John Oates Stands Alone
The musician is returning to country and blues influences that were ‘pushed to the side’ in his legendary duo with Daryl Hall
There really is no group called Hall and Oates. The group you’re thinking of—probably the most successful duo in rock history—has, technically, included both partners’ first names in each of their 21 album covers: Daryl Hall and John Oates. This might seem like a distinction without a difference, but Mr. Oates says that this fact has always made it easier for him and his partner to move in and out of their solo projects.
“There’s a very important reason for that—at least in our minds,” he says. “We never wanted to be seen as a two-headed monster, a la Simon and Garfunkel, because we saw ourselves as two individuals who work together. It’s a subtle distinction, but it was important to us. It’s helped us each keep our own identities within our group identity, and I think it’s been a key to our success and longevity. We don’t have any need to try and work our own separate music into the act. We know who we are.”
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