Hatfield of Righteous Brothers dies at 63

AP | 11/06/03

[kattracks]

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) Bobby Hatfield, who with partner Bill Medley pioneered "blue-eyed soul" as the Righteous Brothers with hits like "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," died Wednesday night of undetermined causes at a hotel, his manager said. He was 63.

Hatfield's body was discovered in his bed at 7 p.m. EST, a half-hour before the duo was to perform at Miller Auditorium on the Western Michigan University campus, manager David Cohen said.

"It's a shock, a real shock," Cohen said during a telephone interview. Medley, who teamed with Hatfield 42 years ago, was "broken up. He's not even coherent," Cohen said.

Hatfield's body was taken from the hotel about 10 p.m. directly to Lansing, where an autopsy was to be performed, Joe Hakim, an executive with the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo, told the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Miller Auditorium executive director Bill Biddle told the audience at 7:05 p.m. that the 7:30 p.m. show had been canceled because of "a personal emergency of an unspecified nature."

Hatfield had been sleeping most of the day in his room, Hakim said. When he didn't answer a wakeup call about 6 p.m., hotel staff and authorities entered the room and found Hatfield's body.

The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Their signature 1964 single, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," has been cited by numerous sources as the most-programmed song in radio history. Later 1960s hits included "Soul and Inspiration" and "Unchained Melody."

Robert Lee Hatfield was born Aug. 10, 1940 in Beaver Dam, Wis. His family moved to Anaheim, Calif., when he was 4.

Hatfield organized singing and instrumental groups in high school while helping his parents with their dry cleaning business.

An avid athlete, Hatfield considered a career in professional baseball, but found his true calling in music ? a love he pursued while attending Long Beach State University, where he formed a band and performed at bars and proms.

Hatfield teamed up with Medley in 1962 as part of a five-piece group called The Paramours. According to the Righteous Brothers Web site, a black Marine called out during one of their performances, "That was righteous, brothers!" They renamed themselves the Righteous Brothers before the release of their first album in 1963.

After splitting up in 1968, they reunited in 1974 and returned to the top of the charts with "Rock and Roll Heaven."

"Unchained Melody" was featured in the 1990 movie "Ghost," and a re-recorded version earned Hatfield and Medley a Grammy nomination.

___

[prisoner6]

How sad! Sympathies to his family, fans and friends.

We've lost that lovin' feelinn'.

prisoner6

[Luis Gonzalez]

Rock And Roll Heaven

Righteous Brothers

Chorus:
If you believe in forever,
Then life is just a one-night stand.
If there's a rock and roll heaven,
Well you know they've got a hell of a band, band, band.
Jimmy gave us rainbows,
And Janis took a piece of our hearts,
And Otis brought us all to the dock of a bay.
Sing a song to light my fire,
Remember Jim that way,
They've all found another place, another place to play.
Chorus
Remember bad bad Leroy Brown,
Hey Jimmy touched us with that song.
Time won't change a friend we came to know.
And Bobby gave us Mack the Knife,
Well look out, he's back in town.
They'll all be there together
When they meet in one big show.
Chorus
There's a spotlight waiting
No matter who you are
Cuz everybody's got a song to sing,
Everyone's a star
(Everybody's got to be a star).
Chorus, repeat and fade out

[Conspiracy Guy]

Mr. Hatfield

I idolized you as a child,
I nearly ruined my voice.
The high notes you could stand on,
Were past my vocal choice.
With Bill I could just sing along,
But with you I just sat.
In awe of how high you could go,
Just how could you do that?
You’ll be missed Bobby, by us all
Your music lives within.
I’m listening to the Melody,
It’s been Unchained Again.

Flurry 11/06/03

[Conspiracy Guy]

Ping to the Princess of Mirth.

[Laura Earl]

Beautiful tribute!

[Coop]

Sad news. Rest in peace.

[discostu]

Oh man, I thought we were getting a reprieve from these things.

[Conspiracy Guy]

He will be missed. I keep hearing the Sam Cook gospel song Hatfield did in my head. "I was born on the river".. I think the song is titled "Long Time Coming" I haven't heard it since 65 or 66.

[CIB-173RDABN]

Music from my youth, sad to hear he is gone, but his music remains.. I think I will put on a CD and just remember the time when I was young..

[facedown]

Where it all started:

[freedox]

Flurry, you are such a jewel.....I always enjoy your poetic tributes!

[Conspiracy Guy]

Thanks freedox. I emailed a bunch of the music posters but they haven't showed up yet. I hope they do. The Johnny Cash thread that is linked on my profile page really got some great music posted to it. Music is like my second heartbeat.

[Eagle9]

That's a beautiful tribute, Flurry.

 

Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody

 

[Conspiracy Guy]

Thanks for the tune. I have it on CD but no way to transfer to the post. You da man.

[janetgreen]

Bill Medley once said about Unchained Melody, "That tune has paid a lot of rent, and I didn't even sing on the sucker". Rest in peace, Bobby.

[sultan88]

"I’m listening to the Melody,
It’s been Unchained Again."

Beautiful, Flurry. Whenever I hear one of their songs, I recall happy times in my life.

[Conspiracy Guy]

I recall so many things based on the tune that's playing. Some people hear voices I hear music. Sort of a melodic bipolar disorder.

[restornu]

I really like that song "I was born on the river" It would linger and was so haughting!

[Conspiracy Guy]

I am glad someone else remembers it. Did Sam Cook write it. I'm logging off now but I'll be back in the morning.