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Famed American duo the Righteous Brothers will take Livermore audience members back to the 1960s with two concerts at the Bankhead Theater next week.
The band is set to take the theater stage on Wednesday and Thursday (Oct. 11-12) at 7:30 p.m., with founding member Bill Medley, known for his signature low bass-baritone voice, joined by current singing partner Bucky Heard.
“We do the classic, ‘Unchained Melody’, which was a hit in the ’60s, and of course, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin”, ‘I’ve Had the Time of My Life’ from ‘Dirty Dancing’ — all the big hits that the Righteous Brothers fans love, and then so much more,” Heard told the Weekly in a recent interview. “It’s a real pleasure, almost like ‘The Righteous Brothers Musical’.”
The Righteous Brothers, formed in 1963 Southern California, are known for their most active recording and touring periods during the 1960s and 1970s.
“We’re very fortunate, the Righteous Brothers had a history of great songs from back when they first recorded them in the ’60s and ’70s,” added Heard, who joined the lineup nearly a decade ago. “A lot of their songs that were hits in the ’60s were later revived in the movies in the ’80s, so there’s a wide age group that knows the music so well. At the shows we’ll have 80-year-olds sitting with 40-year-olds in the audience who all love the music the same.”
Medley originally created the group with his tenor counterpart Bobby Hatfield. The group remained strong, with a few brief periods of hiatus, until Hatfield’s death in 2003.
Over 10 years later, Medley listened to Heard singing in a Journey tribute group in Mississippi. After asking him to sing a few of the Righteous Brothers’ hit songs, Medley invited the classically trained vocalist Heard to perform with him in 2016 establishing the duo’s new rendition.
Currently, the two are on their eighth successful season of residency shows in Las Vegas and embarking on a nationwide tour.
During shows Medley will often talk to the audience with ease, sharing stories about early touring and recording days, like opening for the Beatles and more. Heard said the two showmen strive to create a sense of familiarity with the audience members, almost like they are in their own living room.
“People are gonna get what they expect and more. Bill Medley has been doing this a long time. He knows how to put a show together and the audience leaves feeling like they’ve experienced something,” Heard said. “We want each individual audience member to feel like we’re doing the show just for them. So we create this atmosphere like we just walked into your living room and are performing for you.”
To the Righteous Brothers, the fans and their connection to the songs is the most important element of the show.
“We’ve played in front of thousands of people but the object is always to make the audience feel special. It’s about them and it’s about performing the songs that they love so much so that they can relive those memories,” Heard said. “It’s so fulfilling and heartfelt; I’m just so proud to be a part of it.”
“We are watching the people relive the memories. You can look in their faces and see them going all the way back to 1966, and watching that is just magical to see the memories flooding back to them,” he added.
When recalling his favorite song in Righteous Brothers discography, Heard spoke about the 1974 hit “Rock and Roll Heaven”.
“(This song) is a tribute to all the great rock stars that we’ve unfortunately lost over the years, recently Glen Campbell or Tina Turner. These are all the artists that have died that laid the groundwork for the rest of us,” Heard said.
“Back in 1974 I would sit in my room and play that record over and over again,” he added. The singer shared a memory of playing his 45 record of the track to the point where he had to buy a second copy because his first had been played out so much.
“I would sit there and try to emulate Bobby, having no clue that some 50 years later I’d be standing beside (Bill) and actually helping fill in for Bobby,” he added.
Heard himself comes from a theater background, but has done everything from rock to opera.
“Music moves me in general,” he said. “I have a pretty wide appreciation of music. And I think that’s kind of what makes me who I am because I’ve had experience with a lot of different genres.”
Although Heard is pleased to be a part of the Righteous Brothers, he understands the impact Hatfield had and doesn’t feel the need to be a “replacement” for the late singer.
“(Bobby) is an iconic voice. There is no replacing Bobby Hatfield, but I’m filling in for him so that we can keep bringing the music to the people,” Heard said. “We pay tribute to Bobby at the show. We were very respectful to him and dedicate part of the show to him, so it’s almost like he’s with us onstage.”
Heard and Medley, who recently turned 83, continue their current tour through November.
“We’re really hitting our stride with these shows, and Bill is absolutely crushing it,” said Heard.
To find tickets for the Bankhead Theater shows, visit livermorearts.org.
