Surviving The Music Industry

John Oates talks Hall & Oates, songwriting, and his latest record Arkansas. John was destined to be a musician. Born in New York City, his family moved to a small town outside of Philadelphia, PA in the early 1950s – a move that would change the course of his life. He met Daryl Hall in Philly, hung out with his idols The Temptations, and even discovered folk music. John was influenced by the folk scene, bluegrass, delta blues, and ragtime guitar styles of the 1960’s and Daryl was piano, gospel, and classically driven. Soon with the help of legendary producer Arif Mardin (Bee Gees, Diana Ross, Queen, Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin) Hall & Oates became what we know today. With the help of MTV, clever songwriting, and the 80’s Hall & Oates solidified their stake in music history as one of the greatest pop acts of the 20th century. With the help of John’s memoir Change of Seasons, we chat about the early days of Hall & Oates, working with Arif, and the music of Philadelphia. We also dive into the