John Oates has admitted that intense legal battles with his former songwriting partner and bandmate Daryl Hall were ‘ruining his life’.
The 80s American pop duo, who formed in the 1970s before achieving their biggest successes a decade later, also went into business together with the jointly-owned Whole Oats Enterprises LLP.
Oates, 76, made the decision last year to sell his half of the company, but when Hall, 77, found out, he responded angrily, accusing Oates of ‘ultimate betrayal’ and filed a lawsuit claiming his permission wasn’t asked for.
The pair appear to have been feuding since midway through the pandemic, when plans for a 19th studio album were shelved and longtime keyboardist Eliot Lewis left the band.
Now, Oates has offered up his version of events, saying that he became ‘frustrated’ when things became ‘mired in legality and really complex legal wranglings’.
He told Good Morning America: ‘Daryl has always wanted to be his own man. [I wanted] to give him the opportunity to do that. If I sell my half, he can do what he wants.’
Explaining the apparent fallout, which appears to have preceded these legal battles: ‘It was kinda ruining my life, to be honest with you. I wasn’t happy. I just [stepped] aside. People do it all the time.’
Oates, who co-wrote huge hits such as Maneater, Private Eyes, and I Can’t Go For That with Hall, then said he took inspiration from other artists working in the music industry.
‘You look at all the artists who are selling all their catalogues. It’s pretty common. It’s not that big a deal. But Daryl didn’t like the idea that I would sell to a certain third party.’
In court documents, Hall has accused Oates of going ‘completely behind [his] back and without [his] written approval’ and says his former bandmate acted ‘in bad faith’.
The suit also claims that meetings to sell Oates’ half of Whole Oats took place in early October 2023 – Hall has now accused Oates of lying about when the meetings took place.
Oates also admitted that his working relationship with Hall hasn’t quite been the same in the last 20 years, saying they only meet up to perform concerts together.
The duo last worked on new music together in 2006 during the sessions for their 18th (and presumably final) album Home for Christmas, which failed to chart in the UK.
Debut album Whole Oats was released in 1972 but the duo only saw limited success until a trio of albums – Voices, Private Eyes, and H2O – went Platinum in the US and spawned top 10 singles on both sides of the Atlantic.
Their most successful single in the UK, Maneater, reached number 6 in the Singles Charts and was eventually certified Platinum after selling over 600,000 copies.
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