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.[8][9] At 19, he had two songs, "Womaling" and "Chimes of My Heart," recorded by vocal group The Diamonds.[8] Medley and Fiduccia then formed a group called The Paramours in 1960, with Sal Fasulo and Nick Tuturro, later joined by Mike Rider and Barry Rillera.[10] 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.[11]
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers performing at Knott's Berry Farm with Medley on the right and Hatfield on the left
Medley first met his singing partner Bobby Hatfield through Barry Rillera who 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.[10] 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,[10] and released the single "There She Goes (She's Walking Away)" in December 1962 through independent record label Moonglow. However, the band did not have much success and soon broke up, leaving Hatfield and Medley to perform as a duo in 1963.[12]
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.[1] Medley also recorded as a solo artist with Moonglow, releasing the single "Gotta Tell You How I Feel," which did not chart.[13]
In 1964, 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.[1] Spector was impressed by the duo, and arranged to have them record for his label Philles Records.[14]
In 1965 they had their first No. 1 hit, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", produced by Spector. According to music-publishing watchdog Broadcast Music, Inc., "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" is the most-played song in the history of American radio.[15]
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.[16][17] On singles such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and "Just Once in My Life," 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 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.[18]
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."[19] Although Medley focused his attention on his solo career in the 1980s, they continued to appear together as a duo.[20]
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.[21][22] The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003 by Billy Joel.[23]
In January 2016, Medley announced that he would revive The Righteous Brothers for the first time since 2003, partnering with new singer Bucky Heard.[24]
After six decades of touring, in early 2024 Bill Medley announced his forthcoming retirement with the Righteous Brothers; Lovin' Feelin' Farewell Tour.[25]
Career outside The Righteous Brothers
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.[26] 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 the Festival Internacional da Canção (FIC) in Rio de Janeiro with the song "Evie" by Jimmy Webb.[27] Medley performed "Hey Jude" at the 1969 Grammy Awards, and was then signed to A&M Records, which released a number of his records.[28] One of his recordings, "Freedom and Fear" from Michel Colombier's album Wings, was nominated for a Grammy in 1972.[29][30]
Medley released several solo albums during 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 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" by Grammy-winning duet Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville; this was a long-running No. 2 Hot 100 and No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit in 1989–90.[citation needed]
Through 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 2007 Bill Medley released his first new album since the passing of his long-time Righteous Brothers’ partner; Bobby Hatfield who died on November 5th, 2003. The album was titled “Damn Near Righteous” and released on Westlake Records (later released on Varese Sarabande, 2014). The soulful album featured a memorable track collaboration on “In My Room” with Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) & Phil Everly (Everly Brothers), plus new originals “Sit Down And Hurt”, “Something Blue” and “Beautiful”.[35]
Later Medley also began touring with his daughter McKenna and her 3-Bottle Band.[34][36] On November 24, 2013, he performed in concert for the first time in the UK at Wembley Arena.[37]
Medley wrote a memoir entitled The Time of My Life: A Righteous Brother's Memoir. The book was published in 2014.[38]To coincide with Medley’s book release, he also officially released the album “Your Heart to Mine – Dedicated to the Blues” on Fuel Records.
Bill Medley, is set to release his first new album in over a decade, "Heart of the Country", due out in the fall of 2024. Produced by Fred Mollin and released on Curb Records, this highly-anticipated album marks Medley's return to the label since his 1991 release, "Blue Eyed Singer". "Heart of the Country" will also feature duets with renowned artists Michael McDonald, Shawn Colvin, and Keb Mo.[39]
Personal life
Medley met his first wife, Karen O'Grady, in church; they started dating in 1963 and were married at 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.[40] He was a close friend of Elvis Presley.[41][42]
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 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.[43]
Medley married Paula Vasu in 1986. The couple had a daughter, McKenna.[44] McKenna is also a singer; she has performed with Medley as his duetting partner on "(I've Had) The Time of My Life".[45] Paula died of Parkinson's disease on June 8, 2020.[46]
In May 2020, Medley underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his throat.[46]
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 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.
Robert Lee Hatfield was an American singer. He and Bill Medley were the Righteous Brothers. He sang the tenor part for the duo and sang solo on the group's 1965 recording of "Unchained Melody".
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the prison film Unchained (1955), hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack. It has since become a standard and one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers in 1965. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of "Unchained Melody" have been made by more than 670 artists, in multiple languages.
The Wall of Sound is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session musicians later known as "the Wrecking Crew". The intention was to exploit the possibilities of studio recording to create an unusually dense orchestral aesthetic that came across well through radios and jukeboxes of the era. Spector explained in 1964: "I was looking for a sound, a sound so strong that if the material was not the greatest, the sound would carry the record. It was a case of augmenting, augmenting. It all fit together like a jigsaw."
Blue-eyed soul is rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music performed by white artists. The term was coined in the mid-1960s, to describe white artists whose sound was similar to that of the predominantly black Motown and Stax record labels. Though many R&B radio stations in the United States in that period would only play music by black musicians, some began to play music by white acts considered to have "soul feeling"; their music was then described as "blue-eyed soul".
The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin. The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member.
Cynthia Weil was an American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann. Weil and Mann were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. In 1987, she was inducted with her husband into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2011, they jointly received the Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by that Hall of Fame.
"Ebb Tide" is a popular song written in 1953 by the lyricist Carl Sigman and composer Robert Maxwell. The first version was sung by Vic Damone backed by Richard Hayman's orchestra. The highest-selling version was released by the Righteous Brothers in 1965.
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" is a song by Phil Spector, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil, first recorded in 1964 by the American vocal duo the Righteous Brothers. This version, produced by Spector, is cited by some music critics as the ultimate expression and illustration of his Wall of Sound recording technique. The record was a critical and commercial success on its release, reaching number one in early February 1965 in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The single ranked No. 5 in Billboard's year-end Top 100 of 1965 Hot 100 hits – based on combined airplay and sales, and not including three charted weeks in December 1964 – and has entered the UK Top Ten on three occasions.
"Just Once in My Life" is a song written by Gerry Goffin, Carole King and Phil Spector. The song was released by the Righteous Brothers in 1965 and reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" is a 1987 song composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz. It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, and used as the theme song for the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. The song has won a number of awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
"Little Latin Lupe Lu" was written by Bill Medley in 1962, and became the song that launched The Righteous Brothers' career. Though it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 49 on June 8, 1963, Medley and his partner, Bobby Hatfield, were offered a national distribution contract by VeeJay records. It was purchased the following year by Phil Spector, who went on to produce their most successful recordings. The song has been covered by more than twenty artists, notably by Bruce Springsteen, from 1977-2009.
"(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" is a song by American pop duo the Righteous Brothers. It was the group's first hit after leaving their long-time producer Phil Spector. The song was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who also wrote the group's first hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" along with Phil Spector. It is the title track of their album. The single peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 3 single for 1966.
"Until the Night" is a song written by Billy Joel for his 1978 album, 52nd Street. Although passed over for single release in the US, "Until the Night" was issued as the second single from 52nd Street in the UK - following "My Life" - in March 1979 and reached #50 on the UK Singles Chart.
Larry Levine was an American audio engineer, known for his collaboration with Phil Spector on the Wall of Sound recording technique.
Harvey Phillip "Phil" Spector was an American record producer and songwriter best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s and his two trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. Spector developed the Wall of Sound, a production style that is characterized for its diffusion of tone colors and dense orchestral sound, which he described as a "Wagnerian" approach to rock and roll. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in pop music history and one of the most successful producers of the 1960s.
Four In Blue is a 1969 album by the Motown R&B group The Miracles, issued on the label's Tamla Records subsidiary in the U.S., and the Tamla-Motown label elsewhere in the world,.
Just Once in My Life is the 1965 album by the American music duo the Righteous Brothers. According to Bill Medley, he was allowed to produce most of the tracks in the album, including "Unchained Melody" which was originally intended only as an album track because co-producer Phil Spector was interested only in producing singles. The album reached No. 9 on Billboard 200 in the United States.
"Rock and Roll Heaven" is a song written by Alan O'Day and Johnny Stevenson, popularized by The Righteous Brothers. It is a paean to several deceased singers such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding, and has been rewritten a number of times to include other singers. The song was first recorded by the band Climax in 1973, but it failed to chart. It was then covered by The Righteous Brothers in 1974 and reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Jimmy Walker was an American musician and singer who was the drummer for one-hit wonder band The Knickerbockers and the replacement for Bill Medley in the Righteous Brothers, following his 1968 departure.
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