Happy 70th Birthday Bill Medley
Written by admin on September 19, 2010 – 7:00 am -| Bill Medley is 70-years-old today. The former member of the legendary duo the Righteous Brothers was born in Los Angeles on September 19, 1940.
Medley joined forces with Bobby Hatfield in 1962 and began recording as the Righteous Brothers in 1963. Their big break was the 1965 hit “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” which was produced by Phil Spector, who made full use of his famed wall of sound production techniques. “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” hit number one in the US and the UK and has become the most played song in radio history. |
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The Righteous Brothers – “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”
Several other hits followed with the Righteous Brothers, but none to match the success of “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.” The closest was “Unchained Melody” which was a solo performance by Hatfield.
After splitting up for a number of years, the Righteous Brothers got back together in 1974 and had a hit with “Rock and Roll Heaven” which reached number three in the US. Bill and Bobby would perform together on and off until Bobby’s death in 2003.
Medley achieved some solo success on the country charts in the 1980s with “Till Your Memory’s Gone” and “I Still Do”, but his most memorable hit was the duet with Jennifer Warnes on “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” This highlight of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack hit number one in the US and earned an Oscar and Grammy Award.
Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes – “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”
Medley is rarely in the studio these days, releasing only two albums in the last 13 years (“Almost Home” in 1997 and “Damn Near Righteous” in 2007), but he continues to perform live, often at the Starlite Theatre in Branson, Mo.
Happy 70th Birthday to Bill Medley.
Tags: Bill Medley, The Righteous Brothers
Posted in 60s pop, Soul |
