“If you look over the years, the styles have changed - the clothes, the hair, the production, the approach to the songs. The icing to the cake has changed flavors. But if you really look at the cake itself, it's really the same.”

American musician

John William Oates is an American musician best known as one half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates, alongside Daryl Hall. He has worked across rock, R&B, and soul as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His career is tied to the sound and success of Hall & Oates, where his work as a performer and songwriter helped shape the duo’s place in popular music. His wider musical identity spans several related genres, with credit given to both his playing and his studio work.