Daryl Hall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daryl Hall
Hall in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Daryl Franklin Hohl
Also known as	Daryl Hohl Daryl F. Hall D. Franklin Hall
Born	(1946-10-11) October 11, 1946 (age 78) Pottstown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Rock soul blue-eyed soul R&B pop rock blues rock soft rock alternative country
Occupation(s)	Singer musician songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards mandolin vibraphone
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Elektra Atlantic RCA Epic Arista U-Watch Verve
Associated acts	Hall & Oates Todd Rundgren Dave A. Stewart Robert Fripp

Daryl Franklin Hohl (born October 11, 1946), known as Daryl Hall, is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is famous for being the lead singer and co-founder of the music duo Hall & Oates, with John Oates.

Besides his work with Hall & Oates, Daryl Hall has released six solo albums. One of these was Sacred Songs in 1980, made with progressive rock guitarist Robert Fripp. His 1986 album, Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, featured his most popular solo song, "Dreamtime", which reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Daryl Hall has also worked with many other artists. He appeared on Robert Fripp's 1979 album Exposure. He also sang on Dusty Springfield's 1995 album A Very Fine Love, which included the song "Wherever Would I Be".

Since 2007, he has hosted an online show called Live from Daryl's House. On this show, he performs songs with other musicians. The show has also been shown on TV channels.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Hall had many hit songs. Many people consider him one of the best soul singers of his time. Robert Fripp, who worked with Hall, said that Daryl's singing voice was amazing. Hall was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. His show, Live from Daryl's House, returned on his YouTube channel in November 2023. New episodes featured artists like Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze, Charlie Starr, Robert Fripp, Lisa Loeb, and Howard Jones.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Daryl Hall was born on October 11, 1946, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. This town is about 40 miles from Philadelphia. His family has German roots. Both of his parents were involved in music. His father came from a family that sang in choirs, and his mother was a vocal coach.

Daryl started recording music while he was a student at Owen J. Roberts High School. He graduated from high school in 1964. He then went to Temple University in Philadelphia to study music. While in college, he kept recording songs. He worked with famous music producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

In 1965, during his first year at Temple, Daryl and four other students formed a singing group called the Temptones. This group became popular in the Philly soul music scene, which was mostly made up of Black artists. The Temptones even won contests against other groups like The Ambassadors and The Delfonics. They recorded a few songs for Arctic Records. While performing, Hall also connected with other top soul singers of the 1960s, like Smokey Robinson and the Temptations.

In 1967, Hall met John Oates at Temple University. They met during a fight at a dance. Hall was a senior, and Oates was a freshman. They started playing music together. Oates later moved to a different school. Hall continued his music career. In 1968, he left college and joined a rock band called Gulliver with Tim Moore. They released one album. Hall also worked with the studio group Electric Indian, which had a hit song called "Keem-O-Sabe" in 1969. In 1969, Hall began recording songs by other artists again. This led to him and John Oates signing their first record deal in early 1972.

Daryl Hall and John Oates

1984 publicity photo of Daryl Hall

In the early 1970s, Daryl Hall and John Oates signed with Atlantic Records. They were managed by Tommy Mottola. They have sold more albums than any other music duo in history. Their second album, Abandoned Luncheonette, came out in 1973. It included the song "She's Gone". This song reached number 7 on the U.S. Top 10 when it was re-released in 1976. It also hit number 1 on the R&B charts when Tavares covered it.

After one more album with Atlantic, Hall & Oates signed with RCA Records. With RCA, they became huge international stars. From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, Daryl Hall and John Oates had six number 1 hit songs in the U.S. These included "Rich Girl", "Kiss on My List", "Private Eyes", "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", "Maneater", and "Out of Touch". These hits came from their multi-platinum albums like Bigger Than Both of Us, Voices, Private Eyes, H2O, Rock 'n Soul Part 1, and Big Bam Boom. They also had six more Top 10 songs during this time, such as "Sara Smile", "One on One", and "You Make My Dreams".

In 1972, Daryl Hall and John Oates performed before David Bowie's shows. Bowie was on his first U.S. tour as his stage character Ziggy Stardust. The duo was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

In November 2023, Daryl Hall took legal action against John Oates. Hall stated that Oates was planning to sell his share of the duo's music rights. Oates said Hall's statements were "inflammatory, outlandish, and inaccurate."

Solo Music Projects

Besides his work with John Oates, Daryl Hall has also made music as a solo artist. In the late 1970s, he worked with Robert Fripp. Fripp produced and performed on Hall's first solo album, Sacred Songs, which was released in 1980.

In 1984, Hall helped write and produce the song "Swept Away" for Diana Ross. This song reached number 19 in the U.S. and number 1 on the U.S. Dance/Club Play chart. In 1985, he performed at the first Farm Aid concert. Hall also took part in the "We Are the World" recording session. He also closed the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia. That same year, he made an album with Dave Stewart called Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine. This album included his solo hit "Dreamtime", which reached number 5.

He released other solo albums like Soul Alone in 1993 and Can't Stop Dreaming in 1996. Both were well-received around the world. In 1994, he wrote "Gloryland", which was the official song for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

In 2007, Hall appeared on the HBO show Flight of the Conchords. He played an MC at a "world music" festival. In March 2008, he performed with his band at the South by Southwest festival.

Hall was supposed to sing the National Anthem of the United States before a baseball game in 2008. However, he was sick, so John Oates sang instead. In 2009, Hall appeared as himself on the show Z-Rock.

In 2010, Hall was working on a new solo album with his bassist, T-Bone Wolk. Wolk sadly passed away in February 2010, shortly after finishing a session with Hall. Hall said that Wolk was one of the kindest people he had ever known.

On June 11, 2010, Hall performed with the electronic duo Chromeo at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. They played a mix of Hall & Oates and Chromeo songs. On September 27, 2011, Hall released his album Laughing Down Crying.

In August 2011, the UK electronic duo Nero released their album Welcome Reality. It featured Daryl Hall's vocals on the song "Reaching Out". This song also used parts of the Hall & Oates hit "Out of Touch". "Reaching Out" was released as a single in December 2011.

On June 21, 2024, Hall released "D", his first solo album in 13 years. He co-produced it with Dave Stewart, who also helped write seven of the nine new songs. The album had two singles, "Can't Say No To You" and "Whole World's Better", which did well on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Home Restoration Projects

Daryl Hall enjoys restoring and preserving old homes in the United States and England. In 2008, he bought the 18th-century Bray House in Kittery Point, Maine, and has been working to restore it. He also restored a Georgian-style home in London, built in 1740, which has direct access to the River Thames.

He bought two homes near Hartford, Connecticut, built in 1771 and 1780. He had them moved to the same property in Dutchess County, New York. There, they were combined and restored. After moving the houses, he found out that both homes were connected to the same family by chance. He also owns a home in Charleston, South Carolina.

In 2014, Hall hosted a TV show called Daryl's Restoration Over-Hall on the DIY Network. The show featured him and his team working on restoring one of his homes in Connecticut.

Live from Daryl's House Show

Since 2007, Daryl Hall has hosted an online show called Live from Daryl's House. It features live music performances. The show first took place at his home in Millerton, New York. More recently, it has been filmed at his club, Daryl's House, in Pawling, New York.

Many famous artists have appeared on the show. These include Ben Folds, Johnny Rzeznik, CeeLo Green, The O'Jays, Smokey Robinson, KT Tunstall, Joe Walsh, Rob Thomas, Todd Rundgren, Darius Rucker, Eric Hutchinson, Cheap Trick, Aaron Neville, Chuck Prophet, Travie McCoy, Ray Manzarek, and Robbie Krieger from The Doors. There was also a holiday special with Shelby Lynne and songs from the Hall & Oates album Home for Christmas.

In a 2008 interview, Hall explained why he started the show. He said he had been touring his whole life and couldn't be everywhere. He wanted to create a way for anyone in the world to see him perform. He also wanted the audience to feel like they were just watching a natural, relaxed performance, like a "fly-on-the-wall."

Hall hosted WGN America's New Year's Eve coverage in 2010 as a Live from Daryl's House special. It showed clips from past episodes.

In July 2018, BMG music company partnered with Hall to manage the show. They planned to produce new episodes starting that fall. The agreement included rights to all 82 episodes filmed from 2007 to 2016.

On November 1, 2023, Live from Daryl's House returned on Hall's YouTube channel. The new episodes featured artists like Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze, Charlie Starr, Robert Fripp, Lisa Loeb, and Howard Jones.

Personal Life

Daryl Hall was married to Bryna Lublin from 1969 to 1972. He has not actively practiced a religion since then. However, he feels more connected to Judaism than to his original religion, Methodism.

Hall had a long relationship, almost 30 years, with songwriter Sara Allen. She was the inspiration for the song "Sara Smile". She also often worked with Hall & Oates on songs. They broke up in 2001 but remained friends. Their breakup was partly due to the death of Sara Allen's sister, Janna Allen, who was also a close music collaborator.

Daryl Hall has one son named Darren with Andrea Zabloski. Hall has said that he and his son are not very close.

Hall was married to Amanda Aspinall from 2009 to 2015. Amanda was the daughter of English gambling businessman John Aspinall. Amanda had two children from a previous relationship. Her daughter March sang backup vocals on some songs on Hall's 2011 album, Laughing Down Crying. Amanda Aspinall passed away in January 2019.

Hall got Lyme disease in 2005.

Hit Songs

Daryl Hall and John Oates had six number 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1977 and 1984. Hall wrote or co-wrote all of them. These songs were: "Rich Girl", "Kiss on My List", "Private Eyes", "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", "Maneater", and "Out of Touch".

"Do It For Love" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" topped the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts. The song "Everytime You Go Away", written by Hall, was on the Hall & Oates album Voices. It reached number 1 in the U.S. and Canada in 1985 when Paul Young covered it.

The Hall & Oates song "She's Gone", which Hall and Oates co-wrote, reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart when Tavares covered it in 1974. Hall sang lead vocals on, and wrote or co-wrote, nine more popular Billboard Top 10 songs. These included "Say It Isn't So", "Adult Education", "Sara Smile", "Method of Modern Love", "You Make My Dreams", "Everything Your Heart Desires", "One on One", "Did It in a Minute", and "So Close".

Hall also had hits that were cover versions of other songs. For example, his 1980 version of the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" reached number 12.

Music Albums

Hall & Oates

Studio Albums

Live Albums

Singles

Solo Music

Albums

Singles

Guest Singles

Other Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Daryl Hall para niños