John Oates (co-creator of the iconic pop-rock duo Hall & Oates) is thrilled to release his cover of John Prine’s “Long Monday” that is out now. This track is part of his forthcoming album, Reunion set to drop on May 17th. As a preview he has released the title track “Reunion” that is out now as well.
Oates says, “I chose to record ‘Long Monday’ due to the evocative nature and down-to-earth beauty of the song’s story. I think it’s important to respect a songwriter’s work. Because of that I wanted to remain faithful to the lyrics and melody while, at the same time, making it my own as far as the arrangement. It was recorded in Nashville at Addiction Sound Studio. The mandolin genius Sierra Hull put her finishing touch on the recording.”
In support of his new music Oates will be touring throughout the rest of the year and all next year. See tour dates below. More to be announced.
About John Oates
Although many people around the world know John Oates as the co-creator of the pop group Hall & Oates, this versatile artist’s musical roots run deep. As a young child in the early 1950s Oates’ life and influences parallel the evolution of American rock and roll. Playing and singing from the age of five he was born into a life of music. “I am old enough to remember music before the birth of rock and roll so when it hit, I was aware that something new and groundbreaking had happened”. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, the Everly Brothers and Elvis laid the foundation and the regional sounds crackling out of the AM radio from labels like Stax Volt/ Specialty / Sun / Chess were Oates’ sonic pallet from which to draw inspiration.
In the early 1960s, when the folk revival swept the college campuses, Oates immersed himself in songs he heard from all the newly rediscovered artists, many of whom traced their careers back to the 1920s and 30s at the beginning of phonograph recordings. Living in Philadelphia at that time Oates haunted the coffee houses and festivals to hear folks like Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and spent many a Saturday night at the fabled Uptown Theater to experience R&B greats like Sam and Dave, Otis Redding, the Temptations, Curtis Mayfield and James Brown.
It was from these early influences that John Oates became the musician he is today. A keeper of the flame, an Americana amalgamation of all that he heard and all that has come before him. For his music in the duo Hall & Oates, he was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, sold 80M records world wide, had ten number one albums, over 20 Top 30 hits, and toured the world for decades.
Working and moving to Nashville in the early 2000s Oates was embraced by the burgeoning Americana music community and surrounded by kindred spirits and with their help he began to tap back into his earliest musical DNA to establish and re-define himself. The results of which have been seven solo albums, multiple singles, and many classic collaborations. Now this body of work has manifested itself in his most recent and perhaps his most focused project…a collection of songs and an album called: REUNION, due May 17. The sound and style are uniquely personal and pay homage to his earliest influences, but looks forward with the maturity and perspective of who he is today.
Supported by an all-star lineup of musical friends and guests like Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bella Fleck, and Sierra Hull as well as a cast of some of Music City’s finest players like Guthrie Trapp, Tom Bukovac, Russ Pahl, Paul Franklin, Steve Mackey, Marc Rogers, David Kalmusky, Greg Morrow, Josh Day and Nathaniel Smith…REUNION tells a tale of love, loss, and personal rediscovery framed in a sonic palate of lush acoustic production.
Tour Dates
April 28 – Corona, CA – Dos Lagos Amphitheater
May 2-3-5- Phoenix, AZ – Musical Instrument Museum
May 7 – St. Louis, MO – City Winery
May 8- Chicago, IL – City Winery
May 22 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall
June 7-8 – Cedaredge, CO – Grand Mesa Songwriter Festival
June 10 – Nashville, TN – City Winery
June 25 – Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall
June 26 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre + Ballroom
June 27 – Rochester, NY – Rochester International Jazz Festival
August 15 – Cape May, NJ – Cape May Convention Hall
August 17 – Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia Folk Festival
August 22 – Newton, NJ – The New town Theater
August 24 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot
August 25 – Nantucket, MA - Dreamland
