As half of one of the best-selling musical duos of all time, Daryl Hall is often looked at as one of the best R&B singers of his generation. Having earned his bones in Philadelphia’s fertile music scene of the mid- to late-1960s, Hall and partner John Oates have created an indelible brand of blue-eyed soul that has racked up 40 million-plus records sold throughout a career that dates back to 1970.
Here are a few facts you might not know about the Pennsylvania native.
1 Music Is In His Blood
Hall’s earliest musical memories included listening to a phonograph when he was two in addition to tagging along with his mother, who regularly performed with a band.
“My family is very musical. My mother was in a band. One of my earliest memories was watching my mother on stage playing with the band she was with. I always wanted to be the guy in the white coat that was the band leader.”
2 He Is An Avid Do-It-Yourselfer
Hall has always loved working on old homes and has indulged in his passion by renovating a handful of houses in New York, Connecticut and London.
“I’ve been doing that for years. I like antique architecture, especially early architecture. The first one I did was the house that John [Oates] and I lived in when we were out of school in Philadelphia. And then I’ve done them in Upstate New York, Connecticut, two in London—so I’ve done a lot of them. I had a show [on the DIY Network] called Restoration Over-Hall. So I let people see what’s it like to restore a Colonial house.”
3 Live From Daryl’s House Started As A Respite From Touring
The online show/webcast that has recorded 82 episodes through December 2016 since debuting in fall 2007 was meant to give Hall a break from the rigors of the road. Guests have included Joe Walsh, Cheap Trick, Jason Mraz, CeeLo Green, Darius Rucker, The O’Jays and Aloe Blacc.
“I just wanted to do something that was the opposite of what I’d been doing. So instead of traveling around everywhere in the world, I decided to bring the world to the closest place I could think of, which is my house.”
4 Session Man
The Philly native was a working musician with his own group called the Temptones. He also did a fair share of session work with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, architects of the Philly soul sound.
“I was around it all. I wasn’t on the A Team, because I was a little young. But I used to play with the MFSB band as well as on records by the Delfonics, Stylistics, the Intruders, Bunny Sigler and Len Barry.”
Daryl Hall & John Oates appear with Tear for Fears on June 16 at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, 1 Tennis Place, Forest Hills. Visit www.foresthillsstadium.com for more information.
To read a full feature on Daryl Hall, see Daryl Hall: Making His Dreams Come True.
https://liweekly.wpengine.com/daryl-hall-making-dreams-come-true/
