JOHN OATES IS THE FALL 2025 NYU STEINHARDT-AMERICANA MUSIC FOUNDATION ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

Legendary singer-songwriter John Oates will be the NYU-Americana Music Foundation artist-in-residence for Fall 2025 at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. During his three-day residency, November 10-12, 2025, Oates will discuss his life in music, engage with students and faculty in the classroom, conduct a master class, and lead a collaborative performance with select students.

A joint effort of NYU Steinhardt and the Americana Music Foundation, the program aims to spotlight Americana music’s heritage, preserve its legacy, and ensure its future. Rosanne Cash inaugurated the residency in 2021-22, followed by bluesman Taj Mahal in 2022-23, Brandy Clark and Allison Russell in 2023-24, and Joe Henry and Rodney Crowell in 2024-2025.

“I am thrilled to welcome John Oates as our Fall 2025 NYU-Americana Music Foundation Artist-in-Residence. His many contributions to and understanding of the creation and culture of popular music will enrich our students’ education and celebrate Americana music’s rich heritage. We are so grateful for our partnership with the Americana Music Foundation, which allows us to bring such award-winning and highly accomplished artists to our community,” says Jack H. Knott, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

“John is a great songwriter and a great performer, with a body of work that stands out in every genre in which he engages,” added Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Foundation. “We’re honored to host a music creator of John’s status and stature,” commented Phil Galdston, Director of Songwriting. “The opportunity to hear and learn from a practitioner of the art and craft of his magnitude is one we’re very proud to offer our students.”

John Oates is co-founder of the iconic music creators Hall & Oates, as well as an accomplished solo artist. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, American Songwriters Hall of Fame, a recipient of the prestigious BMI Icon Award, multiple Grammy nominations, and numerous American Music and MTV awards.

Prior to his work with Daryl Hall, Oates’ music was focused on the roots of Americana and blues. In the late 1990s, he began to work in Nashville. His collaborations and friendships with the likes of Sam Bush, Jim Lauderdale, and Jerry Douglas helped him rekindle his early influences that have defined his solo career and have yielded nine solo albums: Phunk Shui, 1000 Miles of Life, Mississippi Mile, The Bluesville Sessions, Good Road To Follow, Arkansas, Live from Nashville with the Good Road Band, Reunion, and the most recent release, OATES. A joyous return to his R&B soul roots, OATES featuring eleven new original songs and collaborations with some of pop’s exciting young artists, including Lawrence and Devon Gilfillan. His 2017 autobiography, Change of Season, released by St. Martin’s Press, was an Amazon bestseller.

In 2021, John and his wife Aimee partnered with the streaming broadcast service NugsTV and co-producer Drive Entertainment Group to create a virtual celebration of stories and songs called—OATES SONG FEST 7908—inspired by a live series of shows that they created in 2010 at the historic Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, CO. OATES SONG FEST 7908 became a free streaming concert with all donations and proceeds going to feedingamericana.org. The broadcast featured an all-star roster of artists, all of whom have volunteered their songs and performances to help families without food across the nation, and as a result, over 450,000 meals were provided for American families.

In 2022, John became the international ambassador for “MOVEMBER,” the men’s health initiative, and released a new original song called “Pushing A Rock,” which has a theme of overcoming life’s challenges and struggles. More recently, Oates has been named Ambassador for the Roger Daltrey-led “Teen Cancer America.”