Soul And / Or Related Artists
hall and oates

Hall & Oates

Hall & Oates comprise of:

Daryl Hall (b. Daryl Franklin Hohl, 11th October 1946, Pottstown, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)

and

John Oates (b. John William Oates, 7th April 1949, New York, New York State, U.S.A.)

Daryl Hall and John Oates are two White vocalists who eptiomise the finer qualities of Blue Eyed Soul music, enhanced by their active participation within the history of the genre.

Daryl Hall began performing professionally whilst still a student at Temple University.

In 1966, he recorded a single with Kenny Gamble and, the Philadelphia version of the group, the Romeos.

The Romeo's featured Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell, who would all become highly influential within the Soul Scene in future years.

Daryl frequently appeared on recording sessions for Gamble and Huff.

In 1967, he met John Oates, who was also attending Temple University.

John was the front man in his own soul band at the time, the Philadelphia soul band the Masters.

Having similar musical tastes, they decided to team up and the duo began singing in local R&B and doo wop groups.

Daryl sang lead, briefly, with the Temptones and recorded a single produced by Kenny Gamble in 1966.

The group were originally formed in 1965, and consisted of Paul Fogel, Brian Utain, Daryl Hohl (later changed to Hall), Ken Halpern and Barry Glazer.

The group met whilst attending Temple University in Philadelphia and began singing together on street corners performing mainly soul covers and R&B.

They recorded for Artic Records in 1966-67.

The TemptonesGulliver

the temptones in 1967 / gulliver album - 1969

Having lasted a year as a duo, and due to educational commitments, their association was placed on hold, as John transferred schools and Daryl left the Temptones and formed the soft rock band Gulliver.

Gulliver released one album on Elektra in the late '60s before disbanding.

Daryl began to concentrate on session work, appearing as a backup vocalist for the Stylistics, the Delfonics, and the Intruders, amongst others.

John returned to Philadelphia in 1969, reuniting the pair again.

Daryl and John came to the attention of Tommy Mottola, who later became their manager, landing the duo a contract with Atlantic Records.

Whole OatesAbandoned LuncheonetteWar BabiesHall & Oates

whole oates - 1972 / abandoned luncheonette - 1973

war babies - 1974 / hall and oates - 1975

Several albums followed including 'Whole Oates' (in 1972), 'Abandoned Luncheonette' (in 1973, which featured the song 'She's Gone'), and 'War Babies' (in 1974).

The pair had now began working with working with various producers including Arif Mardin and Todd Rundgren.

At the beginning of 1974, the duo moved from Philadelphia to New York.

The song 'She's Gone' was released as a single and later became a national hit.

After they switched labels to RCA in 1975, and achieved a Top Ten single with the single 'Sara Smile', a track later recorded by soul singer J.J.Barnes.

Bigger Than Both Of UsBeauty On A Back StreetAlongh The Red LedgeX-Static

bigger than both of us - 1976 / beauty on a back street - 1977

along the red ledge - 1978 / X-Static - 1979

Released in the summer of 1976, 'Bigger than the Both of Us' was released and featured the song 'Rich Girl' became the duo's first number one single in 1977.

Between 1977 and 1980, the duo continued releasing material with varying degrees of success.

VoicesPrivate EyesH20Big Bam Boom

voices - 1980 / private eyes - 1981

h20 - 1982 / big bam boom - 1984

In 1981, they released 'Private Eyes', which garnered interest amongst Soul fans due to the mid-tempo 'I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)', popular on several Soul based stations at the time.

The track spent a week at the top of the R&B charts, showing the appreciation of the duo amongst Black audiences.

'H20' followed in 1982, selling over two million copies, and included 'Maneater', 'One on One' and 'Family Man'.

A Greatest Hits album arrived the following year, and in 1984, 'Big Bam Boom' also sold over two million copies and launching four Top 40 singles.

Daryl and John then released a collaboration album entitled 'Live at the Apollo' with ex-Temptations, David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks.

The duo's career was placed on hold for a while, with Daryl recording a solo album in 1986.

Ooh YeahChange Of SeasonReally Smokin'Marigold Sky

ooh yeah - 1988 / change of season - 1990

really smokin' - 1993 / marigold sky - 1977

By 1988, they had relocated to Arista Records for 'Ooh Yeah!', which included 'Everything Your Heart Desires', (another chart entry).

1990 saw the release of 'Change of Season', an album which did turn gold, however, only saw one single release, namely, 'So Close'.

Soul Alone soul alone - 1993

Daryl Hall recorded an Epic Records outing, entitled 'Soul Alone', which included the hugely popular song 'Borderline', along with his own take on the Marvin Gaye song 'When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You?'

Seven years passed (for the Hall & Oates partnership) until the album 'Marigold Sky' saw the light of day in 1997, with the reviews for 'Do It For Love' (released in 2003) consolidating the duo's popularity.

That year, Daryl Hall and John Oates were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Past Times BehindDo It For LoveOur Kind Of SoulHome For Christmas

past times behind - 2001 / do it for love - 2003

our kind of soul - 2005 / home for christmas - 2007

2004 saw the duo concentrating further on their Soulful roots, releasing, 'Our Kind of Soul', and two years later, they recorded 'Home for Christmas', a seasonal set of recordings.

In 2010, Daryl and John embarked on their 'Do What You Want, Be What You Are' tour in the United States.

They also appeared on the American Idol season finale in May 2010 performing 'You Make My Dreams'.

By the late half of the 2000's, there were some eight Greatest Hits packages on sale, along with several live recordings to supplement these releases.

Real Player

Albums:

as Daryl Hall and John Oates:

Whole Oates (Atlantic Records 1972)

Abandoned Luncheonette (Atlantic Records 1973)

War Babies (Atlantic Records 1974)

Hall & Oates (RCA Records 1975)

Bigger Than Both Of Us (RCA Records 1976)

Beauty On A Back Street (RCA Records 1977)

Livetime (RCA Records 1978)

Along The Red Ledge (RGA Records 1978)

X-Static (RCA Records 1979)

Voices (RCA Records 1980)

Private Eyes (RCA Records 1981)

H20 (RCA Records 1982)

Big Bam Boom (RCA Records 1984)

with Eddie Kendrick & David Ruffin:

Live At The Apollo (RCA Records 1985)

as Daryl Hall and John Oates:

Ooh Yeah! (Arista Records 1988)

Change Of Season (Arista Records 1990)

Really Smokin' (Starburst Records 1993)

Marigold Sky (Push / BMG Records 1997)

Past Times Behind (Legacy Records 2001)

Do It For Love (U Watch Records 2003)

Our Kind Of Soul (U Watch Records 2005)

Home For Christmas (U Watch Records 2007)

Do What You Want, Be What You Are:The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates (Sony Records 2009)

solo: Daryl Hall

Sacred Songs (RCA Records 1980)

Three Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine (RCA Records 1986)

Soul Alone (Epic Records 1993)

top of the page

SoulwalkingStart HereThe ArtistsListen Out ForThe ChartBeen MissedRespectReal AudioOpinionNetworkJazz & FusionLinksMotown