Daryl Hall

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Hall scored numerous Billboard chart hits and is regarded as one of the best soul singers of his generation.^[1] Fripp, who worked with Hall several times, has written, "Daryl's pipes were a wonder. I have never worked with a more able singer."^[2] He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014.^[3][4] On November 1, 2023, his TV series (Live From Daryl's House) returned on Daryl Hall's YouTube channel with a new episode featuring Squeeze singer/songwriter Glenn Tilbrook.  The new batch of episodes also featured Blackberry Smoke singer/guitarist Charlie Starr, King Crimson guitarist and Daryl Hall solo album producer Robert Fripp, Lisa Loeb and Howard Jones. [1]

Early life and career[edit]

Hall was born in Pottstown, a Pennsylvania borough 40 miles (64 km) from Philadelphia; his family is of German descent.^[5] Both of his parents had a background in music; his father came from a choral-group clan and his mother was a vocal coach.^[6] He began recording music while a student at Owen J. Roberts High School, from which he graduated in 1964.


At college at Temple University in Philadelphia, he majored in music, while continuing to record. He worked with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff as both an artist and a session musician. During his first semester at Temple, in the fall of 1965, he and four other Temple University students formed the vocal harmony group the Temptones.


They were popular additions to the largely black Philly soul scene, defeating both The Ambassadors and The Delfonics in a contest at the Uptown Theater.^[7] The Temptones recorded a handful of singles for Arctic Records, produced by Jimmy Bishop. While performing at the Uptown Theater, Hall formed creative affiliations with artists including Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, and many other top soul singers of the 1960s.


In 1967, Hall met John Oates, who was also an undergraduate at Temple University. According to Daryl Hall, they met when "We got in the middle of a fight at a dance–I have no idea what the fight was about. I guess the Greek letters on one gang's jackets didn't appeal to the other gang. We both beat it out the back and met on the elevator while leaving the place rather quickly." Hall was by then a senior while Oates was a freshman. They played together until Oates transferred to a different school at age 19. Hall did not let Oates' departure discourage him from pursuing his own musical career: he dropped out of college in 1968 and worked with Tim Moore in a short-lived rock band, Gulliver, and released an album on the Elektra Records label. He was a member of the studio group behind the project Electric Indian whose song "Keem-O-Sabe" became a big hit in 1969. In 1969 Hall again began recording songs by other artists, which led to the duo Hall & Oates signing their first record contract in early 1972.

Solo projects[edit]

In addition to his work with Oates, Hall recorded music as a solo artist as well as recording with Robert Fripp in the late 1970s, working on Fripp's critically praised Exposure album from 1979. In 1977 Fripp produced and performed on Hall's debut solo album, the much-acclaimed Sacred Songs. This album was released in 1980.


In 1984 Hall co-wrote and produced, with Arthur Baker, the single "Swept Away" for Diana Ross, which reached US No. 19, US R & B No. 3 and US Dance/Club Play No. 1. In 1985 he performed two songs during the first Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Illinois.^[12] Hall participated in the We Are the World session as well as closing the Live Aid show in Philadelphia. He also made an album with Dave Stewart that year, Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, which yielded his #5 solo single "Dreamtime". He has recorded solo works like Soul Alone in 1993 and Can't Stop Dreaming in 1996, both of which were received well internationally. In 1994 composed "Gloryland" that was official album of the 1994 FIFA World Cup.


In 2007 Hall guest-starred on the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, playing an MC of a "world music" festival. On March 12, 2008, he played a well-received set with his band at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.^[13]


Hall was slated to sing the National Anthem of the United States before Game 5 of the 2008 World Series at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park but, due to an illness, could not appear, and Oates sang it instead.^[14] In 2009, Hall guest starred as himself on the Independent Film Channel series, Z-Rock.


In 2010 Hall was back in the studio working on a solo recording with bassist and musical director T-Bone Wolk. Wolk died of a heart attack on February 28, 2010, hours after completing a session with Hall. Hall released a statement about the death of his bassist of nearly 30 years: "It's not if I will go on, but how? T-Bone was one of the most sensitive and good human beings that I have ever known."^[15]


On June 11, 2010, Hall shared the stage with electronic duo Chromeo for a special late night set at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Their set consisted of a mix of both Hall & Oates and Chromeo tracks.


On September 27, 2011, Hall released the album Laughing Down Crying on Verve Records.


On August 12, 2011, UK Electronic duo Nero released their debut album Welcome Reality, which features guest vocals by Hall on the track "Reaching Out", which also samples Hall & Oates' 1980s hit "Out of Touch". "Reaching Out" was released as the sixth single on December 6, 2011.