77-538: The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Los Angeles area as part of a five-member group called the Paramours , and adopted the name The Righteous Brothers when they became a duo. Their most active recording period
154-423: A disc jockey in Los Angeles, who created the show along with his wife Sharon Sheeley , British producer Jack Good , and production executive Art Stolnitz. The original pilot was rejected by ABC and David Sontag, then executive producer of ABC, redeveloped and completely redesigned the show. A new pilot with a new cast of artists was shot starring Sam Cooke . That pilot aired as the premiere episode. Shindig!
231-559: A private investigator in an effort to track down the killer. On January 27, 2017, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced that investigators used a new DNA testing method to solve the decades-old murder. The sheriff's department said that the case "was solved through the use of familial DNA, which identified the killer", who was named as Kenneth Troyer, a sex offender and fugitive killed by police in 1982. Medley married Paula Vasu in 1986. The couple had
308-473: A Go-Go . In March 1965, Little Eva performed a live but short version of her hit song " The Loco-Motion ". This is the only known video clip of her singing it. Toward the end of the program's run, The Mamas and the Papas appeared in an episode featuring Barry McGuire . Although serving as his backup singers, the group introduced " California Dreamin' " on that program, which launched its career. Shindig!
385-556: A Great Night for Football" from Tony Scott 's film The Last Boy Scout ; and the theme song for the Growing Pains spinoff Just the Ten of Us . He also collaborated with Giorgio Moroder and scored a moderate UK hit in 1988 with a version of " He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother ". Medley lensed a video for the song which was also used over the closing credits for the film Rambo III . In 1985, Medley and Hatfield opened The Hop,
462-636: A breakup that would last for more than six years, when Medley left to pursue a solo career. Medley recorded a few solo recordings on several labels, while Hatfield teamed up with singer Jimmy Walker (from The Knickerbockers ) using the Righteous Brothers name on the MGM label. Medley first recorded "I Can't Make It Alone" written by Carole King , but the song failed to make much of an impact. The following single, "Brown Eyed Woman" written by Mann and Weil, performed better. However, neither he nor Hatfield
539-515: A dance troupe choreographed by David Winters and André Tayir, who accompanied the music acts of the week (Winters later worked on the competing NBC show Hullabaloo ). One of the regular dancers was Teri Garr , who went on to find success as an actress. Others included Maria Gahva, Lorene Yarnell (later of the mime team Shields and Yarnell), Diane Stuart, Pam Freeman, Gina Trikinis, Marianna Picora, Virginia Justus, Rini Jarmon and Carol Shelyne, who always wore glasses while she danced. Occasionally,
616-416: A daughter, McKenna. McKenna is also a singer; she has performed with Medley as his duetting partner on "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". Paula died of Parkinson's disease on June 8, 2020. In May 2020, Medley underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his throat. Medley was nominated for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist in the 1972 Grammy Awards for his recording of "Freedom and Fear",
693-446: A duet. They each had the vocal talent to perform as soloists. Medley sang the low parts with his bass-baritone voice, with Hatfield taking the higher-register vocals with his tenor . His voice reached the register of a countertenor . Following a year and a half of Top 40 non-entries on Billboard' s Hot 100 , the duo hit big with the late-1964 release of what would become their signature record, " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' " –
770-524: A duo after the death of Medley's first wife, as he wanted time off to look after his son. They reunited for an anniversary special on American Bandstand in 1981 to perform an updated version of "Rock and Roll Heaven". They resumed touring intermittently, and they recorded a 21st Anniversary Celebration concert in 1983 at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, which was later released on video and
847-504: A duo in 1963. According to Medley, they then adopted the name The Righteous Brothers for the duo because black Marines from the El Toro Marine base started calling them "righteous brothers". At the end of a performance, a black U.S. Marine in the audience would shout, "That was righteous, brothers!", and would greet them with "Hey righteous brothers, how you doin'?" on meeting them. The Righteous Brothers released three albums under
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#1732802484657924-582: A few days later and discussed the matter, which ended in a coin toss, which Medley won, resulting in Heard accepting Medley's proposal. Heard has since communicated that he knows he can never replace Hatfield, nor will he attempt to do so and that he intends to sing like Hatfield rather than sound like him. A new CD was released the same year, featuring several of the Righteous Brothers' hit singles sung by Medley and Heard. In early 2024, after six decades of touring, Bill Medley announced his forthcoming retirement from
1001-520: A few more top-40 hits, including " He " and "Go Ahead And Cry", their popularity began to decline. Even a collaboration with former Motown A&R chief William "Mickey" Stevenson failed to work. In 1967, before they went their separate ways, and, to capitalize on their previous hits, Verve/MGM issued a "Greatest Hits" compilation which has been modified twice: in 1983 with 10 tracks and in 1990 with two more tracks. The duo split up in February 1968,
1078-549: A few weeks of reforming, they recorded Alan O'Day 's " Rock and Roll Heaven ", a paean to several deceased rock singers which became a hit, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Several more minor hits on Haven followed. After 1975, however, the Righteous Brothers would not appear in music charts except for re-releases of older songs and compilation albums, some of which were re-recordings of earlier works. Between 1976 and 1981, Hatfield and Medley stopped performing as
1155-568: A group called The Paramours in 1960, with Sal Fasulo and Nick Tuturro, later joined by Mike Rider and Barry Rillera. The band had its first paying gig at Little Italy restaurant in Anaheim, California . The Paramours were signed to Mercury Records ' subsidiary label Smash Records , releasing such songs as "That's the Way We Love" and "Miss Social Climber" in 1961. Medley first met his singing partner Bobby Hatfield through Barry Rillera who
1232-590: A new Paramours, which included Johnny Wimber (a founder of the Vineyard Movement ). They started performing at a club called John's Black Derby in Santa Ana, and were signed to a small record label Moonglow in 1962. They released a single "There She Goes (She's Walking Away)" in December 1962. However, the Paramours did not have much success and soon broke up, leaving Hatfield and Medley to perform as
1309-597: A new television show called Shindig! ; they also felt unappreciated by the audience as they were then little known on the East Coast, and the audience demanded to hear the Beatles while they were performing. They returned to Los Angeles to tape the pilot for the show, and would later appear in the show regularly. Their next album was Some Blue-Eyed Soul ; the term blue-eyed soul was first used to refer to The Righteous Brothers by black DJs, but after they became popular,
1386-655: A rock & roll-themed nightclub, in Orange County, California. Medley appeared in the two-part episode "Finally!" of the hit television show, Cheers . In 1998 Medley, along with Jennifer Warnes, sang "Show Me the Light" over the closing credits of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie . He also recorded a vocal track for the song Lullabye on Jimmy Chamberlin 's (of Smashing Pumpkins fame) solo album, Life Begins Again . Through
1463-592: A singing regular. Glen Campbell was not a regular member of this band but a frequent guest performer. Ray Pohlman was the musical director, and he was also one - as was Campbell, Knechtel, Wechter and Russell - of the collection of first-call pop studio musicians that would later be known as " The Wrecking Crew ". In some instances when one of the guitarists was unable to work, Pohlman would bring in Bill Aken to fill in. The Righteous Brothers , Dick and Dee Dee , Jackie and Gayle , Donna Loren , Willy Nelson (not
1540-405: A small group of dancers who sang would get a featured spot; this rotating group was billed as The Shindig Girls. The assistant choreographer was Antonia Basilotta, better known as Toni Basil , who later gained fame with her 1980s hit song " Mickey ". Both Garr and Basil were dance students of David Winters at the time and worked with him on most of his choreography projects. The series house band
1617-631: A solo album, Messin' In Muscle Shoals in 1971. According to Medley, he was performing three shows a night in Las Vegas, but finding it too much of a strain on his voice singing solo, and under advice he sought out Hatfield to reform The Righteous Brothers; Hatfield at this point was broke and living alone in a small apartment. In 1974, Medley and Hatfield announced their reunion at an appearance on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour . They signed with Haven Records, run by producers Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and distributed by Capitol Records . Within
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#17328024846571694-423: A solo artist for some time after Hatfield's death, occasionally singing with a screen projection of old film footage of Hatfield. In January 2016, Medley announced he intended to revive the Righteous Brothers for the first time since 2003. The late Hatfield was replaced with singer Bucky Heard at Las Vegas's Harrah's Showroom for more than 40 shows from March 23, 2016, to November 8. The repertoire included some of
1771-557: A strain on his voice singing solo, and lost his voice for a while. Under advice, he sought out Hatfield to reform the Righteous Brothers in 1974. They signed with Haven Records, and quickly recorded " Rock and Roll Heaven ", which became a hit. In 1976, Medley decided to quit music for some time after the death of his first wife. He reunited with Hatfield in 1981 for the 30th-anniversary special of American Bandstand , where they performed an updated version of "Rock and Roll Heaven". Although Medley focused his attention on his solo career in
1848-517: A stupid idea; financially, a wonderfully idea". The album sold very well and received a double platinum certification from the RIAA. A greatest hits CD collection of the original recordings called The Very Best of The Righteous Brothers...Unchained Melody was released later by Verve/ Polydor . This compilation album also became their first entry in the UK album chart. They began to tour extensively all through
1925-404: A track from Michel Colombier 's album Wings . In 1988, Medley received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for his duet with Jennifer Warnes on "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". Shindig! Shindig! was an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill ,
2002-471: A transatlantic number one produced by Phil Spector , often considered one of his finest works and a landmark recording in popular music. Other notable hits include three US 1965 Top Tens – " Just Once in My Life " and covers of " Unchained Melody " (also a huge hit in 1990 after being featured in the film Ghost ) and " Ebb Tide " – and the massive US 1966 number one " (You're My) Soul and Inspiration ", plus
2079-575: A unique early version of " My Generation " live, two months before the single version was recorded). Many other popular performers of the day played on Shindig! including Tina Turner , Lesley Gore , Bo Diddley , Sonny and Cher , The Beach Boys , James Brown , Jackie Wilson , The Supremes , and The Ronettes . Shindig!' s success prompted NBC to air the similar series Hullabaloo starting in January 1965 and other producers to launch syndicated rock music shows like Shivaree and Hollywood
2156-477: Is Little Richard , who he first heard when he was fifteen or sixteen years old, and later Ray Charles , Bobby "Blue" Bland , and B.B. King . Medley first formed a singing duo called The Romancers with his friend Don Fiduccia, who also played the guitar. He began to write songs and record multi-track recordings in his living room. At 19, he had two songs, "Womaling" and "Chimes of My Heart," recorded by vocal group The Diamonds . Medley and Fiduccia then formed
2233-618: Is also a solo artist. His million-selling No. 1 duet with Jennifer Warnes , " (I've Had) The Time of My Life " (1987), won a number of awards. Medley was born September 19, 1940, in Santa Ana, California to Arnold and Irma Medley. He attended Santa Ana High School , graduating in 1958. Raised a Presbyterian , he sang in the church choir, and his parents had a swing band. He became interested in R&;B music through listening to black-oriented radio stations. An early influence he has cited
2310-571: Is one of the few rock music shows of the era to still have all of the episodes available to watch. In September 1965, the show was moved out of its Wednesday-night time slot (where it gave The Beverly Hillbillies its first serious competition in its time period among younger viewers ), and split into two half-hours on new days and times (Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 P.M. Eastern time). The show faced tough competition from Daniel Boone and The Munsters on Thursdays along with Flipper and The Jackie Gleason Show on Saturdays. Additionally,
2387-472: Is one of the most successful pop singles of its time, despite exceeding the then-standard length for radio play. Indeed, according to BMI , "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" became the most-played song on American radio and television of the 20th century, with more than eight million airplays by the end of 1999. The Righteous Brothers had several other hit singles with Philles Records in 1965, including " Just Once in My Life " and " Unchained Melody " (originally
The Righteous Brothers - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-468: Is the most-played song in the history of American radio. They recorded other songs such as " Unchained Melody " with Philles Records, as well. Medley, who had produced the duo before they signed with Spector and Philles, was the actual producer on many tracks and B-sides credited to Spector, including "Unchained Melody", which was originally only intended to be an album track. On singles such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and " Just Once in My Life ,"
2541-522: The Billboard Hot 100 . It won them a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals . In 1990, Bobby Hatfield's original recording of "Unchained Melody" was featured in the popular feature film Ghost , starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore . It triggered an avalanche of requests to Top 40 radio stations by fans who had seen the movie to play the 1965 Righteous Brothers' recording. This motivated Polygram (which now owned
2618-538: The Moonglow label, one of these and a further compilation album were released after they had joined Phil Spector. They released 12 singles with Moonglow, but only two were moderate hits – " Little Latin Lupe Lu " and "My Babe" from their first album Right Now! . In August and September 1964, they opened for The Beatles in their first U.S. tour. However, they left before the tour finished as they were asked to appear on
2695-549: The Shindogs . It included Joey Cooper on bass, Chuck Blackwell on drums, James Burton on lead guitar, Delaney Bramlett on rhythm guitar and Glen D. Hardin on keyboards. Cooper and Bramlett traded off lead vocal duties. The larger band featured Jerry Cole on lead guitar, Russ Titelman on rhythm guitar, Larry Knechtel on bass, Leon Russell on piano, Julius Wechter on percussion and Ritchie Frost on drums. Later, Billy Preston took over keyboards and performed as
2772-400: The 1970s and 1980s. He enjoyed a resurgence in his career in the 1980s. He released the album Sweet Thunder in 1980, containing a version of " Don't Know Much ", which was originally written and performed by Barry Mann the same year. He signed with Planet Records in 1982 and later with RCA Records . In 1984 and 1985, he charted five singles on the country charts, the biggest of these being
2849-523: The 1974 comeback hit " Rock and Roll Heaven ". Both Hatfield and Medley also had for a time their own solo careers. In 2016, Medley re-formed The Righteous Brothers with Bucky Heard and they continue to perform as a duo. The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005. Rolling Stone ranked them no. 16 on its list of
2926-507: The 1980s, they continued to appear together as a duo. After a resurgence in popularity in 1990s due to the use of "Unchained Melody" in the film Ghost , they toured extensively as a duo until Hatfield's death in November 2003. The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003 by Billy Joel . In January 2016, Medley announced that he would revive
3003-473: The 1990s and early 2000s and performed for about 12 weeks a year in Las Vegas. Bobby Hatfield was found dead in his hotel room in Kalamazoo, Michigan , on November 5, 2003, shortly before he was due to perform at a concert with Bill Medley at Western Michigan University 's Miller Auditorium . The autopsy report attributed his death to heart failure brought on by cocaine. Bill Medley continued to perform as
3080-582: The 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley were in different groups before they met – Hatfield was in a group from Anaheim called the Variations, and Medley in a group from Santa Ana called the Paramours. Barry Rillera, a member of Medley's band who was also in Hatfield's group, suggested they go see each other's show and perform together. Later, after a member of Paramours left in 1962, Hatfield and Medley joined forces and formed
3157-525: The B-side of "Hung on You"), both reaching the Billboard Top 10. Medley said that he produced "Unchained Melody"; the song was originally intended only as a track on the album Just Once in My Life , and Spector had asked him to produce the albums so Spector could spend time and money on producing singles. Later copies of the original 45 release credited Spector as producer when it became a hit. After
The Righteous Brothers - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-578: The Curb label in 1991 with the album Blue Eyed Singer . The first single from the forthcoming album was released on October 18, 2024; a duet with country musician Vince Gill entitled "These Days". The album will also feature duets with renowned artists such as Michael McDonald, Shawn Colvin, and Keb Mo. In support of his new album, Medley will make his debut at the legendary Grand Ole Opry on February 22, 2025. Medley met his first wife, Karen O'Grady, in church; they started dating in 1963 and were married at
3311-534: The Festival Internacional da Canção (FIC) in Rio de Janeiro with the song "Evie" by Jimmy Webb . Medley performed " Hey Jude " at the 1969 Grammy Awards , and was then signed to A&M Records , which released a number of his records. One of his recordings, "Freedom and Fear" from Michel Colombier 's album Wings , was nominated for a Grammy in 1972 . Medley released several solo albums during
3388-531: The Righteous Brothers appeared in a show with other groups at The Cow Palace in San Francisco, where Phil Spector was conducting the band for the entire show. Spector was impressed by the duo, and arranged to have them record for his label Philles Records . In 1965, they had their first No. 1 hit with " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' ", produced by Spector. According to music-publishing watchdog Broadcast Music, Inc. , "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"
3465-665: The Righteous Brothers for the first time since 2003, partnering with new singer Bucky Heard. After six decades of touring, in early 2024 Medley announced his forthcoming retirement with the Righteous Brothers; the Lovin' Feelin' Farewell Tour. Medley has also had a moderately successful solo career. In 1968, Medley first recorded "I Can't Make It Alone" written by Carole King , but the song failed to make much of an impact. The following singles, "Brown Eyed Woman" written by Mann and Weil, and "Peace, Brother, Peace" both performed better, and were top 40 pop hits. In 1969, he won second place at
3542-460: The Righteous Brothers' best-known songs, such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", "Soul & Inspiration", "Unchained Melody", but also the later "Rock and Roll Heaven", as well as Bill Medley's "The Time of My Life". Medley explained that it was the encouragement of the Righteous Brothers' fans as well as several friends, producers and contacts in Las Vegas that made him consider reviving the Righteous Brothers' name again, while acknowledging that it
3619-462: The Saturday edition aired in a time period when many of its potential viewers were going out and, thus, not at home to watch television. By October 1965, the show was having ratings problems ( Time magazine said "early-season tide [was] running against the teen scene"), and in January 1966 , Shindig! was cancelled and replaced in its Thursday time slots by Batman . Shindig! also featured
3696-518: The Verve/MGM label archives) to re-release the song to Top 40 radio. It became a major hit for a second time, reaching No. 13 on the Hot 100 in 1990. It also became their second No. 1 in the UK. The duo quickly re-recorded another version of "Unchained Melody" for Curb Records . Both the reissued and the re-recorded songs charted at the same time for several weeks, and the Righteous Brothers made history as
3773-484: The band did not have much success and soon broke up, leaving Hatfield and Medley to perform as a duo in 1963. Medley and Hatfield adopted the name the Righteous Brothers, and their first single was the Medley-penned " Little Latin Lupe Lu ", released through Moonglow Records . Medley also recorded as a solo artist with Moonglow, releasing the single "Gotta Tell You How I Feel", which did not chart. In 1964,
3850-450: The band for the show. Spector was impressed enough to arrange a deal with Moonglow in early October 1964 allowing him to record and release songs by the Righteous Brothers in the US, Canada and UK under his own label, Philles Records . Prior to this, all the songs Spector produced for Philles Records featured African-American singers; the Righteous Brothers would be his first white vocal group for
3927-524: The beginning of his music career. Their son, Darrin, was born in 1965 but they were divorced when Darrin was about five years old. Medley married Suzi Robertson in 1970, then Janice Gorham, but each marriage was soon annulled. He was a close friend of Elvis Presley . In January 1976, his first wife Karen, by then remarried and named Karen Klaas, was raped and murdered by a stranger, and Medley decided to take time off from his music career to look after his son. The murder had not been solved and Medley employed
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#17328024846574004-535: The cameras, with the resultant footage flown back to be shown on the program. The first UK episode had The Beatles as the guests. The series later featured other "British invasion" bands and performers including The Who , The Rolling Stones , and Cilla Black . Shindig! continued to broadcast episodes with footage shot in London throughout its run. This meant many acts were seen on U.S television before they actually went to America (The Who in particular, who performed
4081-456: The duo, and the Hatfield solos in later singles restored some balance between the two. The last single released that they recorded with Philles Records was " The White Cliffs of Dover ". Although Spector focused his attention in producing singles, a number of albums by the Righteous Brothers released with Philles Records sold well. In 1965, they had a couple of guest appearances in the films A Swingin' Summer and Beach Ball . They also became
4158-470: The famous Country singer Willie Nelson ) and Bobby Sherman were regular vocalists on the series. Up until July 1965, when he quit the show, producer Jack Good was also a regular, wearing a bowler hat and improvising comedy routines with Jimmy O'Neill at the close of each episode. The Blossoms , an all-female vocal group featuring Darlene Love , backed up many of the performers and were occasionally featured in spotlight performances. The Wellingtons were
4235-550: The first act to have two versions of the same song in the Top 20 at the same time. The re-recorded "Unchained Melody" hit No. 19 on the Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). They also re-recorded other songs for a budget-priced CD, The Best of The Righteous Brothers , released by Curb Records. Medley would later describe the re-recordings as "artistically,
4312-488: The first rock and roll act to play the Strip in Las Vegas (at The Sands ). The duo's relationship with Spector however ended in some acrimony; in 1966 they signed with Verve / MGM Records , leading to a lawsuit from Spector, which MGM settled with a $ 600,000 payment to Spector. Their next release in 1966, " (You're My) Soul and Inspiration " was a Phil Spector sound-alike song. The song was first written by Mann and Weil after
4389-540: The first time in the UK at Wembley Arena . Medley wrote a memoir entitled The Time of My Life: A Righteous Brother's Memoir . The book was published in 2014. Medley is set to release his first new album in over a decade, Straight from the Heart , due out February 14, 2025. The album will feature a 12-song collection of covers by country music artists. Straight from the Heart was produced by Fred Mollin and will be released on Curb Records . Medley last recorded on
4466-465: The following is a selection of compilation albums that received certifications. Bill Medley William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer best known as one-half of the Righteous Brothers . He is noted for his bass-baritone voice, exemplified in songs such as " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' ". Medley produced a number of the duo's songs, including " Unchained Melody " and " (You're My) Soul and Inspiration ". Medley
4543-463: The label. However, their "blue-eyed soul" vocal style suited Spector. Spector commissioned Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to write a song for them, which turned out to be " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' ". The song, released in late 1964, became their first major hit single and reached No. 1 in February 1965. Produced by Phil Spector , the record is often cited as one of the finest expressions of Spector's Wall of Sound production techniques. It
4620-577: The mid to late 2000s, Medley performed mainly in Branson, Missouri, at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater, Andy Williams' Moon River Theater, and The Starlite Theatre. In 2004, DBC Management released his album Your Heart to Mine – Dedicated to the Blues (later released on Fuel Records in 2013). In 2007, Medley released his first new album since the passing of his long-time Righteous Brothers partner Bobby Hatfield who died on November 5, 2003. The album
4697-509: The road with the Righteous Brothers; Lovin' Feelin' Farewell Tour. The tour commenced in January 2024 and is expected to run throughout the year and into early 2025. The Righteous Brothers were nominated twice for a Grammy . In 1965, their recording of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" was nominated in the Best Rock And Roll Recording category at the 7th Annual Grammy Awards . Their re-recording of "Unchained Melody"
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#17328024846574774-459: The success of "Lovin' Feelin'" but not completed, and they finished the song following a request by Medley after the Righteous Brothers moved to Verve. Medley then produced the completed song, and was able to fully simulate the Spector style of production and achieve a similar sound to that of "Lovin' Feelin'". It quickly became their second No. 1 U.S. hit, staying at the top for three weeks. After
4851-473: The success of "Unchained Melody", Spector started releasing older songs with the Righteous Brothers, including " Ebb Tide ", which reached No. 5. Hatfield was the only vocal on "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide", and both were songs Bobby Hatfield had performed with his first group, the Variations. According to Medley, both the early singles "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and "Just Once in My Life" featured Medley's vocal strongly, which caused some friction between
4928-532: The term became a general term for all white singers who sang what was then considered "black music". In October and November 1964, they opened for The Rolling Stones on their American tour . In 1964, music producer Phil Spector came across the Righteous Brothers when they performed in a show at the Cow Palace in Daly City, where one of Spector's acts, The Ronettes , was also appearing, and he conducted
5005-642: The top 20 country hit " I Still Do ", which also crossed over to the Adult Contemporary chart, and later became a cult hit with the Carolina Beach/Shag dance-club circuit. One of Medley's minor entries, "All I Need to Know", was later recorded as " Don't Know Much " in a Grammy-winning duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville ; this was a long-running No. 2 Hot 100 and No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit in 1989–90. In 1987, Medley's duet with Jennifer Warnes , " (I've Had) The Time of My Life ",
5082-418: The vocals were concentrated mainly on Medley, but on a few singles, such as " Unchained Melody " and " Ebb Tide ," Hatfield performed solo. The duo left Spector in 1966 to sign with Verve Records , where they had a hit with " Soul and Inspiration ", but broke up in 1968 when Medley left to pursue his own career. Medley was performing three shows a night in Las Vegas; according to Medley, he found it too much of
5159-540: Was a difficult choice to continue without Hatfield, saying "I've had a million fans hollering at me to keep the Righteous Brothers alive... I looked at a couple of guys, but you know, you can't replace Bobby Hatfield, he's the best in the world". Medley was previously acquainted with Heard and watched him perform at a tribute concert to Journey , after which he realized that Heard was the only one he would consider capable of filling Hatfield's shoes, also noting that he and Heard had good chemistry together. Medley approached Heard
5236-404: Was able to match their previous chart success. Hatfield and Jimmy Walker recorded an album, Re-Birth , as The Righteous Brothers before disbanding in 1971. In a 2013 interview, Jimmy Walker said he had wanted to continue, but Hatfield decided to take a break and broke up the act. In 1969, Hatfield appeared in a TV movie , The Ballad of Andy Crocker , and also recorded " Only You ". He released
5313-418: Was also aired on television. In the late 1970s, Medley once again began to record as a solo artist and had some success in the 1980s. In 1984, he scored country hits with "Till Your Memory's Gone" and " I Still Do ", the latter also an adult-contemporary crossover hit. In late 1987, his duet with Jennifer Warnes , " (I've Had) The Time of My Life ", which appeared on the soundtrack for Dirty Dancing , topped
5390-485: Was conceived as a short-notice replacement for Hootenanny , a series that had specialized in folk revival music. The folk revival had fizzled in 1964 as the result of the British Invasion , which damaged the ratings for Hootenanny and prompted that show's cancellation. Shindig! focused on a broader variety of popular music than its predecessor and first aired for a half-hour every Wednesday evening, but
5467-480: Was expanded to an hour in January 1965. In the fall of 1965, the show split into two half-hour telecasts, on Thursday and Saturday nights. Shindig!' s premiere episode was actually the second pilot, and featured Sam Cooke , The Everly Brothers , and The Righteous Brothers . Later shows featured performances that were taped in Britain - A set was used at Twickenham Film Studios, where British acts performed live for
5544-500: Was in both Hatfield's and Medley's band (the Variations and the aforementioned Paramours, respectively) and asked them to see each other's shows. In 1962 they formed a new group, but kept the name the Paramours, which included saxophonist John Wimber , who went on to found The Vineyard Church movement. They performed at The Black Derby nightclub in Santa Ana , and released the single "There She Goes (She's Walking Away)" in December 1962 through independent record label Moonglow . However,
5621-411: Was in the 1960s and '70s, and, after several years inactive as a duo, Hatfield and Medley reunited in 1981 and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003. The term " blue-eyed soul " is thought to have first been coined by Philadelphia radio DJ Georgie Woods in 1964 when describing the duo's music. Hatfield and Medley had contrasting vocal ranges, which helped them create a distinctive sound as
5698-477: Was included on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack , and the single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song won Medley and Warnes a 1988 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the composers. Among Medley's other notable songs are "Most of All You", the closing theme to the film Major League ; "Friday Night's
5775-846: Was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1991 Grammy . They were also awarded the Best New Singing Group in the Billboard Disc Jockey Poll in 1965. The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2003. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2019 The Righteous Brothers were Inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame . Current members Former members For their discography as solo artists, see Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield . Many compilation albums by The Righteous Brothers have been released,
5852-483: Was supposedly known as "The Shin-diggers", but that was actually the name host Jimmy O'Neill used to refer to fans of the show. At first, TV credits identified the musicians simply as the Shindig Band. By early 1965, they'd been renamed Sir Rufus Marion Banks and his Band of Men, but the generic name had returned by the time "Shindig" went off the air. The rhythm section was spun off into a featured group and named
5929-467: Was titled Damn Near Righteous and released on Westlake Records (later released on Varese Sarabande in 2014). The soulful album featured a memorable track collaboration on "In My Room" with Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and Phil Everly (Everly Brothers), plus new originals "Sit Down and Hurt", "Something Blue" and "Beautiful". Medley later also began touring with his daughter McKenna and her 3-Bottle Band. On November 24, 2013, he performed in concert for
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