No reunion for 80s music legends Hall and Oates following ‘partnership betrayal’

Just like other famous duos before them, the union that was Hall and Oates is no longer, and the animosity that caused their split looks likely to continue after Daryl Hall confirmed he will never work with his former musical partner, John Oates, again.

The 78-year-old US singer was chatting with the Sunday Times’ Culture magazine when he made the revelation but explained that legal proceedings prevented him from going into great detail.

In 2023 Hall sued his former musical partner, Oates, to stop him from selling their stake in their publishing company, Whole Oats Enterprises, without his consent.

Hall said the move was “the ultimate partnership betrayal” and admitted it was now impossible for the duo to reunite.

“That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean. I’ve had a lot of surprises in my life, disappointments, betrayals, so I’m kind of used to it,” he told the publication.

“I’ve been involved with some pretty shady characters over the years. That’s where the problems start.”

While legal problems between band members are not uncommon, Hall also felt he was not properly recognised for his extensive song-writing credits, revealing he wrote the majority of their output.

“The songs with his lead vocal are the songs he wrote, and all the other ones, which is about 90 per cent, are the ones I wrote,” he said.

“It was very frustrating.”

Earlier last year, Oates appeared on the television program Good Morning America to explain why he tried to sell his share of their joint business.

Oates told viewers that he became frustrated by the whole process and “complex legal wranglings”.

“And it was kinda ruining my life, to be honest with you. I wasn’t happy. And I said, ‘Well, I’ll just step aside.’ People do it all the time. I mean, you look at all the artists who are selling all their catalogues, it’s pretty common,” Oates said.

“It’s not that big a deal. But Daryl didn’t like the idea that I would sell to a certain third party.”

Over the course of their career, Hall & Oates have sold an estimated 40 million records, making them the second best-selling music duo of all time.

They are best known for their six No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: Rich Girl, Kiss on My List, Private Eyes, I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do), Maneater and Out of Touch, as well as many other songs such as You Make My Dreams Come True.

-with BANG