Rock and Roll; Interview with Bill Medley [Part 3 of 3]

Right you thought your. Sole inspiration was supposed to be the follow up record to love and feeling. And we were in New York with Barry and Cynthia and Phil learning that song. Then they had some sort of a disagreement in a way ended up back in L.A. working with Carole Carole King on just once in my life. And when we left Phyllis records and went over to MGM I called Barry Barry and Cynthia and said please send me that song that we were we were learning and they hadn't finished it. They they hadn't even finished writing it. I said oh please finish writing it and send it to me. And so they did and yes so when I went in to the studio to produce sourness peroration because it was supposed to be the follow up to love and feel and it was

pretty pretty obvious you know how how it needed to be done. Not so much that we wanted to try and you know rip off of a Phil Spector production but it just had to be if we didn't try and make it that big we just felt that it was going to sound a little wimpy. And so we we made what I tried to do a Spector production like you know I'll come over here because there's a there. I see you. OK well I just thank you thank you thank you. Oh I'm not what you think it was. Oh I don't think Phil would or would have been threatened by

me producing solar inspiration I think. I think it might have bugged him that we had a number one hit record with kind of a Spector production. But I've said a million times. I I know for a fact that Phil would have made a better record of soul and inspiration then than I did even though it went to number one. You know he would have made a better record. I don't know that it would have been any more commercial but you know what. Well Barry Barry Mann Cynthia wild just become real good friends of mine and and of Bobby's they're just wonderful people in my opinion the greatest writers in the industry period. I think they've proven it year after year after year I

mean some people get hot and they fade and get hot again or whatever but they have been real consistent on having some of the biggest records in the industry and they just keep doing it. I'm hearing you say it was great. Well I think in the early 60s there was a lot of you know there was a lot of growing obviously going on and there was a lot of bubble gum music going on this net and I think I think Barry and Cynthia had the ability to write real adults kind of young adult anyway sounding songs. You know when Barry Barry Mann who writes the melodies

is love's rhythm and blues to you know a lot so he a lot of his influence is from there but he also has he's a great piano player so he has all you know all that stuff to pull from so I think just the chords in the music were a little more grown up and and between that and Cynthia just writing lyrics that were so great but so understandable you know you never had to think about what is what do you mean about that I mean you never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips there's no tenderness like before in your fingertips. It's just flat on the bottom line to this beautiful music and I think that's why they wrote so many songs I mean they. Also Screen Gems or say Listen Paul Peterson for the Donna Reed Show needs a hit record so right she can't find her keys and they could you know do that too so they were they were and they're just the best I think.

So I go back and get your you know 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 you know well for 1963 64 when shindig came on it it was so honest and so authentic that Bobby and I were really surprised you know that. I mean the band was Leon Russell on piano Billy Preston on organ and everybody in that band which was handpicked by Jack Goode was a great rock n roll player. And I'm not again not a jazz or swing player that can kind of play it. These guys were great rock n roll players and Jack Goode

just insisted that it be that on us that you know Bobby and I these two white guys are screaming at the top of our our range and you know getting down on our knees and all that stuff. That's just what he wanted. And it was amazing that it started so it started real authentic and real soulful and kind of got very vanilla. I don't know if they were scrambling for you know to try and get better numbers I know that Jack good wasn't involved at the end of it so he didn't have control over you know that. I mean Jack Goode wanted it to be as crazy as it could he wanted Little Richard to come out and be as wild and as crazy as he could because he was from England and and I guess you could get away with that over there but here it was amazing. So it was a lot of fun we did it for about a year every week.

Yeah there was a phenomenal cast it like that. Like I say the band was there then there was the Wellington three guys and the blossoms. Jeannie phonied and Darlene Love which were the best trio in the world they were on every major record and that in fact we brought the blossoms out on the road when we you know became pretty big nationally and they were just phenomenal and then there was Bobby Sherman and Donna Lauren and then all these great dancers it was about you know 12 girl dancers that were phenomenal and their energy was like amazing. And so the show was just real fast paced and and then they would bring you know once a week all the world they would bring the world in to do this show and I can remember when Ray Charles came on the show it was literally like God

was doing the show. Everybody was like scared and excited and panicked that Ray was doing the show and that was that was a serious highlight in my life anyway because I got to meet Rick. I know right. Oh yeah. Well Ray Charles I really got turned on the of you know Little Richard when I was like 15 and then B.B. King and Bobby Bland. A private 17 and then Ray Charles was about 19 and Ray Charles literally just over took my body I was Ray Charles for about 10 years I he he just literally got in to my soul I couldn't I could not and still can't believe what the man can do vocally and from his heart and his soul. And once

again it was such a such an animal thing. You know it was just wasn't thought out and just you know and me being a kid who dropped out of school and probably little a lot of anger and frustration gone of that that was just the answer for me to be able to sing like that I got a lot of stuff out. So to saying you know. I had recorded Ga Ga Ga and I still do it in my show because it's such a great song but I got that from Ray and. Probably if it wasn't for a Charles I maybe wouldn't have become a singer a stand up singer or maybe a songwriter but not a saint he really. And because I could sound a little like Ray when I was 20 years old that was like real weird. You know people

thought that was really great you know kind of a gimmick great you know and so I think that opened you know some doors and got us going but I just love Ray Charles. I don't I don't know if my parents understood any of it. They didn't understand rock n roll and they certainly didn't understand me in their pounding on the piano for literally eight hours a day. Friends of my mom would say listen why don't you tell a kid shut up and you know I mean I meant as I found trying to play all this and Little Richard stuff I'm banging on the piano and my mom said Listen man anything that kid wants to do for eight hours a day and is not in the street causing trouble. I'm with him so thank God that my my family was musical and they

were they had a band when they were kids young. So you know what I I never discussed the fact with them that I sounded black. I think they just thought I sounded like rock n roll and they were from the the the swing era. You know so they just thought it was so weird anyway. I told my dad once I said I want to be a singer he says Don't you think you have learned how to sing. And he wasn't joking you know to him great sharing worth a moment was singing you know. Gonna tell em everybody of only what I had nothing to do with singing. Yeah. Yeah right right.

Well I think my parents just thought I was weird period but they will see they had a banner there. My dad is a sax player mom was a piano player and sang in the band and obviously from the swing in the Big Band era so the rock n roll thing was like very very odd and a loud and weird and not considered music to them and and everybody thought it was going to go away anyway. But I used to you know I go in and bang at the piano for eight hours a day and my mom was just thrilled that I was in the other room banging the piano than out in the street banging on somebody's head or something you know and my dad. I told my dad once I was going to be a singer and he you so wish you should learn how to sing. And because to him Rudy Vallee you know rationing the moaners that was saying it wasn't good golly miss molly you know.

But. But when we got a little successful they were thrilled to death that I had success in anything. You know they were just tickled to death they didn't care if I sounded like Ray Charles or or Frank Sinatra at that point he's making a buck we'll leave him alone you know. But they were real supportive and and they were wonderful about it. Before the hits or before love and feel like. Yeah. Well we worked a lot of joints you know before we became the Righteous Brothers we're the paramour's in a five piece band so we just played. Small clubs and we were one of the only rock n roll bands in Orange County because there wasn't any and we were like 21 years old and and we would draw young kids which wasn't necessarily what clubs didn't want young. You know kids in the

club because they were trying so a lot of bruises. So they were just joints you know. And the place that we started John's black derby there did be a lot of fights on the on the weekends and and all that. Very typical you know 50s early 60s stuff. And then even when we had the hits well loopy Lou and my babe and that stuff we would play little clubs and the same thing you know. Just real joints bad bad sound systems no lights just use all that. All that kind of stuff until you make enough money to bring in you know the sound system that you want and some lighting and. But there were a lot of fun because you know once again it was it was just flat rock and roll and and and we would have done it if we didn't get paid because it was it was just a lot of fun for us. You

know I can remember the first all black club that we were we were booked into they thought we were black when they booked us into the California club up in L.A. and we showed up and they've they've got this oh what do you mean you're the Righteous Brothers. You know you mean you're the bando Who are you guys. So no me was little blanket or it and there was a black black man it was all black and they put us in the. That he said sit down in the back of the room and just drink and I'll call you up when it's time. Well we sat there and drank and cut 10 beers apiece and by that we went on about Fido two in the morning which the club close to and we said we said well we'll sing a blues flat out we'll do a B.B. King Blues sweet little angel. The first thing they'll either kill us or they'll love us. And they just they just loved they reacted phenomenon that was like the stamp of approval for us and we really felt that we were off and running at that point

I was just an old I've got a sweet little angel. I love the way she spreads away. I got I don't know sweet little angel when she wraps always around me. Hard to join if anything.