Now 78 years of age, the musician who first found fame as the lead vocalist with Hall and Oates in the 1970s and 1980s, Daryl Hall has called himself a “pioneer” in helping destroy racial barriers in music.
In an interview with Classic Pop, the superstar singer/songwriter said:
“I was one of those pioneers in breaking down those barriers between Black music and white music, whatever that means.” “My earliest success was on Black radio in America. I had to break into the white pop world in America. That was secondary, after the fact. So that’s where my roots are. That’s where my initial success started.” “I think it had a lot to do with me as a singer and my background.” “Being from Philly, a very colorblind area, helped me be able to break those barriers down. Luckily, I figured out how to do it.”
Currently involved in a legal battle with John Oates after he sued his musical partner in 2023 in an attempt to stop him from selling their stake in publishing company Whole Oats Enterprises, Daryl is now performing solo and admits he feels less constrained playing alone.
“I really was restricted. When I was (performing) with John on stage, we had this rule that we couldn’t play any other work than what we did under the Hall and Oates name.” “And it was very restrictive to me, because I love all those solo songs – I wrote most of them – but there was a lot that I had been doing over the years that I couldn’t play. I had no outlet. ” “So now, I’m completely liberated and it’s much more fun,” explained Hall.
The multi-award winning artist also believes that his soulful singing voice has gotten better with age, saying:
“Well, with age and maturity, my voice has mellowed and kind of opened up in a way. I had maybe more high note facility as a young guy. You know, I could sing into the stratosphere. Now, I’ve lost a little of that, but I’ve gained other things.” “I’m basically a soul singer, and I think my voice is more appropriate sounding to my emotions and my soulful thing than it used to be when I was a young kid.” “So, it came from wisdom and experience. And a few whiskeys, too.”
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Matthew Becker, Weatherman90 at English Wikipedia