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To: Jean Chauvin
A great talent. He'll be missed.
2 posted on
11/05/2003 8:10:36 PM PST by
doug from upland
(Why aren't the Clintons living out their remaining years on Alcatraz?)
To: Jean Chauvin
I always get them mixed up. High voice or low voice?
To: Jean Chauvin
To: Jean Chauvin
Just for clarification, I believe he was still at the Radison Hotel in downtown KZoo when he passed.
Jean
6 posted on
11/05/2003 8:17:51 PM PST by
Jean Chauvin
(Sola Scriptura---Sola Fida---Sola Gracia---Sola Christus---Soli Deo Gloria)
To: Jean Chauvin
He was part of a very exciting time in music history. Very sad to hear of his passing. (1965 cover)
To: Jean Chauvin
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
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10 posted on
11/05/2003 8:19:22 PM PST by
sourcery
("Don't make me get my Ring!")
To: Jean Chauvin
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.
11 posted on
11/05/2003 8:19:42 PM PST by
jokar
(Beware of the White European Male Christian theological complex !!)
To: Jean Chauvin
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.
To: Jean Chauvin
I wonder what he OD'd on?
15 posted on
11/05/2003 8:22:28 PM PST by
E. Pluribus Unum
(Drug prohibition laws help fund terrorism.)
To: Jean Chauvin
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.
20 posted on
11/05/2003 8:27:40 PM PST by
nobdysfool
(Arminianism is pre-school for Calvinists, but only the Elect graduate....)
To: Jean Chauvin
Oh no. How old was he?
22 posted on
11/05/2003 8:29:17 PM PST by
Jorge
To: Jean Chauvin
This news is just making me feel totally empty. God Rest his Soul. Some of the sweetest momments of my youth come back to me when I hear those voices crooning.
24 posted on
11/05/2003 8:29:44 PM PST by
Iowa Granny
(My wild oats have turned to Shredded Wheat)
To: Jean Chauvin
I'll always remember listening to the Righteous Brothers on the radio in the car on the way to the prom in the 60s.
26 posted on
11/05/2003 8:30:53 PM PST by
crabbie
To: Jean Chauvin
A great duo, no question. As to why they never repeated the success they had with Phil Spector, it's for the same reason Wilson Picket never repeated the success he had with Atlantic Records - soul music died with the death of Otis Redding in December of 1967, and the arrival of pretentious art rock about the same time: Sgt Pepper, Creem (Grrrrrh!) come to mind and such class acts as the unmusical Jefferson Airplane come!
To: Jean Chauvin
When I was a teenager in the 60's I sang Unchained Melody, Bobby Hatfield-style, to many crowds. They loved the way I sang that song; but, I wasn't fooled, they loved Bobby Hatfield.
To: Jean Chauvin
This really hurts.
To: Jean Chauvin
Aren't they the ones who sang that song about smokin cigarettes and watchin Captain Kangaroo, I got nuthin to do? I used to crack up every time I heard that. Art Bell used that for bumper music all the time. Awesome vocals.
37 posted on
11/05/2003 8:39:18 PM PST by
FlyVet
To: Jean Chauvin
I had the pleasure of meeting Bobby and Bill at my sister's restaurant in CA many years ago where they were regulars. Bobby was friend's with Cubby from the Mousketeers, anyone remember him?-g-
I was also lucky enough a few decades ago from this same sister, to get the gift of private concert tics and kisses.She knew I always had it for Bill -g-. But I've been told not to speak ill of those who have passed. RIP Bobby.
40 posted on
11/05/2003 8:42:07 PM PST by
JustPiper
(18 out of 19 HiJacker's had State issued Driver's License's !!!)
To: Jean Chauvin
I'm so sad. When I read this I decided to play their cd. The first song I saw on the cd was called, "Go Ahead and Cry". Sigh, maybe I will.
48 posted on
11/05/2003 8:45:01 PM PST by
lara
To: Jean Chauvin
By the way, their records, from the early ones on, which were bigger hits than the article in #10 acknowledges, played on what was then called "soul" radiostations and fooled many people into thinking the singers were soul brothers. Well, they were, weren't they?
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