CELEBRITY
Daryl Hall Seeking To Block John Oates From Selling His Share In Hall & Oates Partnership
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Daryl Hall in a Wednesday court filing accused musical partner John Oates of the ultimate partnership betrayal for trying to sell his stake in their Hall & Oates joint venture without his permission.
Hall, 77, said that Oates, 75, planned to sell his share in Whole Oats Enterprises LLP (WOE) to third-party buyer Primary Wave Music, which already owns a substantial interest in the musicians’ song catalog.
This recent bad faith conduct by John Oates and the Oates Trust has created tremendous upheaval, harm, and difficulty in my life, not to mention unnecessary expense and burden, during a time when I am in the middle of a tour throughout the U.S. West Coast, Japan, and Manilla and need to focus and perform at top level, Hall claimed in the filing Wednesday.
I believe that John Oates timed the Unauthorized Transaction to create the most harm to me. Respectfully, he must be stopped from this latest wrongdoing and his malicious conduct reined in once and for all, Hall said.
Hall said he attempted to enter arbitration on Nov. 9, before filing his lawsuit and seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the sale on Nov. 16. A judge granted the restraining order.
Hall and the Daryl Hall Revocable Trust sued Oates and his trust, The John W. Oates TISA Trust, along with its co-trustees, in Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville, Tenn.
In his own court filing, Oates referenced Hall’s ongoing efforts to distance himself from his longtime musical partner.
“Over the years, Daryl has consistently and publicly been adamant about being perceived as an individual rather than as part of a duo or group. Thus, he has insisted on our being known as Daryl Hall and John Oates, rather than the more commonly known Hall & Oates,” Oates declaration said. “On this point I agree. I now must act with truthfulness and make decisions that are right for myself, my family, and my artistic future.”
Hall & Oates released their debut album Whole Oats in 1972, and proceeded to release another 17 studio albums together. The pop duo’s popularity peaked in the 1980s and 1990s with numerous radio hits and six No. 1 singles, including Kiss on My List, Private Eyes, and Maneater.
During an appearance on Bill Mahers “Club Random” podcast last year, Hall dismissed Oates’ contributions to their musical output.
“You think John Oates is my partner? … Hes my business partner. Hes not my creative partner, Hall told Maher.
“I did all those [harmonies],” Hall said of their hit single Kiss on My List, on which Oates is not credited as a write, but a co-producer. Thats all me, Hall said.
“John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but weve always been very separate, and thats a really important thing for me.”
Although Hall & Oates has never officially broken up, their last studio album was 2006’s Home for Christmas, and they have pursued solo projects over the years. They are both currently touring separately.
TMX contributed to this article.
