Music lovers were left stunned after learning Daryl Hall had filed a lawsuit against longtime collaborator John Oates in a Nashville, Tennessee, court last week.
The suit is currently sealed, sparking speculation as to what could have caused the fallout between the music icons.
Now, sources aware of the conflict have told TMZ that the legal battle pertains to “the bottom rules of who can sing what as a solo artist, together with money issues after all.”
The insiders disclosed that Hall, 77, made a swift legal move on Nov. 16, petitioning the court for a restraining order against Oates, 75, which was promptly granted the next day by the presiding judge.
Oates performed a series of solo shows earlier this month, purportedly singing numerous his and Hall’s joint hits.
Live shows on Nov. 9 and 10 were postponed, per TMZ, but it surely stays unclear whether Hall had anything to do with that call, given his suit was not filed until the next week.
Hall has taken credit for writing among the duo’s biggest songs, including “Kiss on My List,” “Wealthy Girl” and “Private Eyes” (co-written by Warren Pash and Janna Allen).
While many fans are shocked by the beloved duo’s falling out, tensions had been hinted at previously, notably when Hall appeared on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast last 12 months.
“You think that John Oates is my partner? He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner,” he said in a dismissive tone.
“John and I are brothers, but we are usually not creative brothers. We’re business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve all the time been very separate, and that’s a extremely essential thing for me.”
Hall then cited the duo’s 1980 No. 1 hit “Kiss on My List” for example of his creative superiority. “I did all those [harmonies],” Hall said. “That’s all me.”
Hall’s implication was clear: certain songs were unequivocally his domain, not Oates’.
Meanwhile, TMZ reports that Hall has continued to perform the songs he and Oates made famous together.
He recently headlined a concert in Tokyo, where he regaled a large audience with the duo’s timeless hits.