The Righteous Brothers at the Adler Theatre -- April 27.
Wednesday, April 27, 7:30 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
A legendary vocal team that earned massively renewed popularity when two of duo's biggest hits were featured in the movie smashes Top Gun and Ghost, the Righteous Brothers – now composed of co-founder Bill Medley and Bucky Heard – play a special April 27 concert event at Davenport's Adler Theatre, the 50-years-strong outfit beloved for such iconic tunes as “You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'” and “Unchained Melody.”
Although the Righteous Brothers were originally formed by Medley and Bobby Hatfield in 1963, the pop and soul singers first performed together in 1962 in the Los Angeles area as part of the five-member group the Paramours,later adopting their more familiar moniker when they became a duo. Their most active recording period was in the 1960s and '70s, and, after several years inactive as a duo, Hatfield and Medley reunited in 1981 and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003. With the music they performed sometimes dubbed "blue-eyed soul," Medley and Hatfield had contrasting vocal ranges, which helped them create a distinctive sound as a duet, and both also possessed strong individual vocal talent that allowed them to perform as soloists. Medley sang the low parts with his bass-baritone voice, with Hatfield taking the higher-register vocals with his tenor, his voice even able to reach the challenging register of countertenor.
Following a year-and-a-half of performance without landing in the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100, the duo finally hit big with the late-1964 release of what would become their signature record: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" – a transatlantic number-one smash produced by Phil Spector that is widely considered one of his finest works, and a landmark recording in popular music that later enjoyed iconic prominence in Top Gun. Other notable Righteous Brothers hits included three U.S. 1965 Top 10s – "Just Once in My Life" and covers of "Unchained Melody" (also a huge hit, via Ghost, in 1990) and "Ebb Tide" – and the massive North American chart-topper from 1966 "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," plus the 1974 comeback hit "Rock and Roll Heaven." For his part, Medley also scored a Grammy Award for the Oscar-winning Dirty Dancing song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life."
The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, the year of Hatfield's passing, and then inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005. Rolling Stone, meanwhile, ranked the pair number 16 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. After years of performing as a solo artist, Medley eventually re-formed the Righteous Brothers with Bucky Heard in 2016, with Medley saying, "No one could ever take Bobby’s place, but when I caught Bucky Heard’s show, it all came together – I found the right guy to help me recreate the magic.”
The Righteous Brothers bring their national tour to Davenport on April 27, admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert is $50-90, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 and visiting AdlerTheatre.com.
