THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS

'The Righteous Brothers' were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They recorded from 1963 through 1975, and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003. Their emotive vocal stylings were sometimes dubbed "blue-eyed soul." Medley and Hatfield both possessed exceptional vocal talent, with range, control and tone that helped them create a strong and distinct duet sound and also to perform as soloists. Medley sang the low parts with his deep, soulful bass-baritone, with Hatfield taking the higher register vocals with his soaring tenor.
They adopted their name in 1962 while performing together in the Los Angeles area as part of a five-member group called The Paramours, which featured John Wimber, one of the founders of the Vineyard Movement, on keyboards. At the end of one particular performance, a Black marine in the
audience shouted, "That was righteous, brothers!", prompting the pair to adopt the name and embark on a career as a duo.

Contents

Musical career

Later career and going solo

US and UK hit singles

Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley

Bobby Hatfield

Discography References

External links

References

Musical career

The Righteous Brothers started their career with two moderate hits: "Little Latin Lupe Lu" and "My Babe" in 1963. Both songs received airplay, but their first major hit single would be "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" in 1965. Produced by Phil Spector, the record is often cited as one of the peak expressions of Spector's Wall of Sound production techniques. It was one of the most successful pop singles of its time, despite exceeding the standard length for radio play. Indeed, according to BMI, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" remains the most played song in radio history, estimated to have been broadcast over 8 million times to date. A little known fact is that Spector used Cher (of Sonny & Cher fame) as a backup singer on this and other recordings.
The Righteous Brothers had several other Spector-produced hit singles in 1965, including "Just Once in My Life," "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide." However, they did not get along well with Spector and left in 1965. They next released "(You're my) Soul and Inspiration," which was a Phil Spector sound-alike song that became a #1 hit in 1966. After a few more top 40 songs, including their renditions of "White Cliffs of Dover" and "Georgia on My Mind," their popularity began to decline and they eventually split up for more than seven years. Medley recorded a few solos including "Brown-eyed Woman" (1968). Bobby Hatfield teamed up briefly with another singer, Jimmy Walker, using the Righteous Brothers name, but neither he nor Hatfield was able to achieve any significant level of success. In 1974, Medley and Hatfield reunited, performing on the "Sonny and Cher Hour."

Later career and going solo

In 1974, they scored another hit with "Rock and Roll Heaven," a paean to several deceased rock singers. A few more minor hits followed, and then the Righteous Brothers found themselves "hitless" again until 1990, although they toured frequently. In 1990, their original 1965 version of "Unchained Melody" returned to the charts following its inclusion in the movie ''Ghost''. Taking advantage of the popularity of the song, the duo released a newly recorded version on Curb Records, which was certified platinum for sales of a million U.S. copies.^[1]
Medley had some later solo success in 1987 with "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," which he sang with Jennifer Warnes on the soundtrack for ''Dirty Dancing'' and earned a Grammy Award. Each charted with solo singles, although none made the Top 40. [One of Medley's minor entries, "Don't Know Much," was a bigger hit in 1989 as a duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville.]
The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2003.
Bobby Hatfield died of a cocaine overdose on November 5, 2003. He was found dead in his hotel room in Kalamazoo, Michigan, half an hour before he was due to perform a concert with Bill Medley at Western Michigan University's Miller Auditorium.

US and UK hit singles

Righteous Brothers

★ 1963: "Little Latin Lupe Lu" - #49 US

★ 1963: "My Babe" - #75 US (re-charted in 1965 at #101 US)

★ 1964: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - '1 US', '#1 UK'

★ 1965: "Bring Your Love To Me" - # 83 US / "Fannie Mae" - #117 US

★ 1965: "Just Once In My Life" - #9 US

★ 1965: "You Can Have Her" - #67 US

★ 1965: "Justine" - #85 US

★ 1965: "Unchained Melody" - #4 US, #14 UK / "Hung On You" - #47 US

★ 1965: "Ebb Tide" - #5 US, #48 UK

★ 1966: "Georgia On My Mind" - #62 US

★ 1966: "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" - '#1 US' (Gold), #15 UK

★ 1966: "He" - #18 US / "He Will Break Your Heart" - #91 US

★ 1966: "Go Ahead and Cry" - #30 US

★ 1966: "On This Side of Goodbye" - #47 US

★ 1966: "The White Cliffs of Dover" - #21 UK

★ 1966: "Island in the Sun" - #24 UK

★ 1967: "Melancholy Music Man" - #43 US

★ 1967: "Stranded in the Middle of Noplace" - #72 US / "Been So Nice" - #128 US

★ 1969: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (re-issue) - #10 UK

★ 1974: "Rock and Roll Heaven" - #3

★ 1974: "Give It to the People" - #20

★ 1974: "Dream On" - #32

★ 1977: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (re-issue) - #42 UK

★ 1990: "Unchained Melody" (re-issue) - #13 (plus 'Adult Contemporary #1') US, '#1 UK'

★ 1990: "Unchained Melody" (new 1990 recording for Curb Records) - #19 US (Platinum)

★ 1990: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" / "Ebb Tide" (re-issue) - #3 UK
NOTE: "Bring Your Love To Me"/"Fannie Mae", "You Can Have Her," "Justine" and "Georgia On My Mind" were singles of old material released in the US by the Moonglow label to cash in on the duo's success on Philles (1964-65) and Verve (1966-67), which explains their relatively low chart positions.

Bill Medley

★ 1968: "I Can't Make It Alone" - #95 US

★ 1968: "Brown Eyed Woman" - #43 US

★ 1968: "Peace, Brother, Peace" - #48 US

★ 1981: "Don't Know Much" - #88 US

★ 1982: "Right Here and Now" - #58 US

★ 1987: "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" with Jennifer Warnes - '1 US (Pop and AC)' (Gold), #6 UK

★ 1988: "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" - #25 UK

Bobby Hatfield

★ 1969: "Only You (And You Alone)" - #95 US

Discography References

★ ''Billboard Top Pop Singles'' by Joel Whitburn

★ ''GWR British Hit Singles and Albums'' (2004 edition), pgs. 360 and 461

External links

★ Righteous Brothers Discography

★ Article About The Righteous Brothers - by Dr. Frank Hoffmann

References

★ Roberts, David (ed.), 2004, "Guinness World Records- British Hit Singles & Albums", Guinness World Records. ISBN 0-85112-199-3
1. http://www.mikecurb.com/about/soundtracks.htm