John Oates
- Style
- Chevron
- Peak Era
- 1980s
- Born
- 1948
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 2025
- Fan Votes
- 0 legendary · 0 meh
About John Oates
John William Oates was born in New York City in 1948 and raised in North Wales, Pennsylvania. He met Daryl Hall at Temple University in Philadelphia in 1967, reportedly while both were fleeing a fight at a record hop, and the two began writing and performing together in the early 1970s.
As Hall & Oates they became the best-selling duo in American pop history, with six Billboard number-one singles: "Rich Girl" (1977), "Kiss on My List" (1981), "Private Eyes" (1981), "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" (1981), "Maneater" (1982), and "Out of Touch" (1984). Oates co-wrote many of the hits and played guitar, and his thick dark mustache, curly hair, and mirrored sunglasses were a fixture of early MTV.
He shaved the mustache around 1990, a move so notable that it remains the first thing many people ask him about. He has since released solo albums rooted in Americana and acoustic blues, published the memoir Change of Seasons (2017), and was inducted with Hall into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Why the Stach Became Iconic
The Oates mustache is the platonic 1980s pop mustache. Thick, black, and slightly wider than the mouth, it appeared in more MTV rotation than almost any other piece of facial hair of the era, and it was frequently the most recognizable thing on screen when Hall was singing lead.
Then he shaved it, and the internet (once it existed) never recovered. The mustache has since become a meme, a tribute-band essential, and a reliable Halloween costume. Oates himself has been a good sport about it, which only makes the legend stronger.
Appearances
- Hall & Oates, "Sara Smile" (1976)
- "Rich Girl" (1977)
- Voices, "Kiss on My List" (1980)
- Private Eyes, "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" (1981)
- H2O, "Maneater" (1982)
- Big Bam Boom, "Out of Touch" (1984)
- Live Aid, Philadelphia (1985)
- Change of Seasons, memoir (2017)
- Hall & Oates had six number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and are often cited as the best-selling duo in pop history.
- He and Daryl Hall met at Temple University in 1967.
- He shaved the famous mustache around 1990 and has said he wanted to shed the 1980s image.
- Hall & Oates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
- He is an avid skier and has lived for years near Aspen, Colorado.
