Hall & Oates

Singing and songwriting duo Daryl Hall and John Oates were one of America's most popular acts in the early 80s. Their first breaks came in 1976, when "Sara Smile" and "She's Gone" were Top 10 hits, before "Rich Girl" became Hall & Oates' first Hot 100 chart-topper the following year. However, their next seven singles all flopped, so Hall & Oates decided to ditch their producers and do it themselves instead. Slightly updating their soul-inflected soft rock sound with a new-wave edge, "Kiss on my List" topped the Hot 100 in 1980 and marked the beginning of a prolific period for the group. Between 1981 and 1985, Hall & Oates enjoyed 12 Top 10 singles, including four further No.1 hits: "Private Eyes", "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)", "Maneater" and "Out of Touch". Voices (1980> and Private Eyes (1981) were both platinum sellers, while H2O (1982) and Big Bam Boom (1984) were double platinum successes.

After this period, Hall & Oates took a well-earned break. They released a live album in 1985 that featured guest appearances from David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations, and in 1988 enjoyed another smash hit with "Everything Your Heart Desires". Since then, the duo have struggled to regain the audience of their prime, but they continue to tour regularly.