John William Oates is an American musician, best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates along with Daryl Hall. He has played rock, R&B, and soul music, serving as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Oates in June 2009
Oates performing in Tampa, Florida, 1982
Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, were an American rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall was generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily played the electric guitar and provided backing vocals. The two wrote most of the songs they performed, either separately or in collaboration. They achieved their greatest fame from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s with a fusion of rock and roll, soul music, and rhythm and blues.
Daryl Hall and John Oates performing in 2017
Print advertisement in The Plain Dealer for Hall & Oates performance at Cleveland Public Hall on December 10, 1976, sponsored by Belkin Productions and WMMS
Hall & Oates performing at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois in 2017
Image: Daryl Hall (1984 RCA publicity photo)