John Oates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| John Oates | |
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 John Oates, October 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John William Oates |
| Born | April 7, 1949 |
| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | Blue-eyed soul Pop rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Labels | Atlantic Records RCA Records Epic Records Arista Records U-Watch Records |
| Associated acts | Carly Simon, Hall & Oates |
| Website | www.hallandoates.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| guitar | |
John William Oates (born April 7, 1949 in New York City, New York) is an American rock guitarist, musician, songwriter and producer best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates (with founder/lead vocalist Daryl Hall). Though he was a primary guitarist, he also co-wrote eight Billboard Number One songs such as: "Sara Smile" (with Daryl Hall) , "You Make My Dreams" (with Sara Allen & Daryl Hall), "She's Gone" (with Daryl Hall), "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" (with Sara Allen & Daryl Hall), "Maneater" (with Sara Allen & Daryl Hall), "Out of Touch" (with Daryl Hall), "Everytime You Go Away" (with Daryl Hall - as covered by Paul Young) and "Adult Education" (with Daryl Hall & Sara Allen). He also sang lead vocals and has written or co-written a few unpopular songs that did not make it to the Billboard's Top 10 such as: "How Does It Feel to Be Back", "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" and "Possession Obsession" (with Sara Allen & Daryl Hall). In addition to his work with Hall, Oates co-wrote and sang back-up on the song "Electric Blue" by the band Icehouse which was a Billboard Top Ten hit.
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[edit] Background
John Oates was raised in North Wales, Pennsylvania, and attended North Penn High School in suburban Philadelphia. He is married to Aimee Oates, and his son Tanner John Oates was born on June 19, 1996.
After high school in 1967, John attended Temple University in Philadelphia. It was there that he met Daryl Hall, also a musician and student at Temple, who was already a senior, while Oates himself was a freshman. The two were involved in several college bands, but after becoming the duo Hall & Oates, they were signed by Atlantic Records in 1972.[1] Since the formation of this partnership, Hall & Oates have gone on to record 21 albums which have sold over 80 million units worldwide, making them arguably the most successful duo in pop–rock history. They have scored 10 number one records and over 20 top 40 hits and have toured the world for decades. Their involvement in the original “Live Aid” concert and the ground-breaking "We Are The World" charity recording have further established them as legendary artists. Their influence on modern pop music has been cited by numerous contemporary bands, like the Gym Class Heroes and The Killers, who have credited and acknowledged H&O's considerable contribution to American music.
Despite 30 years as a chart-topping performer and sought-after producer, Oates did not release a solo album until 2002's Phunk Shui.
Oates took part, along with Jamie Cullum, in the song "Greatest Mistake" by Handsome Boy Modeling School. The song appears on the 2004 album White People.
Oates has recently[when?] been invited to become a member of the board of directors for the R&B Foundation and continues to support many national and local charities.
He has just[when?] finished recording his second solo album entitled 1000 Miles of Life in Nashville featuring a collection of musicians.[citation needed] The album is due for a Fall 2008 release.[citation needed][dated info]
As reported by Billboard, John Oates will be starring in an animated series called J.Stache created by Evan Duby at Primary Wave Music Publishing.[2]
On June 21, 2008, Oates appeared as a special guest during Sam Bush's set at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Together, they raged a bluegrass version of Oates' hit "Man Eater".
On October 27, Oates sang the National Anthem before Game 5 of the 2008 World Series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[3]
In April 2009, Oates wrote the foreword to [Sweet Stache], a celebrity mustache book published by Adams Media and written by Jon Chattman and Rich Tarantino. In the foreword, he noted that shaving his mustache enabled him to "smile again".[4]
Oates now lives with his son and wife in Aspen, Colorado.
[edit] Releases
- Phunk Shui (CD that was released multiple times, each adding bonus tracks)
- John Oates: Live At The Historic Wheeler Opera House (DVD and bonus live CD) (2004)
- John Oates Solo - The Album, The Concert (DualDisc: CD side of Phunk Shui (14 track version), DVD side Live at the Historic Wheeler Opera House) (bonus live CD that came with the original above the DVD is not included) (2006)
- 1000 Miles Of Life (2008)
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12986499
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003821770
- ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20081026&content_id=3646206&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Stache-Badass-Mustaches-Faces/dp/1440501440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253487797&sr=8-1
[edit] External links
- Official John Oates website
- Official website of Hall & Oates
- John Oates on MySpace
- John Oates at Allmusic
- Hall and Oates Forever Discussion Board
