Daryl Hall files restraining order against John Oates
After being part of one of the most successful duos in pop music, Daryl Hall has issued a restraining order against his former partner John Oates.
Though little about the case is known, Hall first filed a complaint against Oates on November 16th before the Nashville Chancery Court before making a motion for a restraining order. The order is set to go into effect starting on November 30th.
As part of the duo Hall and Oates, both singers made some of the most celebrated mixes of rock and soul during their 1970s prime, such as ‘She’s Gone’ and ‘Sara Smile’. From there, the group also became mainstays of MTV thanks to songs like ‘Private Eyes’ and ‘Maneater’.
When discussing the partnership with Oates in the past, Hall talked about feeling stifled by his partner, telling LA Times, “It’s very annoying to be a duo. Everything you do is juxtaposed against another person. Try doing that sometime. I don’t want to use the word ‘emasculating,’ because that’s male, but it takes away your individuality”.
Although Hall and Oates had been active as a touring entity throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s, they had not released any original music since 2003’s Do It For Love. Since then, most of their releases involved various reworkings of their favourite soul songs in 2004 and a Christmas album in 2006 entitled Home for Christmas.
Outside of their recording, Oates has kept up a modest solo career, releasing his latest album, Arkansas, in 2018. Hall has also kept up a high profile in the years since their studio hiatus, creating the web series Live From Daryll’s House. In this at-home concert setting, he collaborates with contemporary artists, playing a mix of his guest’s material and his own.
Despite their separate recording careers, there had been no news of a breakup between the duo before the legal action.
