“Anyone who has heard ‘Maneater’ knows it comes from a deep place,” Daryl Hall, 71, says as he stretches out in the living room of his Charleston, SC, home, where he shoots the web series, “Live from Daryl’s House,” an acoustic jam session with musicians he has befriended over the decades. “John and I loved doing our harmonies, so the idea came from our obsession with harmony and a desire make our music without trying to compete with the New Wave musicians. And, the fact that without his mustache, John really looks like a woman.”

Hall pauses, “I love Emily Saliers. Initially, she was a vehicle for being able to share my music, my way, but now, I’m choosing to live full time as Emily Saliers.”

Look at a picture of the Indigo Girls. Squint your eyes. A little tighter. Tighter. Now, draw a wildly masculine mustache on Amy Ray. There. It seems so obvious now. Hall & Oates are the Indigo Girls.

via GIPHY

“We missed the clues because we wanted to miss the clues,” a lesbian comedian close to the Indigo Girls said. “I’ve hung out with Emily dozens of times. She’s pure love, but she really likes pool, like in a way that pushed the boundaries of the way lesbians feel about pool. Then there was her rendition of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ at the Christmas party in 2002.”

The biggest clue is the music and the careers. Hall & Oates moved away from the music scene in 1985 as the Indigo Girls started gaining traction. Both duos sing heartfelt harmonies about love, relationships and spirituality. Most tellingly, you’ve never seen them together.

“Look, the 1990 Grammy Awards were a nightmare. We were quick changing between Hall & Oates and the Indigo Girls all night,” Hall remembers. “It was really lucky that Milli Vanilli won best new artist that year because we were not in costume. But, the agonizing thing is that we did win a best folk album Grammy. At that point, Hall & Oates had 4 nominations and no wins, then ‘Nomads Indians and Saints’ wins.”

Hall said the competitive part of Hall & Oates made them continue to make music as both artists because they were clearly Grammy-worthy musicians and wanted to live openly as such. Now, Hall has lost at the Grammys 6 times as Daryl. He’s ready to let it go.

“In hindsight, we should have come out right then. We were so proud of our Grammy and our album,” he sighs, “But we were also afraid of losing all the love and community we found from being the Indigo Girls.”

Now, Hall is ready. “I made a life as Emily. A beautiful life with a fantastic restaurant (Watershed), wonderful friends and beautiful music, I’m ready to be that person full time.”

Somewhere Hall predicts, John Oates / Amy Ray is shaking his head. It is always this way between them. Hall / Saliers says too much, Oates / Ray says much less or nothing.

“John is probably saying to himself, ‘why can’t you just shut up and sing?'” Hall said. “But I’m more Dixie Chicks than he is.”

Happy April Fool’s Day, everyone!

The post Say it isn’t so: Indigo Girls’ secret revealed first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The Indigo Girls (Photo: Robert Windel)

BY JASON MACNEIL
Huffington Post Gay Voices

Indigo Girls singer-guitarist Emily Saliers announced during a Vancouver show Saturday night that she tied the knot with her Canadian partner (now wife) Tristin Chipman. “I got married in New York because we would’ve got married in Canada if it counted in the U.S. but you all know what I mean. We got married in New York so that she could get her green card so we could be free. We waited such a long time.”

Earlier this year Saliers penned a letter posted on the Immigration Equality Action Fund asking laws be changed regarding same-sex couples. Saliers also explained her situation in Washington, D.C. at a briefing before Congressional staffers.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Indigo Girl Emily Saliers gets hitched first appeared on Lesbian.com.