John Oates, of the famed pop duo Hall & Oates takes the stage at the Community Concert Hall, Nov. 13

 

Singer/songwriter and guitarist John Oates, perhaps best known as one half of the successful ’70s pop duo Hall & Oates, brings his acoustic, stripped down sound to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, Saturday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.

Oates launched his successful solo career in 2002, making music that he sees as much more “rootsy” than the commercial work he performed with Daryl Hall for more than 30 years. He’s now blending the traditional folk-blues of his youth and his original music, plus acoustic versions of – and the stories behind – the popular Hall & Oates songs.

Born in New York, but raised in Philadelphia, Oates began playing guitar at age five. His first influences included the likes of Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Elvis and more, but when the folk music scene began sweeping the country in the early ’60s, his interest in traditional Americana music plus R&B emerged, and he immersed himself in the Childs Ballads, Joan Baez, Rev. Gary Davis, Dave Von Ronk and other rediscovered bluesmen. The result for Oates was something of a musical split personality, the influences of which remain today.

Oates had opportunity as a young performer to play alongside some of the seminal guitar players such as Doc Watson and Sonny Terry, learning first hand their finger-picking and flat-picking styles. When Oates first met Daryl Hall, it was their mutual love for urban rhythm and blues blended with the more rural roots of Americana music that created their unique sound.

Hall & Oates, arguably the most popular pop duo in rock history, recorded 21 albums that have sold more than 80 million copies. The duo enjoyed 10 #1 records, more than 20 top 40 hits and, in addition to numerous American Music and MTV awards, Hall & Oates was inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008 the duo received the BMI Icon Award for outstanding career achievement in song writing.

Wrote Stewart Oksenhorn of The Aspen Times, “For Oates, the soul-pop hits made by Hall & Oates and his recent solo output is connected by a focus on the primary element of music – the song. In the Hall & Oates period, the songwriting craft may have been obscured by videos, clothes, promotional efforts and production techniques, but Oates says the pop hits – seven of which went to number one – always began with two guys looking for a way to express themselves with lyrics, melodies and chord progressions.”

            Oates’ solo 2008 release, “1000 Miles of Life” is a salute to his early folk music influences (the folk and soul that indeed made their way into the first few Hall & Oates albums of that period). “1000 Miles of Life” was recorded in Nashville and features bluegrass virtuosos Béla Fleck, Jerry Douglas and Sam Bush, as well as soul-music stalwarts Steve Cropper and Bonnie Bramlett.

            Following the close of the recent Aspen Songwriters’ Festival, which Oates organized and hosted, and where he showcased his folk/acoustic-based music, the LimeWire Music Blog quote Oates: “My solo albums have gone very much in that direction and I think it’s a nice niche for me personally. I think artists in general are a lot more complex than people might understand.”

            Today, Oates resides with his family in Aspen, Colo.

Listen to John Oates’ latest music, plus view a variety of videos, on the web at www.myspace.com/johnoatesmusic. Connect with Oates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/johnoatesmusic.

Tickets for John Oates – $25 for Balcony and Orchestra and $38 for Plaza – are available at www.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 970.247.7657, or visit the ticket office at 7^th and Main Ave. in Downtown Durango.

 Showtime is 7 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 6 p.m.

The Community Concert Hall is located in the arts complex of Fort Lewis College.  It operates through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, as well as the city of Durango, and with financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.