John Oates
John Oates
John William Oates is an American rock, R&B and soul guitarist, musician, songwriter and record producer best known as half of the rock and soul duo, Hall & Oates...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMusician
Date of Birth7 April 1948
CountryUnited States of America
decided europe four gone graduated
When I graduated from college in the spring of 1970, I decided to hitchhike around Europe with my guitar and my backpack. I was gone for about four months.
until
I didn't make a solo album until the year 2000.
connection either personal realized songs
I think what we realized was that we would do songs that either had a personal connection to us or a professional connection to us,
christmas difficult framework good hopefully narrow original personally references somewhat song time work
I think it's kind of difficult to write a good Christmas song because you have a narrow framework of references that you have to work within, and at the same time you want to do something that's personally original and hopefully somewhat unique.
americana authentic music people sorts
Americana Music is about all sorts of different music. It's very free and open: a world where people just like authentic music.
americana
I have a lot of friends who are involved in everything from Americana to blues to R&B to pop to country.
road together travel turn
The thing is that we travel so much together that it wouldn't be a vacation. You get off the road and you're going to turn around and travel again?
collection european goes late pouring racing road scene track
I read and fantasized about the European racing scene by pouring over my old collection of Road and Track that goes back to the late 40's.
glad meet outside record sing somebody town
I was just glad to meet somebody outside of my group of small town friends who was into music. Somebody else who had aspirations to do something more than sing at a record hop.
acoustic dated great played production recording songs style timeless
The idea was to take these great songs, take them out of their production style and their dated recording style, and show them for the songs that they are--as if you had just played them on an acoustic guitar. It's all about timeless songwriting, really.
happening time whatever
Once you've made a record, you don't need to make it again. It's done, and it's out there forever, a moment in time that encapsulates whatever was happening in that moment.
spoiled
'Maneater' is about N.Y.C. in the '80s. It's about greed, avarice, and spoiled riches.
wide
I have such a wide variety of tastes in things that I like musically.
fortunate hall lets position whatever
I'm really in such a fortunate position to have that foundation with Hall and Oates that lets me do whatever I want. That's the dream of a lot of creative people, and I don't take it for granted. I try to make the most of it.