Righteous Brothers farewell tour rolls into Greenville: Upstate Beat

If musical artists are lucky, they might have one song that captures the public consciousness. If they’re very lucky, they might have two. But when you look at the catalog of the iconic blue-eyed soul duo The Righteous Brothers, it’s almost an embarrassment of riches.

You can start with “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin,’” an absolute classic soul-rock ballad that still fires off heartbroken sparks to this day. The song has become such a part of the cultural fabric that in 2015, the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress chose the song as one of the 25 recordings that have “cultural, artistic and/or historical significance to American society and the nation’s audio legacy.”

But that’s far from the only classic created by bass baritone Bill Medley and tenor Bobby Hatfield. Hits liked “Ebb Tide,” “(You’re My) Soul & Inspiration,” “Unchained Melody” and “Just Once in My Life” have been radio staples for decades.

These are the songs upon which Medley and Hatfield built their legacy, and they will certainly be on the set list when the Righteous Brothers play at the Peace Center on Feb. 29 as part of their “Lovin’ Feelin’ Farewell Tour.”

That’s right: The Righteous Brothers are saying goodbye after an astounding 62-year career.

“The traveling is becoming pretty tough, says Bill Medley, the surviving member of the original duo. “Like we say, we will do the show for nothing, but you gotta pay us to travel.”

Medley is 83 years young, so it makes sense that he’s looking to wind things down. What’s interesting is that the Righteous Brothers came back at all. Hatfield passed away in 2003, and the duo remained dormant until 2016 when Medley caught a show featuring Bucky Heard.

“I was working on my own,” Medley said, “and I wasn’t looking to put the Righteous Brothers back together, but I have a lot of friends who said, ‘Boy, the people want to hear that music.’ I was in Branson, Missouri, and saw Bucky Heard on stage. We’d been friends for years, so we just sat down at the piano and sang together and it sounded great.”

At the Peace Center, Medley and Heard will take fans through the beloved catalog. Medley says he can’t wait to connect with the crowd.

“The audience is always the key,” Medley says. “An artist can only be as good as the audience will allow them to be. But we were blessed with such wonderful songs, and when I go onstage, I feel like I’m 25 years old.”