Bill Medley

William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer best known as one of the Righteous Brothers. He is noted for his bass-baritone voice, exemplified in songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Medley produced a number of the duo's songs, including "Unchained Melody" and "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration".

Medley is also a solo artist. His million-selling No. 1 duet with Jennifer Warnes, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (1987), won a number of awards. In the 1980s, Medley also had a string of country music chart hits.

Medley was born September 19, 1940, in Santa Ana, California to Arnold and Irma Medley. He attended Santa Ana High School, graduating in 1958. Raised a Presbyterian, he sang in the church choir, and his parents had a swing band. He became interested in R&B music through listening to black-oriented radio stations. An early influence he has cited is Little Richard, whom he first heard when he was fifteen or sixteen years old, and later Ray Charles, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and B.B. King.

Medley first formed a singing duo called The Romancers with his friend Don Fiduccia, who also played the guitar. He began to write songs and record multi-track recordings in his living room. At 19, he wrote two songs recorded by vocal group The Diamonds: “Woomai-Ling”, released as a single in 1961, and “Chimes in My Heart”, unreleased until the 1996 compilation album “The Best of The Diamonds: The Mercury Years”. Medley and Fiduccia then formed a group called The Paramours in 1960, with Sal Fasulo and Nick Tuturro, later joined by Mike Rider and Barry Rillera. The band had its first paying gig at Little Italy restaurant in Anaheim, California. The Paramours were signed to Mercury Records' subsidiary label Smash Records, releasing such songs as "That's the Way We Love" and "Miss Social Climber" in 1961.

Medley first met his singing partner Bobby Hatfield through Barry Rillera who was in both Hatfield's and Medley's band (the Variations and the aforementioned Paramours, respectively) and asked them to see each other's shows. In 1962 they formed a new group, but kept the name the Paramours, which included saxophonist John Wimber, who went on to found The Vineyard Church movement. They performed at The Black Derby nightclub in Santa Ana, and released the single "There She Goes (She's Walking Away)" in December 1962 through independent record label Moonglow. However, the band did not have much success and soon broke up, leaving Hatfield and Medley to perform as a duo in 1963.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.