Hall & Oates has been one of the most beloved bands ever despite not being as popular as other bands from the 1970s. Daryl Hall and John Oates had a relationship that was like rubber and glue.
Even though they started the band in 1970, they continued strong for three and a half decades until they decided to pursue solo careers. This year, they have completely split up, with Hall suing Oates. So, what happened between them?
On November 16, 2023, Hall filed a lawsuit against Oates in Nashville, but the court kept the case under the seal and labeled it a contract/debt dispute. According to speculations, it might have something to do with the division of royalties and Oates performing the band’s songs in his solo performances.
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Hall and Oates were together for decades, having started in 1970, but it looks like 2023 will be the end of their friendship, and interestingly, both of them are in their late 70s.
In a recently surfaced news, Hall reportedly sued Oates at Nashville court on November 16, and a restraining order was issued the next day, and it will be in motion on November 30.
While the nature of the case is currently unknown as the court didn’t disclose any details concerning the lawsuit, it labeled the case “contract/debt dispute,” meaning they may have had some financial arguments concerning the group’s revenue.
In fact, this is not the first time this has happened, and we need to travel back in time to 2006 to clearly understand what happened between them.
After going through their solo careers, Hall & Oates reunited in 2018, but before that, they had beef in 2006. According to Medium, Hall previously sued Oates for not showing up in a Delaware show.
While Oates claimed he was ill and countersued Hall, he also accused Hall of replacing him with a Thai musician named Chapchai Aphibarnrat. As their lawsuit settled in 2007, they both agreed to tour separately and pursue solo careers for the time being.
Although they reunited in 2018 for various reasons, they had to postpone their nineteenth album due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as they had planned to release it in 2020.
In April 2023, Elliot Lewis, who has been with Hall & Oates since 2003, reportedly left the group to focus on his own music, but is it a coincidence? Maybe things have not been well between Hall and Oates since the beginning of the year.
While neither party has disclosed an official reason, people speculate that Oates may have had a disagreement with the division of royalties (splitting the revenue 50/50) or Oates may have used the doublet’s songs in his solo performances.
For the time being, we await more details concerning their lawsuit, but in the meantime, you can look at some pun-intended reactions from the fans of Hall & Oates below.
So, what do you think happened between Daryl Hall and John Oates? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.