The Righteous Brothers

"The Paramours" redirects here. For other uses, see Paramour (disambiguation).

The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers performing at Knott's Berry Farm Bobby Hatfield (left) and Bill Medley
The Righteous Brothers performing at Knott's Berry Farm
Bobby Hatfield (left) and Bill Medley
Background information
OriginOrange County, California, U.S.
GenresPop, soul, rock
Years active1962–1971, 1974–1976, 1981–2003, 2016–present
Labels
Members
Past members

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,[1] and adopted the name The Righteous Brothers when they became a duo. Their most active recording period 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.[2][3][4]

Hatfield and Medley had contrasting vocal ranges, which helped them create a distinctive sound as 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.[5]

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'" – 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 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.[6]

The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003[7] and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005.[8] Rolling Stone ranked them no. 16 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.[9]

  1. ^ "The Paramours". Tsimon.com. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  2. ^ "Blue-Eyed Soul Artists Herald Musical Integration on Airways". Billboard. October 22, 1966. pp. 26, 38.
  3. ^ Bill Millar (1983). "Blue-eyed Soul: Colour Me Soul". Soul-source.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  4. ^ Gerry Wilkinson. "Georgie Woods". Broadcastpioneers.com.
  5. ^ "Unchained melody". April 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Leach, Robin (March 23, 2016). "The Righteous Brothers reborn: Bill Medley's emotional Harrah's residency". Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "The Righteous Brothers - Music Inductees". The Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  9. ^ "20 Greatest Duos of All Time". Rolling Stone. December 17, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2020.