Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield Dies

Local News | N/A

[Jean Chauvin]

Local news station WWMT out of Kalamazoo just reported that Bobby Hatfield of the "Righteous Brothers" has died just before their scheduled concert at Miller Auditorium in KZoo.

[doug from upland]

A great talent. He'll be missed.

[Charles Henrickson]

I always get them mixed up. High voice or low voice?

[hole_n_one]

[Revolting cat!]

He was the shorter one, and a high tenor!

[Jean Chauvin]

Just for clarification, I believe he was still at the Radison Hotel in downtown KZoo when he passed.

Jean

[hole_n_one]

You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips
And there’s no tenderness like before in your fingertips
You’re trying hard not to show it (baby)
But baby, baby I know it

You’ve lost that loving feeling
Woah, that loving feeling
You’ve lost that loving feeling
Now it’s gone, gone, gone
Woah-woah

Now there’s no welcome look in your eyes when I reach for you
And girl you’re starting to criticise little things I do
It makes me just feel like crying (baby)
’cos, baby, something beautiful’s dying

You’ve lost that loving feeling
Woah, that loving feeling
You’ve lost that loving feeling
Now it’s gone, gone, gone
Woah-woah

Baby, baby, I’d get down on my knees for you
If you would only love me like you used to do, yeah
We had a love, a love, a love you don’t find every day
So don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t let it slip away

Bring back that loving feeling
Woah, that loving feeling
Bring back that loving feeling
Now it’s gone, gone, gone
And I can’t go on

Baby (baby), baby (baby)
I want you please (woooo)
Please (woooo)
I need your love (I need your love)
I need your love (I need your love)
Now it bring it on back (bring it on back
) bring it on back now (bring it on back now)
Now bring it on back

[cars for sale]

he is the one who sang Unchained Melody right ??

[Lijahsbubbe]

He was part of a very exciting time in music history. Very sad to hear of his passing. (1965 cover)

[sourcery]

sourcery says: "Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle, and quick to anger!"

The Righteous Brothers      Among the first to capitalize on what became known as blue-eyed soul, The Righteous Brothers achieved their greatest success in the mid-60s under producer Phil Spector. They weren't brothers, but Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield (both born in 1941) were most definitely righteous, defining (and perhaps even inspiring) the term "blue-eyed soul" in the mid-'60s. The White, Southern California duo were an established journeyman doo wop/R&B act before an association with Phil Spector produced one of the most memorable hits of the 1960s, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." The collaboration soon fell apart, though, and while the singers had some other excellent hit singles in a similar style, they proved unable to sustain their momentum after just a year or two at the top. When Medley and Hatfield combined forces in 1962, they emerged from regional groups the Paramours and the Variations; in fact, they kept the Paramours billing for their first single. By 1963, they were calling themselves the Righteous Brothers, Medley taking the low parts with his smoky baritone, Hatfield taking the higher tenor and falsetto lines. For the next couple of years they did quite a few energetic R&B tunes on the Moonglow label that bore similarity to the gospel/soul/rock style of Ray Charles, copping their greatest success with "Little Latin Lupe Lu," which became a garage band favorite covered by Mitch Ryder, the Kingsmen, and others.   Even on the Moonglow recordings, Bill Medley acted as producer and principal songwriter, but the duo wouldn't break out nationally until they put themselves at the services of Phil Spector. Spector gave the wall-of-sound treatment to "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," a grandiose ballad penned by himself, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil. At nearly four minutes, the song was pushing the limits of what could be played on radio in the mid-'60s, and some listeners thought they were hearing a 45 single played at 33 rpm due to Medley's low, blurry lead vocal. No matter; the song had a power that couldn't be denied, and went all the way to number one. The Righteous Brothers had three more big hits in 1965 on Spector's Philles label ("Just Once in My Life," "Unchained Melody," and "Ebb Tide"), all employing similar dense orchestral arrangements and swelling vocal crescendos. Yet the Righteous Brothers-Spector partnership wasn't a smooth one, and by 1966 the duo had left Philles for a lucrative deal with Verve. Medley, already an experienced hand in the producer's booth, reclaimed the producer's chair, and the Righteous Brothers had another number one hit with their first Verve outing, "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration." Its success must have been a particularly bitter blow for Spector, given that Medley successfully emulated the wall-of-sound orchestral ambience of the Righteous Brothers' Philles singles down to the smallest detail, even employing the same Mann-Weil writing team that had contributed to "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." It's a bit of a mystery as to why the Righteous Brothers never came close to duplicating that success during the rest of their tenure at Verve. But they would only have a couple of other Top 40 hits in the 1960s ("He" and "Go Ahead and Cry," both in 1966), even with the aid of occasional compositions by the formidable Goffin-King team. In 1968 Medley left for a solo career; Hatfield, the less talented of the pair (at least from a songwriting and production standpoint), kept the Righteous Brothers going with Jimmy Walker (who had been in the Knickerbockers). Righteous Brothers Today Medley had a couple of small hits in the late '60s as a solo act, but unsurprisingly neither "brother" was worth half as much on their own as they were together. In 1974 they reunited and had a number three hit with "Rock and Roll Heaven," a tribute to dead rock stars that some found tacky. A couple of smaller hits followed before Medley retired from performing for five years in 1976; they've toured the oldies circuit off and on in the 1980s and 1990s. -- Richie Unterberger, All-Music Guide

[jokar]

Bobby Hatfield, half of Righteous Brothers duo, dies at 63


The Orange County Register

SANTA ANA, Calif. - (KRT) - Bobby Hatfield, who with partner Bill Medley rose from playing Santa Ana bars and Anaheim High School proms to international stardom as the Righteous Brothers, died Wednesday night in Kalamazoo, Mich., the group's manager said.

Police responded to a call at the Radisson Hotel in Kalamazoo at about 7 p.m. EST. Five minutes later, in Miller Auditorium - where the Righteous Brothers were to begin their tour - an announcement was made that the concert had been canceled because of a personal emergency.

Hatfield, 63, died in his sleep, manager David Cohen said, adding that the singer's family had received few details on the cause of death.

"It's the biggest shock of my life," Cohen said.

Hatfield was born Aug. 10, 1940, in Beaver Dam, Wis.

He and Medley began performing together in 1962, singing in a style that would be dubbed "blue-eyed soul."

The two were signed within a year to Moonglow records, which released their debut single, "Little Latin Lupe Lu."

The duo's breakthrough came in December 1964 with the release of their ballad "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." The song hit No. 1 and in the decades since has become a standard on American radio.

The Righteous Brothers scored four more Top 10 singles over the next two years, including another No. 1, "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration."

After a lull in the late '60s, they came back with another Top 10 hit in 1974, "Rock And Roll Heaven."

This March, Hatfield and Medley received the highest honor for a pop music artist, induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"I had pretty much given up hope," Hatfield said at the time. He then joked, "I'm just thrilled that I'm still around to accept it in person. I really didn't want to have to send a videotaped acceptance speech after I was gone."

---

© 2003, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.).

Visit the Register on the World Wide Web at http://www.ocregister.com

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

[Revolting cat!]

Shucks, I'm listening to Toby Keith on the tube now and can't for the life of me recall Unchained Memory, but I think you're correct!

[sourcery]

I forgot to provide the source for the info I posted: http://www.history-of-rock.com/righteous_brothers.htm

[Lancey Howard]

Ah, what a shame.
The first 45 my brother ever bought was You're My Soul and My Heart's Inspiration, the week it came out. They put out a lot of great music. Before that, I was into Unchained Melody (a Phil Spector song) and You've Lost that Loving Feeling.
May Bobby hatfield rest in peace.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I wonder what he OD'd on?

[cars for sale]

from the movie Ghost

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Shucks, I'm listening to Toby Keith on the tube now and can't for the life of me recall Unchained Memory, but I think you're correct!

Unchained Melody. : ) (Think of the movie "Ghost"..."Oh, my love...my darling...I've hungered (?) for your touch...a long, lonely time...")

[coop223]

saw them in vegas last year. great performance. he will be missed.

[Charles Henrickson]

He was the shorter one, and a high tenor!

[nobdysfool]

What a shame. Glad he made it into the R&R Hall of Fame before he went. My prayers go out to his family and friends.