Daryl Hall

Daryl Hall (born Daryl Franklin Hohl on October 11, 1949, Pottstown, Pennsylvania) is half of the music duo Hall & Oates.

Early work

He attended Temple University, but did not graduate, preferring instead to spend his time singing on the street corners. At that time, Daryl Hohl (as he was called then) sang backup for different bands. He changed his last name to Hall. Daryl Hall idolized the Temptations and began to perform session work. He was a member of the band Gulliver, who released one album in 1969 before being dropped from their label.

Related Topics:
Temple University - Temptations - Gulliver

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John Oates

Daryl Hall first met John Oates at the Adelphi Ballroom in Philadelphia in 1967 while attending Temple. Both were heading their own musical groups - the Temptones (Hall) and the Masters (Oates) - at the time. They were there at a band competition when gunfire rang out between two rival black gangs, and in trying to escape, they ran to the same service elevator. Because of their similar musical tastes, they quickly became acquainted. It would take them another two years to form a musical duo, and three years after that, they had signed to Atlantic Records and released their debut.

Related Topics:
John Oates - 1967 - Atlantic Records

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First albums (1972-1974)

Early on in their recording careers, Hall & Oates had trouble clearly defining their sound, alternating between R&B, soul, folk-rock, and pop music. None of their early albums - Whole Oats, Abandoned Luncheonette, and War Babies - were very successful, despite being produced by such big-name producers as Arif Mardin and Todd Rundgren. They had no hit singles during this time period, though Abandoned Luncheonette contained the classic song "She's Gone," which would be covered by Lou Rawls and Tavares before Atlantic Records re-released it in 1976. It was around this time that Hall & Oates started developing a reputation of being "blue-eyed soulsters," largely based on the soulful sound of "She's Gone."

Related Topics:
Whole Oats - Abandoned Luncheonette - War Babies - Arif Mardin - Todd Rundgren - Lou Rawls - Tavares - Atlantic Records

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