Righteous Brothers
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Year:
2003
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Inducted by:
Billy Joel
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Category:
Performers
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Bill Medley -
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Bobby Hatfield
Introduction
One of the greatest soul duos of all time.
Bobby Hatfield’s tenor floated above Bill Medley’s resonant bass in their melancholy ballads. To this day, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” is a monument to soul and Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound.
Billy Joel Inducts the Righteous Brothers
Billy Joel Inducts the Righteous Brothers at the 2003 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony-
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Billy Joel Inducts the Righteous Brothers00:07:01 -
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The Righteous Brothers Acceptance Speech00:02:31 -
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"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"00:04:21
Hall of Fame Essay
2003
Radio without a doubt, is the most important vehicle for a recording artist. How many times did you turn on your radio and hear a great song by a great artist- maybe Johnny Otis singing “Willie and the Hand Jive,” the Magnificent Men doing “Peace of Mind,” or the Soul Survivors performing “Expressway (To Your Heart)” - not realizing these were white performers, ones who had the soul and the ability to sound black?
Conversely, did you ever listen to an artist like Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae or Nancy Wilson and say to yourself, “Wow, what a fantastic performer,” and assume she was white? That’s the wonderful thing about music: The great equalizer, it knows no race, no color, no creed.
