Daryl Hall & John Oates

Daryl Hall and John Oates were both studying at Temple University, Philadelphia and fronting their own bands - Hall with the Temptones and Oates with The Masters - when they met at a talent show in 1967. Discovering a shared interest in soul music, they formed a duo, creating an infectious appeal which, three years later, earned them a deal with Atlantic Records. Success wasn't immediate, but their Arif Mardin-produced second album Abandoned Luncheonette helped to establish them internationally, including one of their biggest songs, She's Gone. A switch to RCA Records resulted in their first major hit with the ballad Sara Smile in 1976, followed by a reissue of She's Gone, followed by Bigger Than Both Of Us and Rich Girl. In the late 1970s they reacted to the disco boom by adopting a more rock and dance-orientated approach with full backing band and they enjoyed further success in 1980 with the Voices album, which included a hit cover of the Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' and the hits You Make My Dreams and Everytime You Go Away (later covered by Paul Young). Greater success came the following year with the Private Eyes album, producing two Number 1 US hits with the title track and I Can't Go For That (No Can Do). This was followed by the biggest hit of their career with the Number 1 Maneater in 1982 from the album H2O; which made Hall & Oates one of the biggest rock acts in America. Other hits followed, including Say It Isn't So, Adult Education, Dance On Your Knees and Method Of Modern Love as they developed their style further to embrace electronica and hip hop. They remained a popular live and recording act through the 1990s and 2000s with a changing line-up of backing musicians, releasing a Christmas album in 2006.