John Oates was born in New York City (1948) and raised in North Wales, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. His mother, Ann De Palma, was an Italian immigrant originally from Salerno; his dad was from England. We now fast-forward to Oates’ last year in high school.
In 1966, he recorded his first single, “I Need Your Love,” with The Masters for Philadelphia-based Crimson Records. After graduating from North Penn High School later that year, John enrolled in Temple University in Philadelphia, where he met Daryl Hall, a senior at Temple who was also a professional musician. The two were involved in several college bands, then formed the duo Hall & Oates, and by 1972, they had signed with Atlantic Records.
In 1983, Oates was asked whether he regretted not pursuing his degree in journalism. He replied that he did not and admitted that he had in fact never intended to finish it.
Despite 30 years as a chart-topping performer and sought-after producer, Oates did not release a solo album until 2002’s Phunk Shui. Oates’s second solo album, 1000 Miles of Life, was released on August 23, 2008.
In March 2010, Oates played with the indie rock band The Bird and the Bee as a surprise guest. The show was a medley of The Bird and the Bee songs, as well as classic Hall & Oates. The performance was dedicated to H&O bassist T-Bone Wolk who died on February 27, 2010.
On March 11, 2013, Oates released a new single, “Stand Strong”, which he co-wrote with Teddy Morgan. “Stand Strong” is part of Oates’s project, Good Road To Follow, a set of original songs released as digital singles, one after the other. In 2015, Oates released Another Good Road, a DVD and Live CD combination via PS Records/Warner Elektra, which also debuted as a television special on the Palladia music channel.
The DVD was shot live in a recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee, and features rare footage of his home in Woody Creek, Colorado.
Oates has been married twice. He and his second wife Aimee Oates have a son, Tanner, who was born in 1996. They reside in Woody Creek, Colorado as well as Nashville, Tennessee.
John Oates & Bekka Bramlett perform “I Blinked Once” from “An American Troubadour: The Songs of Steve Forbert” a tribute album forthcoming on Blue Rose Music. This song is being played on Sacramento’s K-ZAP 93.3 FM and stream. Download the free K-ZAP app! K-ZAP.org/apps/
John Oates memoir, Change of Seasons was published on March 28, 2017 by St. Martin’s Press.
Discography
Phunk Shui (2002)
1000 Miles of Life (2008)
Mississippi Mile (2011)
Good Road To Follow (2013)
Videos