Bill Medley recalls years of confused identify when he was singing with Bobby Hatfield as the Righteous Brothers. Their unique sound made many listeners think they were black, he says.

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Still got that
lovin’ feeling

When the two 20-something singers were starting to get noticed for their decidedly unique sound, they encountered an equally unique problem.

Bill Medley Honolulu Symphony Pops season opener In concert: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday Place: Blaisdell Concert Hall Tickets: $40 to $90, available at the Honolulu Symphony ticket office, Dole Cannery Call: 792-2000 or order by phone, 877-750-4400 Online orders: honolulusymphony.com or ticketmaster.com

"Most listeners thought we were black," says Bill Medley, surviving member of the Righteous Brothers. "White radio stations wouldn't play our records because we sang the blues and soul, and black stations wouldn't play us when they found out we were white.

"It was the darnedest situation because they all liked our music."

As their reputation spread from the white enclave of Santa Ana to Los Angeles, their soulful, energetic tunes received limited airplay. Their manager started booking them into L.A. clubs, including Club California in Watts, a predominantly black community.

"When we arrived, the club's manager thought we were in the band," says Medley, 64, who performs with the Honolulu Symphony this week. "I said, 'Uh, we're the Righteous Brothers.'

"I think he booked us because of our hit single, 'Little Latin Lupe Lu.' So he invited us to have as many cocktails as possible. I'm sure he was hopin' we would drink too much and pass out and not be able to perform."

When that didn't work, the manager moved their performance to 1:30 a.m.

"Bobby and I were nervous but said, 'Let's just do what we do,'" Medley said. "We sang down-home funk blues, B.B. King, Ray Charles, and when I started singing 'Georgia on My Mind,' we ripped the house down."

In November 2003 partner Bobby Hatfield suffered a fatal heart attack in his Michigan hotel room, just hours before the Righteous Brothers were to perform.

"Bobby needed to finish up the tour," Medley says, so he created "Bill Medley Celebrates the Music of the Righteous Brothers," a concert format in which Medley continues the Righteous musical tradition, with Hatfield's undeniable imprint. Sounds and images from a live album that the Brothers recorded in 2003 are featured in the celebration concerts.

William T. Medley was singing with the Paramours in 1961 when he was introduced to another young singer from Anaheim, Robert L. Hatfield, a singer with the Variations. The mix of a high tenor and low baritone made the duo one of the most enduring groups in the business.

Their unique sound created the hits "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," "Unchained Melody" and "Rock and Roll Heaven," plus Medley's duet with Jennifer Warnes, "I've Had the Time of My Life." Their songs have been featured in the films "Top Gun," "Ghost," "Naked Gun" and "Dirty Dancing."

"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" still stands as the most-played song in the history of American radio.

They got their name during a performance in Orange County, when several black U.S. Marines were in the audience. "When Bobby and I finished, one yelled out, 'That's righteous, brothers.'"

Medley still lives in the OC, in Newport Beach with his wife and daughter. He does about 100 performances a year. Asked what he does to care for that trademark baritone, he says, "pray a lot." He also takes voice lessons to keep his vocal cords in shape. "If my sinuses clear up, I'd be out of the business."

Medley was raised on rhythm and blues, which in conservative Orange County meant listening to black radio stations out of L.A. "So when I sang, people would say, 'God, you sound black' or 'like Ray Charles,' and I thought, 'Well, I guess that's cool,' but I didn't know."

When cross-racial sound was accepted at Balboa's Rendezvous Ballroom, a surfers' nightclub, the Brothers knew they would make it.

"We still sang rhythm and blues there, and the kids loved it but they thought we were from Mars," Medley said. "We sang with a lot of energy, threw the microphone around and got down on our knees, and these white kids had never seen anything like it."

In television appearances they began to attract a black audience. "We always felt very grateful about that because, come on, we were a couple of very white Orange County guys, and we always told one another that it really should be two black guys doing this music."

Their biggest hit, "Lovin' Feelin'," was recorded on just four tracks. "For all you engineers out there, I think Phil (Spector) had to overdub 13 times," Medley said. "We lost 13 generations, and when you listen to that record, it still holds up like magic."

Medley at first didn't think the ballad was suited to the duo, but he and Hatfield changed the song's original complexion dramatically.

"It has a huge range," Medley said. "To get up to 'You've lost that lovin' feelin'' -- real high note -- you must start out low. So we began the lyric 'You never close your eyes anymore' very low, and it worked.

"Bobby and I did a real good job."

Medley speaks candidly about the "unnecessary" death of his partner. He believes Hatfield was using cocaine because he needed more energy to perform -- three of his arteries were 95 percent blocked.

"He was having so much trouble with ... his wind the last couple of years," Medley says. "I know he wasn't doing coke for fun. He was medicating himself to get through the night. You're talking about a guy who would never go to a doctor.

"It was horrifying and sad but not a surprise."