BILL MEDLEY
BILL MEDLEY
with Very Special Guest DARLENE LOVE
Bill Medley is a seminal figure in the history of American music. He is perhaps best known as half of the unmistakable duo, The Righteous Brothers. Their raw emotional rhythm and blues sound essentially created the genre "blue-eyed soul." In the mid-1960s, the Righteous Brothers became a fixture on Top Forty radio with hits like "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "Just Once in My Life," "Unchained Melody," and "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," creating an ultra-dramatic take on Sixties pop romance. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Orange County's Santa Ana, Medley always had a passion for music. His father led a big band and played saxophone and his mother played piano and sang. Naturally, Medley gravitated to glee club and amateur singing contests during his youth, but it wasn't until he heard the music of Ray Charles and Little Richard that the idea of making music for a living seemed feasible.
"When I heard Little Richard," he reflects, "I knew I wanted to do that. When I heard Ray Charles, I knew I needed to do that."
On March 10, 2003, The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The induction came just months before Bobby Hatfield's unexpected death. Medley not only lost his singing partner ... he had lost a close friend whom he'd known since his late teens. After a period of mourning, Medley made the decision to continue touring as a solo artist.
Now this year, for the first time since Hatfield's passing, Bill Medley has gone back into the studio to record an album that not only honors the legacy of their historic partnership, but also reveals the aitistiy of Medley in his own right. Damn Near Righteous pays tribute to a number of legendary mentors and peers-including Hatfield. The album is comprised of both new material and covers of some unforgettable classics, paying homage to Ray Charles with his own rendition of "Lonely Avenue," and collaborating with Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) and Phil Everly (The Everly Brothers) on a soulful version of Wilson's classic, "In My Room."
This song brings together three of the most important vocal harmonists in rock and roll. David Wild of Rolling Stone Magazine, said of Medley's new album, "This gritty singer has delivered his finest solo album and the best thing he's done since the Sixties, period."
Medley shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, keeping to a rigorous tour schedule so he may share his love of music night after night with all of his loyal fans.
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