FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Los Angeles area as part of a five-member group called the Paramours, and adopted the name The Righteous Brothers 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. The music they performed is sometimes dubbed “blue-eyed soul“.
Hatfield and Medley had contrasting vocal ranges, which helped them create a distinctive sound as a duet. They each had the vocal talent 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 reached the register of a countertenor.
Following a year and a half of Top 40 non-entries on Billboard’s Hot 100, the duo hit big with the late-1964 release of what would become their signature record, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” – a transatlantic number one produced by Phil Spector, often considered one of his finest works and a landmark recording in popular music. Other notable hits include three US 1965 Top Tens – “Just Once in My Life” and covers of “Unchained Melody” (also a huge hit in 1990 after being featured in the film Ghost) and “Ebb Tide” – and the massive US 1966 number one “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration“, plus the 1974 comeback hit “Rock and Roll Heaven“. Both Hatfield and Medley also had for a time their own solo careers. In 2016, Medley re-formed The Righteous Brothers with Bucky Heard and they continue to perform as a duo.
The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005. Rolling Stone ranked them no. 16 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
What does the word commonwealth mean, as in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania?
According to The New Columbia Encyclopedia, a commonwealth is a “form of administration signifying government by the common consent of the people.” It is similar in meaning to the word state and in the 17th century came to refer to an organized political community. Other commonwealths in the United States include Massachusetts, Virginia, and Kentucky.
Advice of the Day
A little soap on the hinges will remedy a creaky door.
Home Hint of the Day
To patch a small hole in a leather tabletop, melt a small piece of wax crayon of the right color and fill the hole. Smooth the crayon with your finger while the wax is still warm.
Word of the Day
Pareidolia
The erroneous or fanciful perception of a pattern or meaning in something that is actually ambiguous or random — like the Man in the Moon or animals in cloud formations or religious images in tortillas.
Puzzle of the Day
What English word has all the vowels in alphabetical order?
Facetiously
Born
- Christopher Marlowe (playwright) – 1564
- Aaron Burr (politician) – 1756
- Babe Ruth (baseball player) – 1895
- Ronald Reagan (40th U.S. president) – 1911
- Tom Brokaw (newscaster) – 1940
- Bob Marley (Reggae musician, founding member of The Wailers) – 1945
- Natalie Cole (singer) – 1950
- Kim Zmeskal (Olympic gymnast) – 1976
Died
- Arthur Ashe (tennis player died) – 1993
- Joseph Cotten (actor) – 1994
- Merle Kilgore (country musician) – 2005
- Keith Knudsen (member of the Doobie Brothers) – 2005
- James Whitmore (actor) – 2009
Events
- Massachusetts joined the Union as the sixth state– 1788
- Robert E. Lee named Confederate general in chief (US Civil War)– 1865
- Sun-Maid raisins trademark registered– 1917
- Woodrow Wilson became first U.S. president to be buried in D.C.– 1924
- Barbara Ann Scott won Canada’s first Olympic gold medal for figure skating – 1948
- Elizabeth II ascended to British throne– 1952
- Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor proclaimed Queen of Canada– 1952
- You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling by The Righteous Brothers topped charts– 1965
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower shot a hole-in-one– 1968
- Alan Shepard became the first man to hit a golf ball on the Moon– 1971
- Mr. Fred Rogers molded the 100 billionth Crayola crayon. The color was named blue ribbon– 1996
- The New England Patriots won their third Super Bowl victory in four years with a 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX– 2005
- SpaceX launched Elon Musk’s Starman mannequin in a Tesla roadster– 2018
Weather
- Temperatures in parts of Ohio and Kentucky did not rise above 0 degrees F all day– 1807
- -10.3 degrees Fahrenheit, Boston, Massachusetts– 1855
- 36.4” snow fell in North Foster, Rhode Island– 1978
- Southern Louisiana had snow for the second time in three days, with one to four inches accumulated– 1988
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