Righteous Brothers bring that lovin’ feelin’ back to Luther Burbank Center

After more than half a century in the music business, Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers has lost neither his voice nor his lovin’ feelin’.

Medley and Bobby Hatfield, his original partner in the duo, scored a number one hit single in 1965 with “You’ve Lost That Loving Feelin’,” which was eventually declared the most-played song on American radio and television of the 20th century.

Hatfield died in 2003, but for the past two years, Medley has been on the road again, touring as the Righteous Brothers with singer Bucky Heard. Medley and Heard will perform Sunday at Santa Rosa’s Luther Burbank Center for the Arts.

Having overcome serious voice strain decades ago through an ongoing regimen of vocal exercises, Medley has worked hard to maintain his famous bass baritone.

“I haven’t changed a bit,” Medley, 78, said by phone from his home in Newport Beach, breaking into a hearty laugh.

The Righteous Brothers racked up a long line of hits, including “Unchained Melody,” “Soul and Inspiration” and “Roll and Roll Heaven,” but their enduring trademark song, “Lovin’ Feelin’,” produced by Phil Spector, was an unlikely hit in the beginning, Medley said.

“It was way too long. In those days, a record would be about two minutes and 20 seconds, and ‘Lovin’ Feelin’ was almost four minutes long, so we knew the radio stations wouldn’t play it. It was kinda slow, and I sounded like I was on the wrong speed,” he recalled.

“There were a lot of things going against it, but I think that’s part of what the made the song so special, because it was so different at that time,” Medley said.

Long after their initial release, a couple of Righteous Brothers hits enjoyed a revival as parts of popular movie soundtracks, including “Lovin’ Feelin’” in “Top Gun,” 1986, and “Unchained Melody” in “Ghost,” 1990. Medley’s duet with Jennifer Warnes on “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” served as the theme song of “Dirty Dancing” in 1987.

All three songs are part of the current Righteous Brothers act. Medley sings “The Time of My Life” with his daughter, Mc?Kenna, 31, one of the duo’s three backup singers.

“McKenna was born right when I did ‘The Time of My Life’ and now she’s onstage singing it with me. The beat goes on,” Medley said.

And it is Medley, not Heard, who performs the late Bobby Hatfield’s signature hit, “Unchained Melody.”

“Bucky could sing it, but in this show, I do ‘Unchained Melody,’ and I pay tribute to Bobby,” Medley said. “We show a video of the old Righteous Brothers and Bobby. It’s kind of hard to put Bucky out there singing ‘Unchained Melody,’ because it’s really Bobby’s song. I don’t do a Bobby Hatfield version. I do a more laid-back version of it.”

Bucky Heard, 52, has his own moments in the show, Medley said, including a soaring version of Roy Orbison’s “Crying.”

“I asked him to do it, because I’d seen him do it in his own show, and he just killed it. It’s one of my favorite songs.”

Of course, nearly every song in the show is a Righteous Brothers hit.

“We know why people are coming out to see us,” Medley said. “So many people were raised on these songs, and they want to hear ’em.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 707-521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @danarts.

After more than half a century in the music business, Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers has lost neither his voice nor his lovin’ feelin’.

Medley and Bobby Hatfield, his original partner in the duo, scored a number-one hit single in 1965 with “You’ve Lost That Loving Feelin’,” which was eventually declared the most-played song on American radio and television of the 20th century.

Hatfield died in 2003, but for the past two years, Medley has been on the road again, touring as the Righteous Brothers with singer Bucky Heard. Medley and Heard will perform Sunday at Santa Rosa’s Luther Burbank Center for the Arts.

Having overcome serious voice strain decades ago through an ongoing regimen of vocal exercises, Medley has worked hard to maintain his famous bass baritone.

“I haven’t changed a bit,’ Medley, 78, said by phone from his home in Newport Beach, breaking into a hearty laugh.

The Righteous Brothers racked up a long line of hits, including “Unchained Melody,” “Soul and Inspiration” and “Roll and Roll Heaven,” but their enduring trademark song, “Lovin’ Feelin’,” produced by Phil Spector, was an unlikely hit in the beginning, Medley said.

“It was way too long. In those days, a record would be about two minutes and 20 seconds, and ‘Lovin’ Feelin’ was almost four minutes long, so we knew the radio stations wouldn’t play it. It was kinda slow, and I sounded like I was on the wrong speed.”

Medley recalled.

“There were a lot of things going against it, but I think that’s part of what the made the song so special, because it was so different at that time,” Medley said.

Long after their initial release, a couple of Righteous Brothers hits enjoyed a revival as parts of popular movie soundtracks, including “Lovin’ Feelin’” in “Top Gun,” 1986, and “Unchained Melody” in “Ghost,” 1990. Medley’s duet with Jennifer Warnes on “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” served as the theme song of “Dirty Dancing” in 1987.

All three songs are of the current Righteous Brothers act. Medley sings “The Time of My Life” with his daughter McKenna, 31, one of the duo’s three backup singers.

“McKenna was born right when I did ‘The Time of My Life’ and now she’s onstage singing it with me. The beat goes on,” Medley said.

And it is Medley, not Heard, who performs the late Bobby Hatfield’s signature hit, “Unchained Melody.”

“Bucky could sing it, but in this show, I do ‘Unchained Melody,’ and I pay tribute to Bobby,” Medley said. “We show a video of the old Righteous Brothers and Bobby. It’s kind of hard to put Bucky out there singing ‘Unchained Melody,’ because it’s really Bobby’s song. I don’t do a Bobby Hatfield version. I do a more laid-back version of it.”

Bucky Heard, 52, has his own moments in the show, Medley said, including a soaring version of Roy Orbison’s “Crying.”

“I asked him to do it, because I’d seen him do it in his own show, and he just killed it. It’s one of my favorite songs.”

Of course, nearly every song in the show is a Righteous Brothers hit.

“We know why people are coming out to see us,” Medley said. “So many people were raised on these songs, and they want to hear ‘em.”

You can reach staff writer Dan Taylor at 707-521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @danarts.