John Oates
John William Oates (born April 7, 1948) is an American musician, best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates along with Daryl Hall. He has played rock, R&B, and soul music, serving as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer.
This article is about the musician. For other uses, see John Oates (disambiguation).
John Oates
Although Oates's main role in the duo is being the guitarist, he also co-wrote many of the top 10 songs that they recorded, including: "Sara Smile" (referring to Hall's then-girlfriend, Sara Allen), "She's Gone", and "Out of Touch", as well as "You Make My Dreams", "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", "Maneater", and "Adult Education". He also sang lead vocals on several more singles in the Hot 100, such as "How Does It Feel to Be Back", "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (a remake of the 1965 song performed by the Righteous Brothers), and "Possession Obsession". In 1986, Oates contributed the song "(She's the) Shape of Things to Come" on the soundtrack to the 1986 film About Last Night. He also co-wrote and sang backup on the song "Electric Blue", recorded by the Australian band Icehouse, which was a Billboard top 10 hit.
Oates was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004,[1] and in 2014 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of Hall & Oates.[2] His memoir, Change of Seasons, was published in 2017.
Early life[edit]
John William Oates was born in New York City on April 7, 1948,[3] He was raised in North Wales, Pennsylvania [4]. He attended North Penn High School and was co-captain of the 1965-66 wrestling team his senior year and was Section 2 champion in the 127 lb (58 kg) weight class.[5][6] Oates turned down wrestling scholarships and opted to attend Temple University instead because "it was in the city." Oates wrestled as a freshman at Temple and then "got tired of losing weight."[7]
Personal life[edit]
Oates was previously married to former model Nancy Hunter. He and his second wife, Aimee, have a son named Tanner (born 1996).[4] They split their time between Woody Creek, Colorado,[28] and Nashville, Tennessee.[29]
Oates became friends with Hunter S. Thompson when he moved to Woody Creek in the late 1980s, and the pair maintained a close bond until Thompson's death in 2005.[30]