Hall and Oates Breakup: Duo Appears to Really Be Over
Did a Hall and Oates breakup really happen? It seems that way, according to John Oates.
Oates spoke at length to Rolling Stone about the ongoing tensions between him and Daryl Hall. Asked whether Hall and Oates are effectively over, Oates said, “You can ask Daryl the same question, but yes, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve moved on.”
The formerly mustachioed half of one of music’s most successful duos also noted that the pandemic helped him step back and reexamine what he wants to do with his career. Oates talked about how much he enjoyed doing more philanthropic music work, like partnering with Feeding America for a charity livestream.
Oates also touched on how it was “no longer interesting” to continue playing the same hits as he’s done for decades. While he says those songs will “live forever,” he did admit, “I just wanted to do something else.”
Oates doesn’t rule out performing with Hall again or potentially mending their lengthy friendship. He said he “would never say anything negative about [Hall],” but he also said the two of them differ personally and professionally and that they both “deserve to be allowed to do whatever we want to do.”
Daryl Hall and John Oates of Hall and Oates perform at the Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
The Beginning of the End for Hall and Oates
In November 2023, Hall filed a lawsuit against Oates and requested a restraining order, much to the shock of fans and the music world at large.
Little was known about the lawsuit until a handful of days later, when the Associated Press (AP) reported Hall’s restraining order on Oates was part of a larger legal issue involving a sale of the Hall & Oates catalog and other business interests. This sale by Oates allegedly violates the terms of an existing agreement he’s had with Hall.
At the time, the AP noted, “A Nashville chancery court judge issued the temporary restraining order on Nov. 16, writing that Oates and others involved in his trust can’t move to close the sale of their share of Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC until an arbitrator in a separately filed case weighs in on the deal, or until the judge’s order expires — typically within 15 days, unless a judge extends the deadline.”
Little else is known about the terms of the existing business agreement between Hall and Oates. However, the AP also reported that Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC has owned “significant interest” in the Hall and Oates catalog for the past 15 years.
Inductees John Oates (L) and Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates attend the 29th Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on April 10, 2014 in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
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