John Oates

Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, John Oates carved his name into pop music history as half of Daryl Hall & John Oates, one of the most successful duos of all time. But the road to stardom started long before chart-topping anthems like “Rich Girl” and “Maneater.” Oates was born in New York City in 1948 and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia before enrolling at Temple University. There, he met Daryl Hall, quickly bonding over their love of rock, soul, and R&B, before forming Daryl Hall & John Oates in 1970. While Oates is best known as the band's mustachioed lead guitarist and back-up vocalist, he's also cowritten iconic hits such as “Out of Touch” and “I Can't Go for That (No Can Do).” The duo appeared in historic charity initiatives such as Live Aid and “We Are The World,” and have remained active for over 50 years, though Oates has also flourished as a solo artist. He embraced sleek '70s funk on 2002's Phunk Shui, before delving into country and bluegrass on 2008's dreamy 1000 Miles of Life LP. Updating treasures of the past has remained a hallmark of Oates' solo work, as he revisited the delta blues that nourished his earliest musical interests on 2018's cinematic Arkansas.