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 privy to the conflict have told TMZ that the legal battle pertains to “the ground rules of who can sing what as a solo artist, along with money issues of course.”
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 following day by the presiding judge.
Oates performed a series of solo shows earlier this month, purportedly singing a number of his and Hall’s joint hits.
Concerts on Nov. 9 and 10 were postponed, per TMZ, but it remains unclear whether Hall had anything to do with that decision, given his suit was not filed until the following week.
Hall has taken credit for writing some of the duo’s biggest songs, including “Kiss on My List,” “Rich 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 year.
“You think 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 not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me.”
Hall then cited the duo’s 1980 No. 1 hit “Kiss on My List” as an 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 massive audience with the duo’s timeless hits.