The last time Hall and Oates performed in North Texas, at Dickies Arena in 2021, they dusted off a deep cut titled 鈥淏ack Together Again.鈥�
For fans, the song is now just a case of wishful thinking.
Hall and Oates 鈥� arguably the greatest blue-eyed soul act of all-time 鈥� broke up last year after Daryl Hall filed a lawsuit against John Oates in a dispute over song rights and business interests. Both have said the split is final.
Instead of wallowing in the blues, Hall, 78, has plowed ahead with a solo album, new episodes of Live From Daryl鈥檚 House and a concert tour that brings him to WinStar World Casino and Resort on March 28.
I spoke with Hall from his home in rural Connecticut. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Was there a pivotal moment as a kid that made you want to be a musician?
I was born in it, really. Music was my baby food. My parents were both singers, so from age 5, I was always plunking away on piano. When I got to be about 12, I said, 鈥淥h, maybe I could write some songs.鈥�
The music of my environment was soul music, R&B, Philadelphia music (Hall grew up near Philly). I didn鈥檛 listen to anything else. It鈥檚 like asking somebody from West Virginia why they play bluegrass.
For your latest album, D, you reunited with producer-songwriter Dave Stewart, who was also part of a famous duo, Eurythmics.
We constantly say we have so much in common, and believe me, it鈥檚 not necessarily the good stuff (laughs). Working with Dave Stewart is a unique situation. We鈥檙e good friends, and we know each other like brothers. I think his influence is a big deal, and it makes it distinct from some other albums that I鈥檝e worked on with other people.
You鈥檝e played with everyone from Smokey Robinson to on your long-running show Live From Daryl鈥檚 House. What are the ingredients of a great collaboration?
It depends on the people. Some people click; some people don鈥檛. I鈥檝e spent hours in a room with people and walked out with nothing. There are other situations where it鈥檚 immediate. The first time I was invited to Dave鈥檚 house (in 1985), I went through his front door and 10 minutes later we鈥檙e writing good music together. It was a perfect collaboration 鈥� you don鈥檛 have to work at it.
In 1985, Hall and Oates were part of 鈥淲e Are the World,鈥� to benefit famine relief in Ethiopia. The song also inspired the 2024 documentary The Greatest Night in Pop. Do you still feel pop stars can create social change?
I think there was a lot of idealism and naivete involved in everything from (The Concert for Bangladesh) to 鈥淲e Are the World鈥� and projects like that. People had the best intentions 鈥� everybody really felt much less cynical than people do now.
But I have mixed feelings about musicians going out of their lane, unless they鈥檙e extremely qualified to talk about certain things. I think musicians and actors and everybody should do what they do. They can influence people鈥檚 opinions through their art, and especially with their music. But I鈥檓 not a big fan of all the didactic s---.
So many singers who got famous in the 鈥�70s and 鈥�80s died tragically young 鈥� Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Prince. How were you able to avoid the pitfalls?
I got lucky. My nervous system doesn鈥檛 allow me to go to excess, especially with drugs, and that saved me, really. I saw people falling around me. David (Ruffin of the Temptations), a good friend of mine, I couldn鈥檛 help him. He was a really sensitive soul, and I think that defines a lot of these people that went down early. They鈥檙e so unprepared for the complexity of fame and the travel and the people you鈥檙e exposed to. All these different factors.
There鈥檚 an outrageous amount of pressure. You need some kind of crutch. I鈥檒l include myself. I鈥檓 not afraid to have a drink. If I have a crutch, that鈥檚 it. But I鈥檓 not controlled by it. Again, I鈥檓 lucky. There鈥檚 something about my ability to cope, you know? People have said to me, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e like a boxer: You go down, and you get right back up.鈥�
Speaking of coping, is there a way of describing how Hall and Oates鈥� breakup has affected you emotionally, as a person or as an artist?
I鈥檓 not a fan of betrayal. That鈥檚 all I got to say. I have a great legacy of music that sustains me, and I go out on the road and people seem to understand where I鈥檓 coming from and what I鈥檝e done. And that鈥檚 good enough for me.
Details
Daryl Hall will perform with opening act Glenn Tilbrook on March 28 at 8 p.m. at Lucas Oil Live at WinStar World Casino and Resort, 777 Casino Ave., Thackerville, Okla. Tickets start at $50. .
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