Hall & OatesBy Richard Campbell

The Band Members

Daryl Hall John Oates

Daryl Hall

• Born October 11, 1946 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania with the name Daryl Franklin Hohl

• Went to Temple University to major in music

• Currently hosts the critically acclaimed series “Live From Daryl’s House” since 2007.

John Oates

• Born April 7, 1949 in New York City to a mother who was an Italian immigrant and a father of British and Spanish-Moorish descent

• Grew up in North Wales, Pennsylvania

• Originally pursued a degree in journalism, but never finished it

Band Origins

• They met each other in 1967 at a battle of the bands in Philadelphia when a gun fight between two rival gangs broke out. They hid in the same service elevator during the fight and found out that they both attended Temple University and liked the same music

• They became friends and would share apartments for the next few years, and start the band Hall & Oates in 1970

• They had very limited success with their first three albums, but after changing record labels their 1975 album “Daryl Hall & John Oates” had the hit single “Sara Smile” that would lead them toward mainstream success in the coming years

“Sara Smile”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Red3R17FlUQ

• Written for Daryl Hall’s girlfriend Sara Allen who would later become his wife

• Sara Allen is credited on many of Hall & Oates songs as a lyricist

• Opens with a blues riff borrowing from the pentatonic scale

• It has the classic girl/guy lyrics dynamic present that was so popular in blues

The R&B Caucasian Sensations

• “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” became one of the few songs to be recorded by a white act and reach #1 on both the R&B and the Pop Charts

• They had 8 songs break the top 40 on the R&B Charts

• After reaching #1 with the song “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” Daryl Hall wrote in his journal, “I’m the head soul brother in the U.S. Where to now?”

“I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccenFp_3kq8

• Borrows heavily from early blues and midtown

• Use of classical blues instruments such as saxophone

• Background singers generally use vocables such as oohs and ahs

• Many instruments with very simplistic repeating rhythms

• Fun Fact: Michael Jackson told Daryl Hall that he stole the bass line from this song to use for Billie Jean

“You Make My Dreams Come True”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_I4wtNPv5w

• Even though this song is upbeat and not sad it still borrows from the blues like most of their music

• Driving bass underlying the whole song

• Background singers

• Syncopated Guitar Rhythm

Accolades and Legacy

• Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003

• Billboard Magazine - 15th greatest artist of all time, and #1 duo of all time

• VH1 – 99th greatest artist of all time

• Nominated for three Grammy Awards

• According to the BMI, they have 14 songs to be played on the radio over 1 million times

• Sold more albums than any other Duo

References

• http://www.hallandoates.com/

• http://www.biography.com/people/groups/hall-oates

• http://johnoates.com/

• Hall & Oates: Dangerous Dances - The Authorized Biography by Nick Tosches