Paul Simon and Art Garfunckel reportedly became estranged in their later years as did John Lennon and Paul McCartney. When I went to see John Oates perform last year in Boone, NC I had no idea his famous pairing was also on the rocks.
Along with extraordinary vocalist Daryl Hall, Oates became the best-selling duo of all time. They recorded 21 albums and sold more than 80 million units. Their joint venture that began in the early 1970s produced10 number one records and more than 20 top 40 hits.
The successful harmonious story, however, hit a sour note last November when Hall filed a lawsuit seeking to stop Oates from selling his share of their business partnership. Hall has said he felt betrayed by the planned transaction and Oates says he has been hurt by his longtime collaborator’s allegations.
No sign of that rancor was evident on the night of July 17, 2023, when I saw Oates at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Appalachian State University. The master songwriter who is a member of both the Songwriter and Rock n’ Roll halls of fame, Hall of Fame as well as the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame showed that he could hold his own on his own.
He came out on stage by himself and picked up a Gibson acoustic to play and sing. He continued to win over the audience by mentioning a local musical legend. He acknowledged that Boone was where Doc Watson played on the street and confessed that he had to take a picture with the bench statue of Doc. (I’ve done the same thing.) As a tribute he brought out the full band and played a Doc Watson classic “Deep River Blues.”
It wasn’t the only cover of the night, despite a wealth of original material he certainly has. He has put out eight solo albums.
Near the end of the show he satisfied the audience’s cravings for the Hall & Oates hits. The crowded erupted into applause at the opening tremolo chords of “She’s Gone.” He introduced the song by telling the story of its origin. A girl he met on a cold December night in Greenwich Village had promised to meet him for New Year’s Eve. She didn’t show up and he said he and Daryl wrote the song in about an hour and a half. He noted that he couldn’t imagine then that he’d still be playing it 50 years later.
Other hits included a reggae version of “Maneater.” “You Make My Dreams Come True” was the encore. Oates did a serviceable job singing the popular tunes but Hall’s soaring vocals were noticeably absent.
While John Oates is certainly talented enough to carry a show by himself, it’s too bad that
business and legal issues may keep these two from ever performing together again.