Bill Medley

I've been going to see Bill Medley since he and Bobby Hatfield did the club circuit back in the '60s. He was always my favorite Righteous Brother, though Bobby was a soulful inspiration too. But it was Bill's deep, velvety smooth and emotionally stirring bass-baritone, displayed most hauntingly in songs like "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin,'" that sent me directly to heaven when, as a high school virgin, I stopped breathing and melted into the...

Even Newport Mesa residents occasionally lose that lovin' feeling and when they do, they can thank Balboa Peninsula-dweller and Righteous Brothers member Bill Medley for having created the tune that perfectly expresses that love-lost condition. In addition to his efforts with the group, Medley has a solo career of his own and has often used it to benefit good causes. When he isn't occupied with the musical life, he can sometimes be found playing golf at the Newport Beach Country Club or hitting a few tennis balls at the Peninsula Point Racquet Club.

Back for its 39th installment, the 2006 Fashion Island Concert Series promises to draw a crowd and rock the house with musical acts every Wednesday for the next six weeks. The series opened Wednesday with a performance from Newport resident Bill Medley. The Righteous Brother covered all of his hits, sharing a duet of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and "Little Latin Lupe Lu" with his son, Darrin. Daughter McKenna opened the concert with three songs, and later joined her father and brother for "(I've Had)

Deepa Bharath Bobby Hatfield was every inch a local boy. He and partner Bill Medley made their debut as the Righteous Brothers in 1962 at the Rendezvous Ballroom on the Balboa Peninsula. There was no looking back. The dynamic duo -- who split only briefly since then -- stuck together like glue and gained world fame with their brand of soulful music and big-time hits such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and "Unchained Melody." Today, the band is without one "brother."

Cardigans come to mind, and monster Chevrolets with tail fins, when the music of The Alley Cats begins to play. That's because The Alley Cats sing a cappella doo-wop, a style that had its heyday in the '50s and early '60s. And they sing it just like it was sung back then. The Alley Cats perform at Borders Books, Music & Cafe at 7 p.m. Sunday. The group, composed of bass Royce Reynolds, tenors Armando Fonseca and Phil Gold, and baritone John O'Campo, was formed in 1987 at Fullerton College.

"The Internet has really killed us, frankly. We have to understand, it's just a different time. We've gotten old and the technology has gotten new. We have to adapt, or that's it. But we can't adapt enough to pay the rent." ? Mary-Alice Currie , owner of the Apollo Book Shop, on closing her store after 44 years of business in Costa Mesa. "You would think after 40 years of those songs you'd go nuts. Oddly enough, the minute I walk on stage I become 25 years old again ?

When it comes to fund-raising for good causes in the Newport-Mesa community, no one does it better than Bill Medley. He sang a concert to gather funds for Amanda Arthur's medical bills after the 1997 Irvine Avenue crash left her in a coma for three months. He and fellow Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield packed the Balboa Pavilion last year to raise money for the Balboa Theater renovation project. And just this week, he did his part for local schools when he gave a benefit concert for the Ensign Fund along with his musically inclined children, McKenna, 12, and Darrin, 34. Medley, who got his start in Balboa performing at the Rendezvous Ballroom, has said performing for local charities is his way of giving back to the community that helped boost his career.

Deepa Bharath The many worlds that Bobby Hatfield inhabited for the last 63 years fused into one Tuesday afternoon. Family members, friends and hundreds of fans jammed Mariner's Church to celebrate the life of the man who was musician, husband, father, friend and practical joker rolled in one. Hatfield, who along with his partner Bill Medley and their band, the Righteous Brothers, pioneered what has been hailed as...

Alex Coolman When Bill Medley was first making a name for himself as one of The Righteous Brothers, he proved that music had a power to surprise people, shaking up their expectations about what was normal and acceptable. In his case, that meant singing rhythm and blues tunes in a style that, at first, seemed too "black" for white radio. More than three decades later, it's Medley's daughter who is a budding player, and Medley's learning all over again about the power of music to take people in unexpected directions.

It would be tough enough shopping for a birthday present for a 100-year-old friend. They've probably gotten everything over the years so you couldn't exactly surprise them. But how about a 100-year-old city? The city has already received a number of gifts in honor of the centennial: the McFadden Square Legacy sculpture, a float in the Rose Parade and an exhibit in the Nautical museum. So what now? Newport Beach officials felt a Righteous Brother concert could fill the bill.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bill Medley , Grammy-winning member of the Righteous Brothers and O.C. native son, fronted the recent "Celebrity Series" produced by the Crescendo Chapter of the Guilds of Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The Jan. 9 appearance delighted a sold-out crowd of about 300 guests at the Bowers Museum, as Medley presented his lecture called "The Time Of My Life," a title borrowed from one of the songs that made his act world famous. It is also the title of Medley's soon-to-be-released biography, written with Mike Marino , who joined Medley onstage and conducted an interview with the singer-songwriter.

I've been going to see Bill Medley since he and Bobby Hatfield did the club circuit back in the '60s. He was always my favorite Righteous Brother, though Bobby was a soulful inspiration too. But it was Bill's deep, velvety smooth and emotionally stirring bass-baritone, displayed most hauntingly in songs like "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin,'" that sent me directly to heaven when, as a high school virgin, I stopped breathing and melted into the...

Newport Beach native McKenna Medley was only a newborn when her father, Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, recorded "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" with Jennifer Warnes for a low-budget romance film starring then-little-known actors Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Twenty years later, the song has gone on to win an Academy Award and a Grammy, McKenna Medley has a successful singing career of her own, and "Dirty Dancing" has captivated the hearts of a diverse audience, generating more than $170 million in box office sales.

"The Internet has really killed us, frankly. We have to understand, it's just a different time. We've gotten old and the technology has gotten new. We have to adapt, or that's it. But we can't adapt enough to pay the rent." ? Mary-Alice Currie , owner of the Apollo Book Shop, on closing her store after 44 years of business in Costa Mesa. "You would think after 40 years of those songs you'd go nuts. Oddly enough, the minute I walk on stage I become 25 years old again ?

Back for its 39th installment, the 2006 Fashion Island Concert Series promises to draw a crowd and rock the house with musical acts every Wednesday for the next six weeks. The series opened Wednesday with a performance from Newport resident Bill Medley. The Righteous Brother covered all of his hits, sharing a duet of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and "Little Latin Lupe Lu" with his son, Darrin. Daughter McKenna opened the concert with three songs, and later joined her father and brother for "(I've Had)

It would be tough enough shopping for a birthday present for a 100-year-old friend. They've probably gotten everything over the years so you couldn't exactly surprise them. But how about a 100-year-old city? The city has already received a number of gifts in honor of the centennial: the McFadden Square Legacy sculpture, a float in the Rose Parade and an exhibit in the Nautical museum. So what now? Newport Beach officials felt a Righteous Brother concert could fill the bill.

Deepa Bharath The many worlds that Bobby Hatfield inhabited for the last 63 years fused into one Tuesday afternoon. Family members, friends and hundreds of fans jammed Mariner's Church to celebrate the life of the man who was musician, husband, father, friend and practical joker rolled in one. Hatfield, who along with his partner Bill Medley and their band, the Righteous Brothers, pioneered what has been hailed as...

Deepa Bharath Bobby Hatfield was every inch a local boy. He and partner Bill Medley made their debut as the Righteous Brothers in 1962 at the Rendezvous Ballroom on the Balboa Peninsula. There was no looking back. The dynamic duo -- who split only briefly since then -- stuck together like glue and gained world fame with their brand of soulful music and big-time hits such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and "Unchained Melody." Today, the band is without one "brother."

Young Chang Little known Righteous Brothers facts: "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" is the most played record in the history of American radio. Bill Medley, one-half of the Righteous duo, finds this "mind boggling." The pair's first public performance was at the Rendezvous Ballroom on the Balboa Peninsula in the summer of 1962. Surf bands were really big here back then. Medley and the other Righteous half, Bobby Hatfield, both live in Newport Beach.

Cardigans come to mind, and monster Chevrolets with tail fins, when the music of The Alley Cats begins to play. That's because The Alley Cats sing a cappella doo-wop, a style that had its heyday in the '50s and early '60s. And they sing it just like it was sung back then. The Alley Cats perform at Borders Books, Music & Cafe at 7 p.m. Sunday. The group, composed of bass Royce Reynolds, tenors Armando Fonseca and Phil Gold, and baritone John O'Campo, was formed in 1987 at Fullerton College.