Notes'', Hallett's reflections on life in the band Great Big Sea and the Canadian music industry *''The Ten - Most Decisive Battles on American Soil'' (juvenile nonfiction) *''The Ten - Greatest Pop Stars'' (juvenile nonfiction) *''The Art of Managing Your Career in Music and Sound Recording''. A guide for musicians and recording artists, this book is part of the online learning curriculum offered by the Cultural Human Resources Council of Canada (HRDC)

===Entrepreneur=== ====Kilbride Music==== Nominated for the East Coast Music Association ''Manager of the Year'' award in 2015, 2016, and 2017, '''Kilbride Music''' is a music management and production firm operated by Hallett and business partner Michelle Robertson.<ref> {{cite news |author= |date=28 January 2015 |title=ECMA 2015 nominations for 35 N.L. musicians, industry people |url= http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/ecma-2015-nomimations-for-35-n-l-musicians-industry-people-1.2935024|work=CBC News |location=Canada|access-date=7 January 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= |title= Local artists leading the ECMA pack|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/living/local-artists-leading-the-ecma-pack-134366/ |work= The Telegram|location=Canada |date=26 January 2016 |access-date=7 January 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= |title= East Coast Music Awards announces 2017 nominations|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/east-coast-music-awards-ecmas-1.3960025 |work=CBC News |location=Canada |date=31 January 2017 |access-date=7 January 2018 }}</ref>

====Erin's Pub==== With Chris Andrews (of the band Shanneyganock), Hallett co-owns Erin's Pub, a traditional Newfoundland bar known as a kitchen party place. The establishment was the first Irish pub in Newfoundland. It has also played a role in launching bands, and was featured in a 2014 Cody Westman documentary (''That Little Room - The Story Of Erin's Pub'') that aired on all Air Canada flights in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bailey |first= Sue|date=19 January 2015 |title=Erin's Pub chronicled in new documentary |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/erin-s-pub-chronicled-in-new-documentary-1.2917508 |work=CBC News |location=Newfoundland, Canada |access-date=7 January 2018 }}</ref>

==Awards and service==

Great Big Sea won the ''Entertainer of the Year'' award at the East Coast Music Awards for every year between 1996 and 2000. In 2001, they decided not to submit their name for nomination in order to allow other bands to compete. They were nominated for several Juno Awards, including Group of the Year.

Hallett has served as a co-chair and board member to the East Coast Music Association and Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ecma.com/news/ecma-appoints-new-board-members |title=ECMA appoints new board members |author= |date=23 November 2011 |website=ecma.com |publisher= East Coast Music Awards|access-date= 13 January 2018}}</ref>

He became the organization's executive director in September 2025 following a leadership search.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.ecma.com/news/ecma-executive-director-2025| title=ECMA Appoints Bob Hallett as Executive Director | author=| date= 20 August 2025 |website=ecma.com| publisher=East Coast Music Association| access-date= 28 October 2025}}</ref>

==In popular culture==

In late 2005, Great Big Sea released its first podcast, with clips of the band bantering back and forth in the studio mixed with various songs by them and other artists.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} The Great Big Sea song "Oh Yeah"—written and performed by Doyle, McCann, Hallett, Hawsley Workman, and Jeen O'Brien—was featured in the opening credits of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation show ''Republic of Doyle''. Set and filmed in St. John's, Newfoundland, ''Republic of Doyle'' launched in 2010 as a new drama, with one of the largest budgets in CBC history.<ref>{{cite news |last=Doyle |first=John |date=1 January 2010 |title=Doyle visits the Republic of Doyle |url= https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/doyle-visits-the-republic-of-doyle/article4308605/|work=The Globe and Mail |location=Canada |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1297754/soundtrack?ref_=tt_trv_snd|title= Republic of Doyle Soundtracks (2010- )|author= |date=2018 |website=IMDb |publisher=IMDb |access-date= 13 January 2018}}</ref>

In 2016, Hallett successfully campaigned to halt Walmart sales of Saint Patrick's Day T-shirts that featured a racial slur considered offensive to native Newfoundlanders.<ref>{{cite news |author= |date=23 February 2016 |title=Walmart pulls 'Newfie' T-shirts |url=http://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/walmart-pulls-newfie-t-shirts-126557/ |work= The Telegram|location=Newfoundland, Canada |access-date=7 January 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Craig |date=2 June 2017 |title=Has a Canadian Slur Lost Its Sting? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/02/world/canada/has-a-canadian-slur-lost-its-sting.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=7 January 2018 }}</ref>

== References == <references />

== External links == * http://www.bobhallett.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hallett, Bob}} Category:1966 births Category:Businesspeople from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Category:Canadian writers about music Category:Living people Category:Canadian male non-fiction writers Category:Musicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Category:Writers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Category:Great Big Sea members Category:21st-century Canadian folk musicians Category:20th-century Canadian folk musicians