John Oates, half of legendary dup Hall & Oates and North Wales native, reflects on his Pennsylvania roots with Chris Epting of Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine.

Oates reflects fondly on his childhood in the Philadelphia suburbs. 

“I started out going to North Wales Elementary … I could walk to school, which I really enjoyed,” he said. “Then I started at Pennbrook Junior High School and eventually North Penn High School, where I played football and was cocaptain on the wrestling team. Going to high school at that time in the mid-1960s was really nice. It was like the last age of innocence before things started to turn with Vietnam and all the other tensions of the ’60s.”

His Pennsylvania roots shaped Oates’ musical journey, as he absorbed influences from the folk, blues, and R&B scenes of the 1960s. One show in particular stood out to him.

“In 1955 I attended my very first concert when my folks took us to the nearby Willow Grove amusement park, a circa-1890s midway between North Wales and Philadelphia … My life changed on a magical summer night when I saw Bill Haley and the Comets.”

While attending Temple University in Philadelphia, Oates met Daryl Hall, forming their iconic partnership. Hall & Oates went on to release 21 albums, earn six Billboard number-one singles, and be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, solidifying their legacy in music history.

Read more about John Oates and how his Montgomery County roots helped to shape his legendary career at Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine.