Although they met while fleeing from a gang fight, Hall & Oates is considered one of the greatest duos in contemporary music history. These two men, Daryl Hall and John Oates, have created a huge impact on the music industry with their mix of soul, R&B, and rock. In the 1970s and 1980s, they sold more albums and more tickets than any other pair of musicians.
John Oates and Daryl Hall were already very experienced musicians when they met at Temple University. They were students at the University and played in bands during the evenings. Hall was leading member of The Temptones while Oates' band was the Masters. The two men soon realized they had similar interests and started working together. However, they were not very serious about their partnership at first. Up until the early 1970s, they both were members of other bands.
The first music that Hall & Oates wrote together was extremely folk-oriented. In 1972, they came to the attention of soon-to-be-manager Tommy Mottola. Three records were produced in three years but to no avail. However, the duo's sound was becoming more refined and losing its folk edge. In 1975, Hall & Oates finally had a hit. 'Sara Smile' became their first Top Ten hit followed two years later by their first number one single, 'Rich Girl'.
From here they only went up, and Hall & Oates really took off in the 1980s. Their album, Voices, contained several Top Ten songs, including 'Kiss on My List', their second number one single. Voices was quickly followed by the albums Private Eyes and H2O. Both of these albums contained at least one number one song and several other widely popular singles. They were doing so well that, in 1984, the Recording Industry Association of America announced that Hall & Oates was the most successful duo in rock history, surpassing even the Everly Brothers. Hall & Oates had earned a total of nineteen gold and platinum awards. Their next album, Big Bang Boom, added to these awards by selling over two million copies. It included four Top Forty hits and another number one song, 'Out of Touch'.
The duos next few albums were ignored, and Daryl Hall even tried his hand at some solo work which proved unsuccessful. In 2002, despite the fact that Hall & Oates was fading, the pair was featured on an episode of VH1's Behind the Music. It was extremely popular and launched they're most popular single in years, 'Do It For Love'. An album of the same name was released soon after, which returned to the duo's soul sound that they were known for in the 70s.
Hall & Oates never stopped touring through the many decades they have been together. The duo has sold tickets throughout Europe, the United States, Australia, and Japan. Their music has truly stood the test of time, selling albums from the 1960s to the 2000s, with a total of six number one singles, six platinum albums, and over ten gold albums.
