Hall & Oates formed in Philadelphia in 1970, pairing Daryl Hall's blue-eyed soul lead with John Oates's harmonies — widely considered the best-selling pop duo of all time. Abandoned Luncheonette (1973) is the early classic; Private Eyes (1981) and H2O (1982) are wall-to-wall hits. Find Hall & Oates vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Daryl Hall and John Oates met at Temple University in Philadelphia in 1967 and began performing together in 1970. Their early catalog on Atlantic Records included the classic Abandoned Luncheonette (1973). After moving to RCA in 1975, their commercial peak came across the late 1970s and 1980s with extensive hits including Rich Girl (1976), Kiss on My List (1980), You Make My Dreams (1980), Private Eyes (1981), I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) (1981), and Maneater (1982). They have sold more than 60 million records worldwide. Hall and Oates have pursued solo projects across multiple periods. Following a 2023 legal dispute between Hall and Oates, the duo has been inactive.
Hall & Oates' sound combines pop, blue-eyed soul, rock, soft rock, R&B, new wave, and Philly soul with the duo's distinctive vocal interplay (Hall as primary lead vocalist, Oates contributing harmony and lead vocals on certain tracks) and arrangements drawing on classic Philly soul, R&B, and contemporary pop production approaches.
Original RCA pressings of the early-1980s Hall & Oates catalog are widely collected. Multiple anniversary editions, audiophile reissues, and the comprehensive Do What You Want, Be What You Are box set have been released.
Listeners new to Hall & Oates typically start with H2O (1982) or Private Eyes (1981).
