John Oates reflects on ‘miracle’ partnership with Daryl Hall amid split

John Oates has described the longevity of his musical partnership with Daryl Hall as a ‘miracle,’ following their acrimonious split amid ongoing legal disputes. 

The 76-year-old musician and Hall performed together as the iconic duo Hall & Oates for over five decades. 

In a recent interview with Variety, Hall confirmed their split, citing a business dispute as the primary factor.

In an interview with People, Oates reflected on their breakup, stating, “After 50 years, people grow apart. And I always thought it was a miracle that it lasted that long.” 

The duo, who formed their partnership in 1970, co-wrote numerous hits, including Out Of Touch, Maneater, and I Can’t Go For That.

Several of Hall & Oates’ songs topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the duo received multiple Grammy Award nominations. 

Their contributions to music were recognized with an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016.

However, their partnership ended abruptly last year when Daryl Hall filed a lawsuit against John Oates.

The legal dispute began when Oates attempted to sell his share of Whole Oats Enterprises to music publisher Primary Wave Music without Hall’s consent. 

He obtained a temporary restraining order against Oates, and the case will proceed to arbitration before any sale can be finalized.

Oates remarked that while he rarely had issues discussing creative differences with Hall, financial matters often led to conflict. 

“I think what happened was our partnership was established 50 years ago, and the documentation of that partnership was outdated and completely irrelevant to the people we became 50 years later,” he said.

Despite the acrimony, John has no plans to perform with Hall in the future, reflected positively on their legacy. “I have a lot of respect for the body of work that we created,” he stated.