Hall & Oates Biography

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Hall & Oates
Pop Music | 3 CD Set
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Daryl Franklin Hohl met John Oates while both were students at Temple University in the East, about 1969. They went on to chart-topping success for more than 20 years as Hall & Oates and took up where the Righteous Brothers had been years before as purveyors of white, blue-eyed soul. The Righteous Brothers connection is not a coincidence. Hall & Oates took the earlier duo’s smash No. 1 hit, "You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’," and put it back on the charts in 1980, the anthem getting up to No. 12. And in other duo-related facts, Hall & Oates became the most successful record-selling twosome in pop when in 1984 it was announced that they had more product than the earlier duo kings, the Everly Brothers, even though musical styles were quite different between the pairs. Their musical odyssey began separately, Hall, born in 1949, making his first foray into pop music in 1966 as lead singer with the Temptones, made his first record. He continued recording solo and then formed the band Gulliver, releasing one album on Elektra. He met Oates (born in 1949), who had been in a Philly soul band called the Masters, and the pair decided they had like interests in music, writing songs and looking for a record contract. They acquired a manager and soon had a pact sewed up with Atlantic, which released three albums, including "Whole Oates" and "War Babies." But sales were poor. The other album was "Abandoned Luncheonette," which did better but included their first version of what would become the classic H&O sound, "She’s Gone." That was 1974 and the duo moved to RCA. "She’s Gone" had only reached No. 60 on the singles chart but after their first RCA single, "Sara Smith," rocked to No. 4 and sold platinum in 1976, "She’s Gone" was reprised a few weeks later and soared up to No. 7. Hall and Oates were definitely on their way. "Rich Girl" was a 1977 entry that became the duo’s first No. 1 hit but the higher spots eluded them as "Back Together Again" only reached No. 28, a sign things were staying level. A peek at the popular disco market of the 1970’s was not particularly successful but when they returned with the album "Voices," fireworks resulted as four singles made the top 30, including "You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’" and then the No. 1 smash "Kiss On My List," which spent three weeks riding the top of the chart. The group had been honing their own version of blue-eyed soul by adding some other softer elements of rock and as the ‘80s dawned, H&O were at the top of their game. The 1981 topper "I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)" also managed to make the No. 1 spot on the R&B charts, a rarity for a white act. When the pair performed on "Live At the Apollo," also a rarity for white acts, they were joined by Temptations Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin, certainly a high spot in their careers. However, they decided to take time off for solo work, giving Hall the chance to make an album that had little success. They regrouped in 1988 with a major hit in "Everything Your Heart Desires," now on Arista. It reached No. 5 but the album, "Ooh Yeah!," had sales in the platinum arena. But the hits were slowly fading. In 1990, the album "Change of Season" made gold sales but only had one successful single, "So Close," which peaked at No.11. RCA released a greatest hits set in 1983 and Rhino Records put out "The Atlantic Collection" in 1996, both albums getting good reception, even though the duo’s most recent new album was in 1990.

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