Who is hall and oates

The operative word becomes business. And the business of music has never been a foreign idea to me or to John. Since their early days in Philadelphia, where they grew up in the suburbs, Hall and Oates, both 35, have longed to be popular. Hugely popular. Hall has been singing since he was a kid: his mother, who named him after Darryl F.

Zanuck, was a vocal instructor, and she taught him early on about breath control and pitch. When he was very small, Hall regularly rode his bike to visit family friends living in a nearby black ghetto, and by high school he was cheering against white football teams at games. Oates received his early musical education on the accordion before shifting to the guitar. He began doing sessions for legendary soul producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff after high school, as did Hall, who was working as a backup singer.

The two wound up as street-corner doo-wop singers. Hall and Oates ducked out in the alley and introduced themselves. They became roommates at Temple University and began collaborating musically. And I was heavy into the middle of something deep. Suddenly, the record came on, and I jumped up and screamed. There was no sex once that record started. War Babies was the follow-up. Produced by Todd Rundgren, the album alienated everyone, folk and soul fans alike.

Atlantic Records dropped Hall and Oates from the label. As a result of that photograph, a rumor began to spread: Daryl Hall and John Oates were lovers.

I satisfied my curiosity about that years ago. I had lots of sex between the ages of three or four and the time I was fourteen or fifteen. Strange experiences with older boys.

And, no, John and I have never been lovers. Too short and dark. Then came Voices. And hit after hit after hit. We were accepted on our own terms.

The difference, according to Hall and Oates, was that radio had opened up and that Hall and Oates had begun producing themselves. The band had always been terrific live — much better than on record — and they were now able to capture some of that quality on their albums.

They did videos before anyone did videos. They toured for nearly yearlong stretches. And their tours were sponsored by big-name corporations before sponsorship was common. They even did a tour for Care-Free sugarless gum in The high schools across America that sent in the most gum wrappers got Hall and Oates performing live in their auditoriums. I have total facility with my voice.

Obscurity is just obscurity. This subject clearly frustrates him; Oates shrugs it off. Sitting behind his desk at his company, champion Entertainment, Tommy Mottola is surrounded by platinum records and hunting paraphernalia.

Intricately painted duck decoys and glossy Hall and Oates photos. He knows this sounds vaguely dangerous, and he likes the edge. Hall and Oates once wrote a song about their manager. At least most of the time. Gone too far. I specified red Corniche convertibles.

My own lawyer was telling me I was crazy. Hall and Oates are their banner artists. Mottola likes this story. They fit that very important lifestyle concept. And I have no shyness or embarrassment about asking for it.

The insatiable approach is longstanding with Mottola. He met Hall and Oates when he was twenty-one and head of the contemporary-music division at Chappell Music. He heard their demos and went nuts. From that point to now, the three of us have been relentless in trying to make it work. Mottola, however, has always been the main strategist. It was, for instance, he who thought of the infamous chewing-gum tour, and it was he who kept the record company interested in Hall and Oates despite poor sales.

I had to create something that would bring in dollars and would also keep the band fresh and hot. We had to create some situation, and that situation fit perfectly. Because of journalists and the way the business and radio were structured.

I think, as a result, those people became arrogant and resented us. But now people are starting to see it. If you have enough hits, everyone will see it. But Mottola and Hall and Oates want it all: the press, the business, the stardom and the acclaim. The notion of anything less is, well, less.

Less is not a concept Tommy Mottola endorses. They give those people praises like God walked down the street. Mottola pauses, resuming his game voice. He realizes this talk is pointless. Now I just have to keep my eye on the ball so hard. That takes up all my time. Because they span all formats. Radio looks for a Hall and Oates. And now, finally, we can get some recognition. Yeah, I guess that exists, but so what? Is it more important, is it better, than art through recognition?

Mottola glances at the platinum albums to his right and to his left. Inside the dressing room, Hall, six foot two, blond, blue eyes, is idly staring at his reflection in the mirror.

He looks great. He already knows about it. Daryl Hall is the star of Hall and Oates. The name, in fact, almost seems inaccurate. Oates is, technically speaking, an equal partner, but Hall writes most of the songs, performs most of the songs and dominates their videos and concerts.

The two have a strange relationship: they are a cross between business partners and brothers. They work well together, and they would never slag each other publicly. In , he recorded a single with Kenny Gamble and the Romeos ; the group featured Gamble , Leon Huff , and Thom Bell , who would all become the architects of Philly soul.

During this time, Hall frequently appeared on sessions for Gamble and Huff. Oates was leading his own soul band at the time. By , the duo had parted ways, as Oates transferred schools and Hall formed the soft rock band Gulliver ; the group released one album on Elektra in the late '60s before disbanding. After Gulliver 's breakup, Hall concentrated on session work again, appearing as a backup vocalist for the Stylistics , the Delfonics , and the Intruders , among others.

Oates returned to Philadelphia in , and he and Hall began writing folk-oriented songs and performing together. Eventually they came to the attention of Tommy Mottola , who quickly became their manager, securing the duo a contract with Atlantic Records.

On their first records -- Whole Oates , Abandoned Luncheonette , War Babies -- the duo were establishing their sound, working with producers like Arif Mardin and Todd Rundgren and removing much of their folk influences. At the beginning of , the duo relocated from Philadelphia to New York.

During this period, they only managed one hit -- the number 60 "She's Gone" in the spring of After they moved to RCA in , the duo landed on its successful mixture of soul, pop, and rock, scoring a Top Ten single with "Sara Smile. Released in the summer of , Bigger than the Both of Us was only moderately successful upon its release. The record took off in early , when "Rich Girl" became the duo's first number one single.

Nevertheless, they were more adventurous, incorporating more rock elements into their blue-eyed soul. The first single from Voices , a cover of the Righteous Brothers ' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," reached number 12, yet it was the second single, "Kiss on My List" that confirmed their commercial potential by becoming the duo's second number one single; its follow-up, "You Make My Dreams" hit number five.

H20 followed in and it proved more successful than their two previous albums, selling over two million copies and launching their biggest hit single, "Maneater," as well as the Top Ten hits "One on One" and "Family Man. Released in October of , Big Bam Boom expanded their number of gold and platinum awards, selling over two million copies and launching four Top 40 singles, including the number one "Out of Touch.

The first single, "Everything Your Heart Desires," went to number three and helped propel the album to platinum status. However, none of the album's other singles broke the Top 20, indicating that their era of chart dominance had ended. Change of Season , released in , confirmed that fact. Although the record went gold, it featured only one Top 40 hit -- the number 11 single "So Close. The issuing of "greatest-hits" albums reached a fever pitch during the s, with no fewer than 15 different collections seeing the light by