Daryl Hall

Part two of this special Questlove Supreme continues with Daryl Hall. Daryl discusses his formative music years in Philadelphia, the stories behind his hits alongside John Oates, and why he is taking time to emphasize his important solo catalog.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Quest Love Supreme is a production of I Heart Radio,
Ladies and Gentlemen. This is Quest Love Supreme. Today marks
the conclusion of what I feel is an instant classic episode.
As I expressed in the previous recording that I personally

(00:22):
like one on one uls is meaning one artist to
the show as opposed to group scenarios. So that way,
you know, it's always you get two sides of a
story of the same story, sometimes where you get the
same identical story. But previous episode we talked to um
one half one of my favorite duos and music, one

(00:45):
of the most successful duos of music. And now we
are given the honor and the pleasure of speaking to
the voice the soundtrack, I mean, the personal soundtrack of
my childhood. And I'm you know, a Philadelphia. So this
this episode is doing me some pride right now. What
else can I say but the one and only Daryl

(01:07):
Hall Supreme, Welcome Stone all right, by the way, Team Supreme.
I'm sorry, I didn't even acknowledge how dare he was
waiting for that. I was gonna say, it's okay' Daryl Hall,
We're all a little fanut's fine, no, no no, no, But
in my mind I'm still feeling like this is a
continuation of the episode. But yes, we can let the

(01:28):
world know that when a week or two went by
and uh, you know, yes, So how are you doing?
Like you I'm doing great, I'm ready, I'm so good. Yeah,
life is complete, man, it really can I I gotta
ask some personally, even though this is inconsequential to our
viewers who could only hear us and not see us.
But I feel like every time you do an episode,

(01:50):
you're doing it from another part of your house or
I see a new So this is actually my studio house.
Oh yeah, this is mine too, Okay, exactly, that's what
my studio house. All right. Well, you know, I'm just
I'm impressed with every episode you seem to be in
a new part of your house that I've never seen before.
And I it's the only way I think my quest

(02:12):
loves the Frame brothers to truly come to my house. So, yeah,
this is the way I'm doing it. Maybe one day
I'll call Okay, well, one of us will have to
agree to get on a plane. But will that will
say that for another episode? Bill? Yes, how's it going
to test it? Congratulations to you. I'm I'm great man.

(02:33):
Congratulations you you live in winning awards like handover whatever
the expression is, and we have to do some flowers
of beer flowers for a beer congratulations. Yes, thank you,
thank you for that deflection of you. Thank you well.
You know also you you you finished a milestone and

(02:53):
you're the show that you're working on Tesme Street. You
finally finished. I guess season fifty. I assume we finished
just last week's season fifty three. I think fifty three,
season fifty three. Um. Also, wait, this is what I
do want to know, um, because I'm not an active
watcher of Sesame Street now that um fifty one years old,

(03:15):
as as I was when I was a kid. But
the death of Mr Delgado ok Louise on Sesame Street,
he was he still an active character on the show
even or did he leave beforehand? He he left but
came back a little while ago. He was back and forth,
but he was like a definite presence. All of the

(03:35):
humans sort of humans, the humans, all of the actors
on that show sort of are always sort of omnipresident.
I played Bob and like Maria, Bob and Susan and Gordon,
like there's still occasionally come back on the show to
do stuff. Yeah, like most recently they around for season
We had a big reunion for season fifty a couple
of years ago, and they were definitely there for that.

(03:56):
And I saw him at that and he's a fantastic
like Amelia, like played the guitar really well and saying
really well, and it was just a consummate musician and
a wonderful human being. It's really sad, but yeah, when
you put when you put me on the float, I
think I got to meet some of them and that
was really cool. You make it seem like I physically
placed you upon the Thanksgiving Dave Float, and I will
take full credit for that. Well, I'm you know, I'm

(04:16):
trying to give you props, Bill because I don't want
people to think that you're just like the Flavor Flav sidekick.
Like you you're you're a major staple in the circle.
Man you are you know, you're writing brought hit Broadway
shows and producing my platinum albums. And just for the record,
I'd be happy to be a Flavor Flav sidekick. I'm
totally fine with that. But that's very nice. I'm throwing

(04:40):
some of these back to you Okay, even though you're
upgrading your computer right now, you're doing this on your telephone.
I'm really good. Thanks for asking. I actually want a
Schmucky award last night, and I'm thinking about buying my
own paper airplane. Okay, it's do step on my punch

(05:01):
lines in front. Darrel Hall, you know you heard me anyway,
Tigolo good, I'm good, brother, I'm good, man, I'm good.
Congratulations to you man. I was happy to see that,
straight up. I appreciate that. Yeah, now we can finally
get to business. First of all, Uh, sir Daryl Hall,
are you in the world famous Darrel's House right now?

(05:23):
I'm in I'm in my studio house. So this is
different than the Darrel's house that I've seen on television. Yeah,
it's a different house and all that is ballersh it.
I like this. I like where this is going on already,
if you if you guys can see what we see
right now, like maybe besides Will Smith, I've not seen

(05:47):
a person be so imaginative with their surround Yes, this
is this is this is man. What need to imaginative?
So so as I so, as I said on on
the top of the show, Um, we we talked to

(06:09):
your your partner for over five I don't know, maybe
six decades, um John Oates about his experienced musical experiences
in his life. And and now's your turn, because you know,
although you too share common ground, you too also have
done different endeavors, and so I kind of wanted to
make this more one on one instead of like the

(06:31):
the group project. So for you right now, like whehere
do you? Where do you call home? Where do you reside? Right?
I'm in Connecticut right here? I I you know, I
have a house in London too, so I kind of
go back and forth. Nice, We'll probably London, Uh in Kensington? Nice? Okay?
I used to live in Kimsas Town. Okay, all right, yeah,

(06:52):
Kennishtown in London? When when when did you? Uh? Copy
spot in London? When I've been I've been there since
the seventh forever. So you're a dual citizen, all right?
Sort of London? What made you choose to go over there?
I just I had an affinity for it, just from

(07:15):
the very beginning. It kind of it reminded me of Philadelphia.
It's so crazy play we are a little cleaner than that.
Well yeah, well parts sub parts no, no, no, But
you know, he has a point because the roots coming
from Philly, we had to choose somewhere in Europe to
live and it was definitely something like should we move

(07:36):
to Paris and we moved to Dunes and it was
something about London that called us and so there's something
familiar about it, you know very much. So so thus, okay,
well that that's that's cool to hear, Like are you
in a city part of London or is it more
like a quiet place or like what because I know

(07:59):
oftentimes artists will have their city residents and then they'll
have a spot that you know, is more quieter. I mean,
I understand that now. Like I never thought I'd be
a person that would get a farm, but I just
got a farm because I actually felt I'm more creative
when I'm isolated and then silent. So for you, is

(08:21):
having a dual housing situation more about like getting a
spot that's quiet and then a part that's immersed in
the city or just or just to have a city
in Europe just in case you just want to Well,
it's it's actually kind of the same thing. You know,
I live out in the country here when I'm in
America and then my city house is is in London,

(08:41):
and I mean I have a it's like it's you know,
row house, townhouse. Say yeah, So is it important as
a creative for you to have a spot that's that's
quiet and more isolated and allows you to be creative
or like again, as as a newbie person that just
purchased his spot, I mean, I did it because the

(09:03):
pressure of the pandemic forced me to do it. But
you know, otherwise, I've never understood artists that were like, yo, man,
I need the country life is important, Like, I mean,
I get the importance of silence now. But obviously you
got this house that you're now way before the pandemic.
So what was the attraction of Like, you know, I'm
thinking like rock stars wouldn't want to be so isolated

(09:26):
outside of the chaos and the hustle and bustle of
what the industry was. So what was your decision to
get a country spot. I don't know, man, I've I've
always sort of had one foot in the country. I
the city I grew up I grew up. I didn't
grow up in Philadelphia. I grew up in Potstown, you know,
out in Chester county and uh like, I said that

(09:49):
really adjacent. But what I Hey, I'm an old guy.
You know, it was. It was in those days. It
was and uh you know I grew up in the
colonial how so all that kind of stuff, you know,
I mean it was I always I grew up in
that world. You know. My family were farmers and you know,
and uh so I grew up that way. But I

(10:10):
was also part of the city. It's always been. It's
always been kind of schizophrenic with me. It's a city
in the country together, and uh, I sort of need
both of them. I need one to balance out the
other side. Do you do you remember what your very
first musical memory was probably seeing my what my mother

(10:30):
and father both were musicians. I've seeing my mother in
a band. I mean, my mother was in It was
in a band and in Posttown, and I was like, yeah,
from the age of two years old, I'd watched the
band and I always wanted to be the band leader,
you know, the guy that had he had like a
white coat on. Everybody else had red coats on. He
had a white coat on. So yeah, I was I
wanted to be that guy. What does Daryl Hall's mom's

(10:52):
voice found like what is her singing voice? She was
a soprano. She's ninety eight years old now and yeah,
up man, she's still sicks, but yeah, she she's an
amazing singer, amazing soprano. And my father was in a
gospel group it would be vocal group. And so I
learned harmonies from from him and and his brothers and

(11:13):
his friends and all that. So you know, I grew
up in that the whole that whole world where they
closer to doo wop or more Mills brothers or like harmony,
like what was their church harmony? You know, like gospel harmony. Okay,
but when you say quartet, right, I'm thinking of I'm

(11:36):
thinking of below you know, right, Okay, what's your sibling situation?
How many are you? How many brothers and sisters do you?
I have once? I have a sister, one sister. She
lives up here in Connecticut too, and uh, she musically
inclined as well, she is. But she's an artist. She

(11:58):
does all my visuals, you know, she does really from
my album covers to my T shirts to everything. Yeah,
how long has she's been collabbing with you? Well, as
long as we've been alive. So even in the days
have like she was like she was. She was the
visual artist and I was the singer. You know, we
both do both things. But that's how it's sort of

(12:20):
panned out even we were kids. And I know that
I've seen you as a keyboard player. I believe I've
seen your play guitar once or twice. But what was
your your first weapon of choice growing up as far
as the instrument that you Yeah, you know, yeah, when
I was like five years old, I started taking piano lessons,
but I was a singer before that. You know, my

(12:41):
mom taught me how to think of She was sort
of a vocal teacher too, and she probably had a
single from age zero, you know, I mean I was
always yeah. Well, I know that you have sort of
history in Philadelphia proper um, so can you tell me what,
like when you started gravitating towards metropolitan Philadelphia as opposed

(13:03):
to outside of Pottstown. At what time did you start
going to Philadelphia proper? Sort of when I was a teenager,
I would go I would go in because they used
to have trains in those days from Post Town, so
I used to go in and my friends were in there.
And and UH and I moved right out of high school.
I moved to to Philadelphia. Okay, so you're talking about
like the R five or the R three, like those

(13:24):
high speed trains that Septa. Yeah, there was like the
Reading Reading Railroad and all that stuff. Even even when
we asked John about the time that you guys put
in during those those years in the sixties in Philadelphia,
he said that you would have more intricate stories because

(13:45):
of your involvement with like Gamble and Huff and like
all those groups around. But could you could you basically
describe to me what the Philly environment was. I guess
you know your teen years was was in the sixties,
So you know, if you wanted to see your like
of the acts of the day that you saw, like

(14:06):
where where would you see them? And what acts would
you see in the day. I used to go to
the Uptown. I mean I I I lived in the
Uptown basically, and I would see everybody there and I
and I was I got involved right away with UH,
with Kenny and Leon. I actually did a talent show
at the Uptown with this with the group I had

(14:27):
the Temp Tones and and we won the talent show.
So I gotta, I got a deal and I went
to a Virtue studios and did a and and did
a record with with the Romeos with Kenny Gamble. What
year was this around seven seven? You must have been
a crazy extrovert, not very shy like you sound like

(14:50):
you were crazy confident from the jump because they're going
to Philly and just dive in and just talk to
the folks. You know what I have? I always had
confidence in the music area. I'm not a exactly I
wouldn't call myself an extrovert by any means, but you
get when you get into music, then yes, suddenly I
shott I you know, I do have confidence. And was

(15:12):
it unusual for you in the late sixties because I'm
assuming that you're you're kicking it with the brothers in
terms of like, you know, if you're at the you know,
having met like Danny and the Juniors and and the
Doe Veils and those other like Philly doo wop legends
that were kind of around my father's era. Like you know,

(15:32):
I'm not hearing them telling the stories about yeah, man,
we just always go to town whatever whatever. But for you,
was there not a novelty factor? But was it unusual
for people to see a white guy be so immersed
in soul in the mid to late sixties, It didn't

(15:52):
seem so unusual. Believe it or not, it was it
was it was a different time. Uh, I don't know, man,
I mean, were you talking about Dovell's They all went
to Overbrook. I mean those guys, they were, they were
in in it big time. Really, I'll be honest with you,
because like a lot of my education just comes from

(16:13):
like the revival shows that they were doing in the
seventies and eighties, like past the I don't know if
I have a visual of of of any of the
Philly legends in their prime, you know, late fifties, sixties,
because obviously I wasn't born then. Really well, okay, so
let might free to Lenny Barry were really close friends
of mine. And yeah, you were real man, I mean

(16:37):
they came, they came for the real thing. Well, I
gotta ask an eye witness. Have you ever seen my
dad before? That's one of the weirdest questions on this show.
One of the first records I've ever bought was your dad? Really? Wow? Yeah?
See again, I only I only know that dad. I
only know my dad from the second phase of his career,

(16:59):
because they really was a documentation of you know, of
of his career before then, So I can only go
on word of mouth of then I want to know. Yeah,
So okay, Like, can you tell me what a typical
lineup was in if you were going to to the
Uptown in Philadelphia, which for our listeners out there, you know,

(17:23):
there are a few there are a few houses for
black acts that were quote unquote upscale in the Chitland circuit.
If you're in New York, the Apollo is a highlight.
If you're in d C, the Howard, if you're in Chicago, Uh,
is it the State Theater? I believe, Yeah, Yeah, I
think it's the State. Yeah. And if you're in Philadelphia,

(17:45):
you're you're you're at the Uptown. Could you explain like
what a typical bill would look like, like is it
hosted by Georgie Woods? Is it you know, is it
an all day thing? Like do you go there twel
the afternoon you stayed till all the shows are over?
I used to do that occasionally. Yeah, I mean it
was it was whoever was popular at the time. You know,

(18:08):
it would be anybody for like Billy Stewart, Demand Lads
Too Well, Gladyslips and the Attempts obviously and everything in between.
I mean, it just depended who was you know, who
was touring at the time. You know, my generation. If
you go see Okay Run DMC, you're expecting an hour

(18:30):
show of just that act. But I mean, was there
ever an act that? I mean, I know that James
Brown was his own self contained unit, but even he
had a variety show. But was it just expected for
like an act to come out and do fifteen and
twenty minutes and then that's it and you're, yeah, that
was usually the way it was. People didn't do long,

(18:52):
long shows. It was it was usually some kind of review,
you know, uh, in a mixture of people. For sure.
I never knew this what review meant, thank you all.
I kind of knew that didn't meant it was a
time limit. When you say review refer into a show, yeah,
like you know, just from the days of like well,
I mean most people, yeah, or even like modern the

(19:15):
modern era of like where Mom Rainy, Yeah, Mom Rainy's
traveling circus and then that's sort of you know, morphed
into vaudeville, which then morphed into the review, which I
mean at the time, only Motown and James Brown really
had a strong enough presence to carry you know, other
people with them. Yeah, back in the day, it was

(19:36):
it was the radio guy, it was the Georgie Wood
would you know, the funk reflex of that period that
would throw these shows and whatnot. So were you ever
in a house band situation? Like usually if we talked
to New York guys and they say, like, you know,
I played, I was a backing band and the Apollo, Like,
were you ever in a house band situation having to

(19:58):
back these acts up with me? I didn't do it
at the at the Upbound. I did it at a
couple other places in the Philadelphia area. I would do
like I would play with the Statistics or somebody like that.
But I didn't do I didn't do a lot of
background play and no, I was no, no, okay. So
if you're playing with the stylistics, you know I'm Today

(20:19):
it's it's easier for acts too, because the Internet can
easily google something. I could easily easily reference something. But
in your day, how easy is it to pick up
someone's music or is this just a thing where like
you hear in the radio a few times and you
instantly know what the chords are, Like, do you get

(20:39):
enough prep time to I'm just trying to figure out
the mind state of a person that is. I mean
we used to do I I did. I worked at
Sigma and you know, I did a lot of recording
with people and and just read coord sharts. I mean
that was how you did it, all right, so your
court shart reading. Can you name some of the singles
that you played on and those like early I used

(21:02):
to I can't even remember. I used to work a
lot with Norman Harris. He was one of the guys,
the guitar player and m mfs B, you know whatever,
and uh, man, I can't you know, I I so
long ago, man, I I did I remember remember doing
a Clyde mcfader, you know, I mean, you know, like

(21:24):
that's fix in my mind. We did a lot of
stuff where we would do demos and and it wouldn't
even get anywhere. It was this guy George Tinley I
used to work with. Uh. I think I played I
think I played on a del Phonics record. Okay, was
it was it? It was? It a good living as
I mean for you, like in that time period, was

(21:45):
it was it for you? Like is it a good living?
Like okay, I'm I'm assessed musician or did you instantly
know No, it's it's in front of the microphone, like
that's where the real that's where I want to be. Yeah,
it was. It was I I wanted to be in
front of the microphone. I like doing it, and it
was it was an experience and I learned it and
I would be like, you know, I was never I

(22:05):
was like third string or whatever, you know, but I
was you know, I'm still in school and uh, you know,
I I did a lot of writing too, you know.
It was it was sort of a combination of studio
work and writing at the same time I worked. I
worked with this guy John Madera. We talk about Danny
and the Juniors. He wrote He wrote at the hop,

(22:27):
you know, and he really yeah. He was in the
Schubert building and and uh and then gambled huff like
a couple of floors down. Tommy Bell was in there,
so we all knew each other and hung out together.
And uh. So it was a combination of being to
being in the studio and writing at the same time. Um, well,

(22:48):
at the time period where Gamble and Huff sort of
or at least they dropped the anchor as the alpha's
in this in this Sound of Philadelphia thing way always
confused me because you know, I'm assuming that you know,
not having the aid of of liner notes when I'm

(23:09):
listening to uh, either their work or uh you know,
or the work of M. Dexter Wanz or any of
the other second string Philly International people. I'm assuming that
you know this is all under the guise of Gamble
and Huff, only later to find out that they were

(23:30):
just all using the same session musicians and had nothing
to do with each other. But sonically it all sounded
like the Sound of Philadelphia and Gamble and Huff. Did
you ever at one point like try to approach them
and say like, hey, I produced and I singer song
right like can I join the fray? Or was it
instantly like I want to establish my own thing and

(23:53):
not be under Yeah, that's what happened, actually is it?
Kenny actually said to me, would you like to him
to uh Philly Philly International and write and do whatever,
you know, a record? And and that was just when
I was getting ready to leave for to go to
move to New York with John, and I said, well,
you know, I was tempted, I gotta say, but I

(24:16):
figured that what we wanted to do what became the
whole of Oats sound or whatever it was. It was.
It was a Philly sound, but it wasn't the gamble
and huff sound, you know. And I wanted to do
my own thing, just what you said. I wanted to
to create my own version of of Philly music. And
so I turned that idea down. You know, John had

(24:41):
casually mentioned how you two had met, but I got
to hear the details. He he mentioned that I guess
a fight had broken out at a show, and that's
how you two met. But how you met? Yeah, and
he we've told that story so many times. I mean,
singly and and together. Uh, I mean this is not

(25:05):
her dad guarantee. There was a record hop out in
the Delphi Ballroom in West Philly and yeah, and that's
where it was. And and uh, I forgot who was
on the bill. I remember our tate was on the bill,
and and uh five stairs steps and and and then
they had you know, the bottom of the bill was
the Temp Tones and John's band and uh and uh

(25:29):
we you know, we were waiting to go on. We
were and and you know those days, ship happened and
and some kind of fight broke out and they and
they closed the whole thing down and it was up.
It was on the second floor, so we had to
get an elevator go downstairs to go to go to
the street. And that's how I met Johnny. He was
in the elevator with me, you know, and I said, hey,

(25:50):
when you go to Temple University blah blah blah, and
uh uh we we started kind of being friends, you know,
hanging out. What's your Where was your major at Temple Music? Okay?
Did they have o RTF program backman? Or was that? Like? Yeah,
you know, was r TF? I believe he was a

(26:12):
journal and he was a journalism RTF kind of major,
But I was a music major. First of all. How
many members were the Temptones? I know you guys were.
It was an Inemptations and influence, but it was a
revolving We called it Temptnes because of Temple University, not
because of Temptations. Oh see, Okay I thought it was

(26:32):
but yeah, that it was revolving, But it was basically
at the same time saying it before people. Yeah, I
get it. So what was the deciding factor that that
told you like, okay, well let me try this out,
you know, leaving it like it's the Temptones only thing.
It's like casual school stuff, casual Philadelphia stuff. And they

(26:55):
weren't serious about it, or were you more serious than
they were? Well, yeah, probably I probably was. But it
all just came out of street corn music. I mean
that's how it all started, you know, digging together, and
then we decided to call it something uh and it
was various people coming in and out and uh uh

(27:16):
and then we eventually we got we we got a
little rhythm section to back us up and and event
and John wound up being one of those people at
the very very end. And that's how sort of continued,
you know, the whole It kind of morphed into just
being John working together and writing songs like as as

(27:36):
a singer at least back then, like who who was
your north star? Who as far as like who you
idolized as a singer, and then I guess who were
you not emulating but who he felt like influenced your
your your vocal style. I mean I was trying and
you know, I mean Smokey loves and then I and

(27:59):
I loved all the things of the temptations. I was
really into all that stuff. But a lot of street
corner people you know, Uh, your father man, I love,
I loved him later, you know, Felipe Wind you know, yeah,
Spinners and these are the people that I idolized, and
I I will Yeah, I guess when I was a

(28:21):
kid emulate yes for sure. Well, I mean just in
terms of influence, that's all I was gonna say. Um
Castello mentioned um Mr Wynd also from the Spinners as
his is all time you know, vocal idol there. Yeah,
he's a monster. Darryl. Can I just ask what your

(28:41):
parents have are thinking on your journey, Like did they
expect you to just be an art I mean it's
a blessing that you had two parents there were artists,
But were they thinking that's what you were gonna go?
And we're they're happy about it. They always supported me,
always supported me. Uh, there was never any question about it.
And tell you the truth, Um, they wanted to make
sure I was gonna like do something that I would

(29:02):
make some money at right hopefully, But it was you know,
they always supported me, always, always, that's so dope. Mad
with John was the chemistry with you guys, honest, mostly
on the songwriting tip or was it a musical thing
or vocal vocal harmony kind of thing. It was sort
of songwriting more than anything. I was interested in what

(29:24):
he was doing because he was he was way out
of my realm of experience. You know. He liked bluegrass
music and all the stuff that I had never heard of,
you know, or heard I heard of, but I never heard,
and uh, I was sort of you know, I was
in my student mode, so I was learning about all
these things, and so I was really interested with what

(29:45):
he brought to the table that way. So it was
it was more of a friendship than anything else, tell
you the truth. I mean, we decided we were going
to share a stage but be very separate, which we've
never changed. You know, he has his own musical style.
I got my own one. We somehow hit it together
when we when we work together. But yeah, it was
more it really evolved from a friendship to to something

(30:09):
a little more than that. The original Alcast, original Mob. Yeah,
you both write music and you both wrote lyrics, and
it was how did that work. Occasionally we would work together.
That's how it worked, Like the song She's Gone. That's
that's I've called exceptions to the rule. If you want

(30:31):
the truth, John John writes his own kind of songs,
and and and I write mine, and occasionally we would
collaborate on lyrics, and I would throw things at him.
And I also collaborate with other people like the Allen
sisters Sarah Allen and her and her sister Janna wrote
a lot of songs with with me, and and I'm

(30:54):
would jump into that too. Sometimes, are you protective of
your work to the point where you're not easily persuaded
or persuadable when it comes to like, okay, if you
submit a song, is it you know? This is this?
Is it? Or is it? Hey? Why don't you try

(31:15):
this idea? No? No No, no, no, no, fix that around.
I mean I could see the producer doing that. I
mean in terms of like if Todd's producing or whatever.
But like with you and Daryl, like, are you too
allowed to offer unsolicited suggestions of a you know? Absolutely?
I the reason I love collaboration. I like bouncing off

(31:40):
ideas back and forth. Uh. John's participation in my songs
is more like what do you think of this? And
then he said, well, why don't you try that? Or
is it sing that? Or do that? But I would
generate the song or sometimes one of the likes Joan
Allen would bring a song in and I would do

(32:00):
that with her. O. You know, it works like that,
very flexible very you mentioned She's gone, but I don't
think we got to hear you when you broke down
the workflow of that song. We sat and wrote that.
He John come up with a chorus and it was
sort of a more folky kind of style, and I said, okay,

(32:21):
why don't we do it this way? And I started
playing that piano riff that is the signature of the song.
And then and I did all that and then we
sat down and we wrote lyrics about it. I mean,
that was a real whole note song. Uh we we
we sort of pulled our experiences that were there were
things that we're going on with both of us separately

(32:41):
at the time, and we kind of mixed it together
and turned it into the what what the lyrics are
that song? And then we took it to Atlantic when
when we played it for a reef, He's the one
that put those that crazy modulation idea into it. How
does the group pursue a record deal in the seventies? Um,

(33:03):
you know, now we're in a time where you can
go viral on YouTube. Someone sees it and chances are
they'll stalk you and see what your situation is and
signed to me. But how do you how do you
gain the attention of the industry? Like when you you
when you and John are like, all right, we're gonna
do this. What's the what's the step in the process

(33:23):
of getting a record deal? We we you know, we
knocked on doors in in in New York City and
everybody liked us, and then we get the word, well
they liked you, but they you know, they turned us down.
So we we want long story show. We we actually
went to l A and uh we we went out

(33:45):
there and we were knocking around. We were introduced to
some people and I was introduced or John and I
were introduced to this guy named Errol Mcerl McGrath who
had this tiny label. This there was an indie label
subsidiary of Atlantic. It was called Clean Clean Records, and
Earl wanted to sign us. He he liked what he

(34:07):
heard and he said, okay, I'll sign you and then
he he took it back to New York and we
auditioned for Ahmed and uh a Reef and I remember
I had the flu man. They gave me this piano
where the all the notes were sticking on it, and

(34:28):
it was it was. It was the worst audition in
the world. And whatever happened. A Reef really liked it,
Amen really liked it. So they basically stole it from Earle,
stole us from Earl, and we went up going to
Atlantic and that's how we did it. My dad mentioned, uh,
what what what we commonly say as a showcase. I
don't know. Shoitcases are common as common now as they

(34:50):
were back then. But when you're saying we auditioned, is
it a thing where you book a gig at the
bottom line or a club and they come see you.
Or are you in a confined s I R. Situation
or I know, like Atlantic has their own facility and
room like that, Like do you set up there and
then you just performed for tin suits in a room?

(35:13):
Is it is that process more jarring and weird like too? Yeah?
It was. It was. It was really like I said,
I all the all the conditions were the worst. We
were in this little room with this shifting patto, I
mean with with with the key sticks stuck and uh,

(35:33):
and we had and across from me on the other
side of the room was on that a Reef and Uh.
I don't think it might have been Jerry Wexler, I
can't remember, but they were watching this and it was
just being John and I'm playing playing like I can't
even remember what I played. And Uh, I thought it
went terribly, but I guess they saw something, you know,

(35:55):
they saw it through it all and that's how it was.
It was really personal. Addition, he talk about like, you know,
Mr Martin is one of my idols because one of
my favorite groups ever was the Average White Band, So
haven't read his name on you know, on Average White

(36:16):
Band and Wretha Franklin and Donnie Hathaway. Can you talk
about working with a Reef Martin as far as his
production style and what is it like for you? He
was he was the greatest producer man. I mean, in
my opinion, a Reef and Quincy are the two great
producers of all of the of the era. And he

(36:37):
allowed a Reef allowed the artist to do he was
so flexible. I can't even describe it. It was he
he allowed you to shine. He he had this uncanny
ability to figure out what it is that you were
good at doing, and where where where the spark was,
and developing that spark. And he could add all kinds

(36:58):
of He had no boundary is at all. He would
mix genres, he he would mixed eras everything all at
once together whatever you whatever the song needed or he
thought it would would need, he would just add it.
And he had an incredible, like an encyclopedic knowledge of

(37:22):
of every kind of music. And it was it was
a really amazing And he was such a a gentle
guy but yet he knew he knew how to drive
the bus, and he he was an amazing producer as
he did. That's all I can say about it. Was
he uh hands on in terms of soup, the nuts

(37:42):
um as far as far as picking the songs, picking
the the mixer, staying there for the mix, Yeah, sequencing
your album, suggesting singles. Like when he takes on a project,
is he literally watching every iota of it or is
it like okay, guys, I won't be here next week.

(38:03):
But that like Jerry's gonna sit in for me. I
gotta work with a reth for this thing. And or
is it like once he's on your project, it's just
you and you alone, or are you scheduled in between
other stuff? No, he was. He would do it one
at a time. And you mentioned average White band, who
who are good friends of mine? Uh? He went directly.

(38:24):
He went directly from Carly Simon to Hall of Notes
to average White Band. That was the three three things
that a row he did okay that period of time,
but he would devote whatever it was to each one.
He didn't mix and match um because I was wondering
if he if he loses his ears, like if he's
working with you on Thursday and then he has to,

(38:46):
you know, start doing pick up the pieces tomorrow, Like
is it possible for him to lose his ears or
well a little bit. I don't think it was because
he had the ability to do that, he would just
switch projects. Uh, but he didn't. He you mentioned before
he he didn't have something to do with picking singles
or he would say and art he would I'd sit

(39:08):
there and play songs for him, and he said, well
this is a good one. Okay, let's let's work on
this and he would do that. But and then it
developed the song from beginning to end. But once the
song was done, then that that was that it was over.
You know, he didn't he had nothing to do with like,
this is a good single and that was for other people,
which is the way it should have been, to tell

(39:29):
you the truth. So a song like She's Gone, which
is full of drama. Yeah, and of course once he
gets to the payoff key of that modulation bill, you
gotta sell that she's God Like, how how is he
is he nurturing as a producer in terms like that
or is it like do it again? Do it again?

(39:49):
Do it again? Like now he that that particular one
that was just what can I say? That was just
inspiration for me. I just did that. I just opened
my mouth and that's okay. I can't even don't know
what any more about. But and he lets you, and
he lets you suggest things and let it happen. He

(40:10):
let it happen. He went and the heap went. That
was really good. You know. He afterwards he was saying, yeah,
that was the ship. He didn't he didn't even say
even think about saying, can you do that again? He
just you know, it was it was there, it was
I know the story she's going is that, you know,
not many people know that the Tavars brothers from Boston,

(40:32):
um actually took that song to the top ten before
you guys did, even though your version is and now
in our minds, the definitive version. But were you kind
of confused or perplexed that your first hit single was
actually a cover song of your song? Yeah, it was
a weird thing, all right, it was. I was boy,

(40:54):
you know, it's a long time ago. But our enthusiasm
right over over rode our frustration, if you know what
I mean. But what is it like seeing your girlfriend
with another guy? Or is it just like, hey, I'm
in the top ten and I wrote this song so here, Yeah,
you know, I just I can't say I was piste

(41:16):
off because I just felt that was the way of
the world at the time, and I didn't have any
expect I didn't have any expectations whatever happened. I just
I rode the horse with whatever direction was going in
and uh, if Tavares has a hit with it, okay,
well I wish it was me, but it was them.
So that's all I could say, you know, What was

(41:41):
the decision behind working with with Todd on the War
Baby's record and not staying with a Reef to see
if you guys can go further with it. I just
I felt that I wanted to do something completely different.
I don't know what my mind my mindset was in
those days. I moved to New York City. Uh, I
wanted to sort of like expand my musical world outside

(42:04):
of the my sort of my Philadelphia, you know, that
the Philly sound thing, and I wanted to go completely different.
I don't know why I did, but I did. And
I thought that maybe working with Todd would be a
good thing because he did the same thing. He's a
Philly guy that left in New York and created his

(42:25):
own musical world. And I thought that it would it
would be interesting to see what would happen if if
we if he would get together with us, and what
would come out of it, and that that was really
what it was all about. And were you and a
mins fan of his early records and or the albums
that he was doing at the time. Yeah, I liked
what he was doing. I really liked what he was

(42:46):
doing at the time with Utopia. It was it was
really Okay. Well, having having discovered his discography twenty years
after the fact, you know, I discovered him once, it's
already established that this guy is like a crazy genius.
But at the time when it's coming out, you know,
was it unusual? Because I mean, Todd, Todd's the whole

(43:07):
cannon is really it was forward thinking for the time
period because he's like one of the examples of what
we now call the bedroom musician. Of course we're used
to it now post prints and now anyone practically today
is a bedroom musician, But that was like really unusual
back then. And he will push the buttons, create creatively

(43:29):
on all of his records. Was he ever trying to
passes any ideas onto you guys, like, you know, to
really push the edge of of of art as far
as it can go? Well, I was. I was into
that headspace, so he didn't have to push me, uh,
I was. I was right there with him. I said,
how far can we go? That was the whole idea?

(43:53):
And how how receptive was Atlantic to this at the time?
Not that receptive? Receptive? Okay, I get it, I get it. Um,
Can you talk about Sarah Smile and just the inspiration
behind it. It's one of your most loved songs. You know,

(44:15):
Sarah Allen, me and John were sharing an apartment, a
two bed department in New Yorkville, And uh, I had
I had a I had a keyboard, and I just
played the song. You know, I was writing the song.
It just came out of real life. I mean, I
I can't say more than that. I just wrote the
song about what was going on around me. I mean,

(44:36):
was he receptive in these flowers that you I'm now mocking? Uh?
Paid Bill? Was he receptive or was it like cringe
e like man, like, now you're gonna immortalize me for
the rest of the Like what was there feeling towards
this song? And actually, can you how did you guys meet?

(44:56):
We met at Philadelphia. John met her and and introduced
me to her, and uh we all we all sort
of uh. She she worked for a charter airline and
that's why those Vegas turnaround came from. And uh uh
and we all decided to move to New York at
the same time. It was could she sing? She could sing?

(45:20):
She's not great, she could sing, and she she's actually
a really good songwriter. Wow. Yeah, Intel spect since we know,
since you didn't know it was gonna be such a
hit song. Would you have changed the name if you
would have known you'd be singing the song so often? Oh,
I don't know, you know. After saying that and I
split up, man, she said she couldn't go to the

(45:41):
supermarket for that too. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. How
christ if like, I've never sing that song again? If
you guys break up and you know, yeah, but you
know that song, that song transcends relationships and all that.
It's a you know, it's it's a bigger than that,
you know, and every Sarah in the world think it's

(46:02):
just about her. So it's great, that's true. So the
time period between uh, the I'm about to say the
silver cover, the Daryl Hall and John Notates uh self
title record with Yeah, between that and you know, between

(46:26):
I think Faces, you know, there was kind of a
period or not faces voices forgive me, um and eighty
that that five year period where you know, you guys
weren't exactly uh sticking in terms of of finding an
audience that's recepted to you. Just between that period, what

(46:49):
was it like between seventy and eighty, Um, well we
had rich Girl first of all. Yeah, I mean yeah,
but but it was you know, in music, it was
a transitional time. There was this that weird ship going on,
you know, rock versus disco and all that, and man,
that that put that put that put us in a

(47:11):
really strange place because you know, it was a time
of categorization and and and what's cool and what's not
cool and all this stuff, and uh, it was a
hard it was a hard hard to figure out how
to how to maneuver through all that. It was. It

(47:32):
was a really strange time and it seemed like in
nineteen it turned around and something else happened. Also we
started producing ourselves and that changed. I don't know, I
think the world changed and we changed. So, having uh
spoken with our previous QLs guests, Denise Williams about her experiences, UM,

(47:55):
I know that David Foster produced the Along, the red
Ledge record and the Static record. What what was it about?
What was it one? What was it like working with
David Foster? And you know, I'm trying to It's weird
because whenever David Foster enters the picture for any artist,

(48:18):
at least between the period of like the late seventies
to the mid eighties. It's rather controversial. But you know,
as far as his work with Earthwin and Fire Denise
Williams Chicago, Like when whenever there's a documentary, it's always
like and then David Foster came in, it's like that,

(48:39):
and he always drastically changes the sound. So one, why
did you guys choose David Foster? And you know what
was that experience like working with them? Well, actually Tommy
Mottola shows him so uh, okay, well literally ask you,
well at the time, I mean he wasn't the time Atola.
I grew up knowing like the established CBS, you know, executive.

(49:03):
How did you guys discover time? He told him. I've
known Tommy since he was twenty years old. He uh,
he was working at chap with music. He was our
first manager. We were a trio. It was Mattola, me
and John and and and and and that's I mean,
he was our manager. You can't imagine Tommy Matola is

(49:24):
a teenager. He was pretty much the same, just younger.
And how is enough to be your manager as a team, Like,
how did you see that in a teenager? Where did
he show you? Yeah, he's one of those people just
acts like a manager even if he's yea, so we
when did he? Was he managing guys from the beginning,
the very beginning. Yeah, we were his first project or

(49:47):
whatever you want to call it. We were a team.
It was it was me, uh, Johnny and Tommy, and
it was that way all the way up till he
discovered Mariah Man and then he don't be wow sound
bite for Yeah, it's okay. Everybody's always talking about Hall
on notes albums and rightfully so. But you also released

(50:09):
solo records, and in seventy seven you worked with Robert
Fripp on Sacred Songs. So can you tell us what
was the impetus for releasing a solo product nicked that
in that year? And and what was the story it
took like three years for to come out. Yeah. Yeah, Well,
one of the reasons we're talking right now is because

(50:30):
I have a whole project that I'm releasing all my
solo records. Uh, you know, I've done all. I have
a whole like parallel universe of music that I've I've
been doing since the seventies. Um. But to talk about Robert,
Robert and I became friends and we just decided we
were going to try and see what would happen if
we put we worked together, and we did that album.

(50:54):
Uh in seventy who was at seventy eight, seventy seven. Uh,
immediately right up against the machine that was trying was
unrecepted to the idea that I was not doing Um
rich girl Jr. You know, and you're doing something different
and and they didn't want to hear about it. And

(51:16):
that's that's been sort of a recurring theme with when
whenever I do my projects, it always sort of takes
the back seat to the cash cow and uh, very frustrating.
And Uh, have you ever wanted to keep a song
for yourself or is it are you basically just saying that, Well,
I write for projects. I write for projects. Difference to me,

(51:39):
it depends on who we're working with. Um. Um, So,
I don't think I ever said I'm going to hold
this song for a solo record, or hold this song
for a haul on notes record or anything like that.
Just yeah, I work for projects. You know. One of
the very first sounds of a drummer scene that I've
ever heard was I mean at the time that I
was of it, was I can't go for that, um

(52:03):
as far as like technology is concerned and all those
things like for you, he just explain how, you know,
how intricate or how involved you were with like finding
new sounds and whatnot. I don't know if it's like
you purposely I wanted to find a new sound, but
you know, I can't go through that. It was such
a radical sound that what was uh kind of the

(52:30):
standard for what was sonically the standard for for music.
He just explained that process I means, so stripped down
but so timeless at the same time. Yeah, it's a
it's a funny thing. It happened by accident. There was
no plan. I I sat down and I turned on

(52:50):
a roll in copy Rhythm, which is the simplest drum
machine that you could ever imagine, and it was and
I pushed rock and Roll one, which is that beat,
and I started playing. I had this core go organ
and I started playing the baseline to it, and then
I started playing the right hand to it, and that's

(53:12):
where the song came from. I mean, it all just
happened spontaneously and there was no no plan to I
was just using what was in front of me. It
was really like that you mentioned Quincy Jones earlier, having
worked with both of them. Um, can you are there
any stories or experiences from that? How surreal was that

(53:34):
night doing USA for Africa? Well, um, I know that
you were part of the We Are the World recording.
It was. It was one of the weirdest things that
I've ever done in my life. Talk about it, well, first,
first of all, I mean, I'm the whole idea is
that you you're not allowed to You're not allowed to

(53:56):
bring anybody in with you into the room. So that's
it's a big change for most people, you know, because
everybody's got their people that they walk around with and
they hang with, and they they they depend on and
do whatever. And no one was allowed in the room
except for the actual artists that were performing and working.
So we were all in there together and I didn't

(54:17):
know everybody. I mean, it was it was an outrageous
group assemblage of people. I mean it was like Ray
Charleston at the piano, and Diana was there, and Tina
Turner and I'm Dead at Dad Day, on and on
and on, and it was nobody knew how to act
because it was awkward. It was awkward, so everybody reverted

(54:39):
to being like an eighth grade chorus because we're all
all standing on on those you know that. And that's
how people started acting. They started to like kids, and
everybody's like making these weird kind of like kid jokes
and stuff, and everybody asking each other for their autographs
and all this kind of thing and really being really open.

(55:04):
I've never seen a group of artists be snow open
with each other as as they as that we all
were that night. And it went on too, It went
on well into the night. You know, some some people
were still there at like four o'clock in the morning,
and uh, it was it was crazy. It was really
it was a crazy experience. And in cutting those vocals,

(55:27):
is it intimidating? Like doing it in front of other artists?
Are you the kind of guy that needs to be
isolated and room alone to to give your best performance?
Like what's your modus operandi? What do you prefer? Actually?
I like doing it in front of people. It works,
It works for me. I that pressure is good for you. Yeah,
that's yeah, Yeah, it makes me do my best work.

(55:49):
I just opened my mouth and said that little bit
that I did. I just signed it. That was it,
you know, in one take, but some people had to
redo their stuff. But it was differ, you know, I
get it. Um. I would also like to ask you
about the the Apollo record with Eddie and UH and
David Um. Well, okay, you told me that Temptones were

(56:14):
more based on Temple. I always wear from the Temptations,
but could you describe your fandom for the Temptations, like
and how was that a special moment or was it
just like, okay, that was cool and no, no, no,
it was it was It was one of these special moments.
I mean, you're you're hitting on all the things that
actually matter. Yeah. Yeah, with the the Temptoes were Temple University.

(56:36):
But I idolized the Temptations and I and I got
to know them back in those days. There's a picture
of me with those guys back then in nine and
I really did get to know them all and and
hung out with him, sang with them, did all that
kind of stuff I was especially friends with with with
Paul Williams and Eddie. You Paul Williams, Oh god, please,

(57:02):
can you okay, I've never heard of Paul Williams. Story
of my life? Can you just describe one time. I
took him to Linton's Diner out in West Philadelphia and
Overbrook Park, and and I was I was the celebrity
of the evening man because I put him into this
fucking diner. Oh yeah, everybody was like, you brought Paul

(57:26):
Williams because you know, everybody was a Temptations fan and
I brought him into the place. Man. I really like Paul.
I had a lot of heart to heart talks with
Paul Man and he used to listen to the records
and listen to my songs and stuff. I was just
about to ask you what did some of the guys
think of your voice and what you did? Like, what
did it temp to Temptations say about that? I actually

(57:49):
sometimes after hours, I'd go in one of their rooms
or whatever and they'd all sit around and sing and
David it was never there. David was never there. He
was always someone Yes, well I take David's parts and
I and they would say what I just want to
I just I feel like I want to know about
the like the first time they heard your voice, and

(58:10):
there's like, well, I guess they saw what it or
heard what they heard, you know. I mean, that's all
I can say yeah. In fact, they let you come
in the room that says that one of the double beds,
you know, and ship Damn. Wow, that's okay. So I

(58:32):
mean for me, that's like to make an album with
my idol. You know, that's that that is special. I'm
glad that was a good experience for you. Um any
memories of the Three Hearts, uh and a happy ending
Machine record. I know that by that point, even though
you two will have made like one or your your final,

(58:55):
at least of that hall of notes run the one
for Arista in making that good and working with with
with David H. Stewart and um, oh my god, I
didn't even mention t Bone your bass player and and
your musicians. What what was that h for you? What
was that process? Like? Well, Dave and I again we

(59:19):
I tend to work with people that I get friendly
with first DA Dave and I got friendly and we
started writing songs together right away. I mean we're still
really close friends. And uh, it was it was very natural.
You know, he had his own studio in London and
actually we started it in Paris because he just wanted
to do something different and we went up uh doing

(59:41):
a good part of that Embaris, but t Bone was
sort of the in the middle of it all. He
was the voice of reason because David David is very
uh he and I are very similar. You know, we
just go for it, you know, and it's all over
the place and and and we it's it's very loose
and spontaneous, and T Bone was sort of holding down

(01:00:02):
the ford and he was the you know, the the
voice of reason within at all. And so that's what
it was like, it was it was it was a
lot of fun making that record. How did you guys
induct him? You know, even before like we got to
know musicians and whatnot, you guys had like a really
charismatic band. So you know, I knew of of t Bone,

(01:00:27):
I knew of your guitarists. Um, it was like, how
did how did you guys assemble that particular band? Were
they just like New York's Finest and do you know party?
Let me let me think, uh g was worked with
Dan Hartman. And now don't ask me how that instant

(01:00:54):
replayed Dan Hartman. Okay, yeah, yeah, that that Dan Harmon
and and then and Dan wasn't working so somehow g Man,
I can't remember somehow he got introduced to me and
I said, do you want to join the band? And
and I brought him in and uh, who else was playing?
Uh Jerry MORODDI yeah, Jerey MORODDI was it was playing

(01:01:17):
drums with us. So it kind of happened gradually. And
then and then we were looking for a bass player
and and uh we the guy that we were usually
couldn't do it anymore. I was at John Siegler. He
went back to Todd or something because he was working
with Todd, and uh and t Bone auditioned and and yeah,

(01:01:37):
there he is. Man. I said, well, this guy's a monster.
And so I forgot to mention on on on John's episode.
But um, well I mentioned that when you guys were
coming on the tonight show and unfortunately you had to
cancel because T Bone had passed away two days before.
Um I for got to also mentioned, at least for

(01:01:58):
our fans that um, that's t Boom, that's the bass
player on Curtis blows the brakes m So you know,
the legendary legendary cat did that before he before he
joined us. That was that was his first thing he did.
He did. Really Yeah, oh ship that I did not

(01:02:22):
know after the initial implosion of of Hall of Notes,
Like how how hard was it to come to that
decision after the oh year record and you guys go
in your separate ways to do your solo endeavors, Like
did you know that at least that initial run of

(01:02:45):
Hall of Notes from seventy to that you had enough
at that point? Like it only looks that way when
you look back on it. I mean when we were
in it, we just said, Okay, we're gonna do this,
We're gonna do that. We never really stopped making records.
We made records through the nineties. Uh, well, I know
you did it, but it's always built as like a

(01:03:06):
comeback record or like a reunion album, which is a
lot of people's perceptions than ours. Uh. But we sort
of morphed into just this, uh, into a touring band,
and that's that's really what we are now. You know,
we were a performance band. We don't we don't really
you know, we have this outrageous body of work that
we can that we can draw from, and uh, and

(01:03:29):
that's that's really where we come together at this point.
And that's sort of it just turned into that and
we decided to be more individuals, which is what I
think tends to happen as as you go on in life,
you want to become more yourself and it's part of
maturity or whatever and knowing yourself. And uh, that's what

(01:03:51):
that's that's where we're at right now. You know. Yeah,
I'm still good friends and still like work, but just
not recording. We just if I want to make a record,
I'd rather make a record with me, And he feels
the same way, you know, we do. I get it,
I completely get it. Fronte is kind of the situation

(01:04:12):
you are here in a whole different way. Like it's
it's like that, it's interesting I'm thinking about I'm looking
at Fonte and his group situation. I'm looking to think
about you and Black Thought and existing separately in your projects.
It's kind of interesting. But but the thing is is
that the roots, like for me, like Terek and I
have have an agreement that we can go and scratch
our back like we're we're in a polyamorous relationship. So

(01:04:35):
if I need to get my back scratched elsewhere, I
know that at the end of the day, I'm gonna
come home and you know, sort of come back to
home base eventually like check in, Hey, okay, da da.
But you know, I guess for a lot of times,
there's this thing where it's like, if you're in a
group situation that you have to throw the baby out

(01:04:58):
with the bath water, and then and there's always the
thing where you miss it in eight years you're like,
all right, let's rebuild the house again. You know, I
just always wondered when you start realizing why you left
the house to begin with, it's like, no, should stay
gonna ask in in a and you know, I understand

(01:05:19):
this might be a personal question, but in in a
situation where you I'm certain that you can't be partners
with someone for that long of a time without it
being arguments or whatever, or at least with a due
it's kind of different when it's in a group dynamic.
But do you too, at least have your version of
not going to bed angry, you know, or make sure

(01:05:44):
that you're claire. What does conflict resolution look like for you? Guys?
We don't really fight. It's a funny thing again, you know,
we've known each other since we're kids. I think we sublimated.
I think there's a lot of you know, uh, maybe maybe, uh,
maybe there's resentment and and and shipped under the surface

(01:06:05):
that doesn't come out. But we don't. We don't. We
never fight. That's the best way I could put it.
We just don't fight. We we either let it go
or or bury it. I see, I have a question
about your your your your Philly home, your your house
on Quinn Street, the one and Philly that still remains. Um.

(01:06:28):
You know why why was that you know, a perfect
creative on clay for you and John? It was the time,
it was There's something about that period of time I
got that place. I was I was married to this
girl at the time, and uh, I was right out
of school, right out of school, and it was just

(01:06:50):
Philly was it was really a good time to be
in Philadelphia right then. It was great music and just
a great, great atmosphere, and and that house was great.
Was the hole of its birthplace? Really right? Okay, that's
all I can say about I love that house. I
renovated it. Actually. Yeah. For a whole new generation of fans,
a lot of them had their discovery of you via

(01:07:14):
your legendary show life from Darrel's House, which you know,
what was the sort of what was the genesis of
the idea of that of you inviting guests over to
jam and whatnot, and that was the O G tiny
dis is it streaming or what because it's not right

(01:07:35):
now and I'm waiting to restart it again. I'm I'm
waiting for my invitation. Anyway. I think I actually did
give you an invitation. And if we weren't, yes, you're right,
I forgot, Yes we were. I forgot were in my

(01:07:56):
own face. Sorry, in some form for sure. But Darryl's
House is is operational year round? Right? Well that you
mean the club Darrel's House. Yeah, yeah, that's that's it
in Appauling, New York. Yeah right. My my sister lives
in Westport and and uh yeah, she wants her on

(01:08:17):
table there. She's there every show. Yeah. I love having
a club. I love clubs. But seriously, Daryl, can you
see old episodes anywhere? I was literally literally just thinking
about that today because it was on an interest in
network in the first place. Well, can you see the episodes?
Can you see the old episodes? Yeah? Can you see
the old archival? Uh? Son, not all of them? Not.

(01:08:42):
My plan is to make them all available. Okay, okay, cool,
let's get that deal. Yes, yes, yes, yes. What were
the two years of lockdown and quarantine like for you?
Were you able to go into other forays of creativity
in terms of like, no, I went into hibern nation.

(01:09:03):
I U the studio house is where I lived, and
and I didn't I stopped making music. I didn't do
anything because I had this feeling that when this whole
thing blew over, that it was all going to be different.
And I knew it was gonna be different from me
and a lot of reevaluation, and uh, just I've been

(01:09:24):
traveling my whole life, you know, I've been on the
road my whole life. And to be in one place
in lockdown, I just I just sort of embraced it.
That's the best way I could put it. I just said,
open here, I am. I'm not seeing anybody with my
sister who lives up the road, and and uh and
that's really what I did for all that time. And

(01:09:45):
this was the longest that you've ever taken a break
from not do have music now since I was a teenager, Yeah,
for sure. And when I realized that it was we
were coming out of it, I said, Okay, now, what
am I gonna do. It's it's reevaluation. I think a
lot of people are thinking that way. But the way
I'm looking at my my life, my career, my creativity, everything,

(01:10:08):
And that's why I'm putting out this body of work
album to start it. It's sort of the it's a
new era to me and whatever I wanted to do
I'm doing now. I'm not holding it back. I'm not
letting circumstances um dictate anything. I'm just I'm just I
use this term before, but I'm gonna just ride the
horse direction it's going in. I know that another area

(01:10:30):
creativity for you is like restoring houses and whatnot. Is
that therapeutic for you? Yeah, it's it's therapeutic. It's it's
I love history. I love all that stuff. You can
tell by this room that I mean, but I uh,
it's it's sort of like naked music. It's it's antique
architecture is what it's all about with me, and restoring

(01:10:53):
old places and and and and bringing them back to
their their period, uh, what they were in their period
and uh. And I'm working with all these artisans and artists,
which is like working with musicians and getting teams together
and making making a project happen making making something out

(01:11:14):
of nothing, or it's it's uh, it's not unlike making
a record. It's the same thing. Is there an HDTV
show I don't know about, or TV show about restoring
an old house? You said you did? I did. I
did Sound of familiar Okay, restoration overhaul that sounds familiar.

(01:11:36):
You're before after project? Could you tell us like the
inspiration behind it and the creative process to create it? Well,
I wanted. I wanted to put together my alternative body
of work. Everybody knows my work with John with John,
but as many people know all these things that I've

(01:11:56):
been doing for all these years, and I wanted to
bring it out into the world, you know. And I
took excerpts from every album and included excerpts from the
Life from Darryl Sass Show and put them all together.
I didn't I didn't do them in chronological order. I had,
you know. I did him. I treated him the way
I would treat any kind of album, and just put

(01:12:18):
the songs together as I felt, as I felt the
flow would Uh. I just felt the flow. And that's
that's the best way I could put it. I just
showing the world that side of my music and the
people that I worked with and all these different projects
I've been doing for for many, many years. The ultimate
mixtape for you, like the ultimate retrospective of your your

(01:12:41):
favorite songs, your personal favorites from your from your solo catalog,
all the all the ones that are my father, the
ones I think are the great God, the best of
the best of the best. You know, and uh and
and and that's an introduction. It's a it's a reintroduction
to some people, but it's an introduction for a lot
of people. And then I'm going to continue on with
and start making original songs. I'm already working on new

(01:13:04):
songs with various people. There. There's a version. There's a
producer named Pomo. He did a version of I Can't
Go for That. Have you heard it? I think it's
on Spotify. Like that ship as hard as fun. It's like, uh,
Pomo he did like it's kind of like a house
kind of forward to the floor of version of I
Can't Go for That? Sen it every time. Yes, Yeah,

(01:13:24):
that ship is a jam. I think you are you
familiar with people dipping into your passing sort of re
reintroducing your music too. Because they I have to approve
number one. So uh yeah, I hear. I hear what
people are doing, and I I love it when people
mess around with my songs. I think it's great. Arre.

(01:13:44):
I always wanted to ask you, what do you think
after you you guys did your thing and of course
change the way Philly music is looked at. What do
you think about after you left and some of the
other Philadelphia artists that came after you. Have you noticed
anybody that that locked in your ear? I don't no anybody.
I'm trying to think. It's like the you know so

(01:14:06):
many airs it was the I mean I angles sat
the roots because you know so and so is here,
but as in you know, the music solo child, the
Jill Scott's, the legend Um John Legends, well College Billy. Yeah,
I mean they're all great, I mean carrying on the tradition. Then,
you know, before I go, I definitely want to ask

(01:14:26):
you about these tour dates, like for you, do you
like touring still or is it is the grass always
greener on the other side, Like for you at the
stage in your life when you see because you're you're
about to do like a three month or two to
three months run for your Soltle tour. Like for you,
is it like like getting up at like the idea

(01:14:50):
of lobby call and early stuff and sound check and
a routine is that you know? Is it still exciting
to you or is it just like I don't know, Well,
it's you know, when you're out there, you go, I go,
and you know, it's it becomes hurry up and wait.
It's you know, it's it's routine. It's constant, you know,

(01:15:11):
moving around doing all that. But when you're on stage,
a bird's gotta sing, you know. I mean it's it's
just feels like it's if you're having a good night,
your monitors are good and everything's everything's working. It's uh,
it's a spiritual experience that I know you're hitting Carnegie Hall.
Is this the first time that you're playing Carnegie Hall

(01:15:32):
as it wi? Act? First time I'm playing Cardig Hall
with anybody act? Yeah, that's what's up, man. I have
one final question from me, Darryl. And this is not
you've probably heard this before. It's not an original question, okay,
And and and it's not a joke. Um, A lot
of us out here still waiting for rock and Soul

(01:15:53):
Part two, you know, as promised by the calling the
original part one. So what's wrong with what's wrong with
UM releasing another edition of that apart two, with just
deeper cuts from from your immense catalog with John. I
think it's a good idea. Maybe I'll do it. I

(01:16:18):
have a question in closing UM, and I guess I
should have asked it earlier. I mean when people mention you,
of course, uh, you know, the term blue eyed sole
always gets tagged with you when you think of blue
eyed sole, at least if you're kind of my age,
the first thing you think of this hall of notes?
Did you did you guys mind this tag at the

(01:16:39):
time or was it? I think every artist sort of
roles that collectively rolls their eyes of whatever like is
pegged of them. But you know, when the term blue
eyed soul came up, like, I feel like you guys
were sort of the first out the gate to get
that that title, Like did you mind it or was it?
Like I hate that term? Well, the first duo that

(01:17:02):
ever got it was the Righteous Brothers. That's that I
did not know Righteous Brothers was that's where the term
that that that's whoever I don't know what journalists used it,
but that's that's where it all came from. I'm not
nuts about it. I don't. I don't. You know, I'm
a soul singer. I'm I have blue eyes, Oates, Scott

(01:17:23):
brown eyed, whatever you know, I I don't. I don't
like to. I don't like to break people break categories down,
especially those kind of categories. Do you feel the honor
in existing, thriving and being an example and so music?
In that way though, I'm I'm happy to be respected

(01:17:45):
in in, in in you know, in in a world
that I care about. Uh, And it's it's my baby food,
it's what I it's what I grew up with, it's
what it's what I it's it's the source of my
musical inspiration. So that's yeah. I mean, no matter what
the production or the arrangement or even the song is,

(01:18:06):
I'm still a soul slayer in my heart. And that's
that's that's that's that's where it generates from. Wow, we're hearing,
we'rearing that so much these days. Bonnie from Bonnie Rait
said that, and uh about about the blues, and John
said that, and Costello said that, that's just you know
if that's what you grow up on, that's what you are.
That's right, that's absolutely true. Well, hey, I just have

(01:18:32):
to say, you know you guys are I mean you
in general, like you're you're you're the sound check of
you know, my life as just as a music fan
and in general. And I'm really pleased and happy that
we did this episode. And I thank you very much
Darrel for for doing this with us and making us

(01:18:54):
a special episode. Daryl Hall, ladies and gentlemen, legendary Philadelphia
and uh you know, wait a minute, Wait a minute,
Wait a minute, wait a minute. One more question, please,
one more question, and I swear to God, I'll let
you go. I heard a rumor that you once stopped
a robbery from happening once on tour. Yeah, is this true? Yeah,

(01:19:17):
that's true. How I've heard the rumor of it, but
never I'll tell you the story. This is the encore,
and I promised it's over because nobody ever asked about that.
We the first time that me and John went to Australia,
right we were we were in Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, and

(01:19:39):
it was after a show and we went to this
restaurant and nobody was there except for it was after
hours and then when he was there, except these two
guys and their wives were sitting at a table next
to us and my bass player, his girlfriend John, and

(01:20:00):
our one of our minders. So was he just some
guy that was with and so we're sitting there and
suddenly this guy. We look up and there's a guy
standing out of the scheme, masking a shotgun. Shot he
was this this was the nineteen eighty one I'll say
something like that. Jesus Christ. This is private eyes time. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

(01:20:25):
So the guy he starts waving the gun around and
he and he says, you know, he's giving your money,
give me your money. And uh, I remember the bass play.
The bass players name was Kenny. He pulled out a
credit card and and and the credit card. Okay, We're

(01:20:46):
all sitting there and it's it's unreal situation. I mean,
anybody you ask anybody in a situation like that, it's
all very unreal. The guy at a scheme, mask at
a shotgun, right, and he goes over to the next table, uh,
which was right next to us, and he starts pointing
the gun at one of the women and says, give

(01:21:07):
me her, you know, give me your money out of
your purse, right, And he put put the gun down
just enough that one of the guys grabbed the barrel
of the gun and pulled it, and the other guy
jumped on him, and then John jumped up and jumped
on the guy, and then we all started jumping on
on this guy. And I tried to jump on him,

(01:21:29):
and the bass player's girlfriend grabbed me around the leg
and pulled me back. It says, saved me, saved save
So I couldn't do anything cause I'm fighting. She's like
a little puppy dog or whatever, and I'm trying to
fight her away. And grabbed this guy at the same time.
We we we basically broke the shotgun up, took the
took the shells out, and then then then okay, he

(01:21:49):
was disarmed, so then we held him. And by then
the maitre de or whatever it was, the guy that
was there had called the cops. The cops come charge
up the stairs because on the second floor and grabbed
the guy and uh basically threw him down the steps
and UH and then took him away. And apparently he

(01:22:12):
had robbed twenty five restaurants and he was called the
Rusty Gun Band. Rusty gun gentlemen. That sounds like you.
Robin I was like, this is three to America. Okay,
Daryl Hall, legendary crime stopp release gentlemen, that's how you

(01:22:37):
end the show. Pay Billy sig Steve Fontigolo, and I'm
quest love the legendary rock and roll Hall of Fame.
Got it? So, Darryl Hall, thank you very much on
the next go around. Thank you, Okay, thank you, m M.

(01:23:06):
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