Ask American Profile

Edd Hall, Jack White, Chi-Lites, Josh Lucas

What’s Edd Hall doing these days after leaving The Tonight Show?
—Marguerite S., Virginia

The former late-night announcer, who worked with Jay Leno from 1992 to 2004, has a few projects in the works, including providing a voice in the upcoming animated film, Gepetto’s Secret. A native of Boston, Hall grew up in Corning, N.Y. (pop. 10,842), where he got his first announcing job at a radio station at age 14. In addition to announcing, Hall is a comedy writer and a graphics designer—he did logos for David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants production company and Everybody Loves Raymond. A devoted dad to three children from a prior marriage, Hall, 46, spends his spare time in the kitchen. "I have a passion for cooking and luckily my family has a passion for eating. I especially enjoy cooking Japanese cuisine and ‘inventing’ gourmet meals from scratch," he says. "In fact, I plan on winning the Pillsbury Bake-Off this year, so if you were considering entering, don’t bother."

Who is Jack White, in Loretta Lynn’s videos Portland, Oregon and I Miss Being Mrs. Tonight?
—Claudia C., Oklahoma

Jack White, 29, is one half of the rock duo called the White Stripes, with whom Loretta Lynn, 70, recorded Van Lear Rose, which recently won the Grammy for Best Country Album. Detroit-born White arranged and produced the album, and sang the duet Portland, Oregon. While it seemed an unlikely pairing, White has been a lifelong fan of Lynn’s, reportedly watching her biographical movie, Coal Miner’s Daughter, over and over at age 9 and vowing to work with her one day. He dedicated his band’s 2001 album, White Blood Cells, to Lynn and then invited her to perform at a White Stripes show in New York, where they talked about collaborating. She has said that White’s production method was very reminiscent of early producer Owen Bradley, and she and White have suggested there will be two more pairings in the future.

I would like to know what the Chi-Lites are doing now. Where can I write Eugene Record of the Chi-Lites?
—Brenda V., North Carolina

The Chi-Lites have been performing since the 1960s, with various members coming and going. Two founding members—Marshall Thompson and Robert "Squirrel" Lester—are still with the group, along with Tara Thompson and Frank Reed. Tour dates and a live 2004 CD and DVD are available at www.chi-lites.info. In 2000, the Chi-Lites were inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, at which former leader and songwriter Eugene Record performed with the group for the first time in 14 years. Record, 64, left the Chi-Lites in the late 1980s, citing business reasons. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Jacki, with whom he has a daughter, Gena, 30. He also has four other children from a previous marriage. Record has not performed recently due to illness, but his gospel CD (recorded in 2000) can be ordered through www.lethimin.com. You also can hear his song Are You My Woman sampled as part of singer Beyonce Knowles’ music for Crazy in Love, and recently his There Will Never Be Any Peace tune was used to create Fantasia Barrino’s Baby Mama. You can write to Record: c/o Evergreen Records, 1507 East 53rd Street, Suite 148, Chicago, IL 60615. "He spends a lot of time with his grandchildren," his wife explains, "and being at home and being involved in church."

I would like to know about Josh Lucas who played in the movie, Sweet Home Alabama.
—Helen L., New Mexico

Actor Josh Lucas, who has been called "a young Paul Newman," has an impressive resume. Before being cast as Reese Witherspoon’s husband in 2002’s Sweet Home Alabama and in films such as 2001’s A Beautiful Mind and 2004’s Undertow, he appeared as Luke McGregor in the Family Channel series Snowy River: The McGregor Saga in 1993. Born Joshua Maurer in Arkansas on June 20, 1971, the 6-foot-1-inch actor moved around the South with his politically active family before settling outside of Tacoma, Wash., and bypassed college to pursue acting. The bachelor has three films scheduled for release this year: An Unfinished Life with Jennifer Lopez and Robert Redford, Stealth and Glory Road.

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