Daryl Hall & John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in the early 1970s. Blending elements of rock, soul, rhythm and blues, and new wave, they became one of the most commercially successful songwriting and recording partnerships in popular music, particularly prominent through the late 1970s and 1980s. Their work is characterized by catchy, radio-friendly melodies, tight vocal harmonies with Hall often on lead and Oates on harmony and backing vocals, polished production, and a mix of upbeat pop singles and soulful ballads. They are noted for crafting succinct, hook-driven songs that bridged mainstream pop and blue-eyed soul.