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Unchained melodies: The Righteous Brothers say goodbye as 'Lovin' Feelin' Farewell Tour' makes Isleta Resort & Casino stop

RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS 0N STAGE

Bucky Heard, left, and Bill Medley make up The Righteous Brothers. The duo brings its 鈥淟ovin鈥 Feelin鈥 Farewell Tour鈥 to Isleta Resort & Casino on Saturday, Feb. 1.

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THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS ''Lovin' Feelin' Farewell Tour'

THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS 鈥楲ovin鈥 Feelin鈥 Farewell Tour鈥

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1

WHERE: Isleta Resort & Casino, 11000 Broadway Blvd. SE

HOW MUCH: $45-$65, plus fees, at holdmyticket.com

After more than 60 years, The Righteous Brothers are saying goodbye to fans following a career full of memorable songs.

It all began with the song, 鈥淟ittle Latin Lupe Lu,鈥 written by founding member Bill Medley at age 19. At the time, Medley and singer Bobby Hatfield, were in a five-piece band called The Paramours. The duo left the group and recorded the song in 1962 for Ray Maxwell at Moonglow Records.

鈥淚 dated a girl named Lupe for a couple of years and we broke up, obviously,鈥 Medley said. 鈥淚 just wrote the song and I just liked how 鈥楲ittle Latin Lupe Lu鈥 was fun to sing. So I wrote a song around that, and they loved it, and they wanted to record it. That was our first hit, and started everything off.鈥

The duo needed a name and came up with The Righteous Brothers, which was inspired by Black Marines from El Toro Marine base in California. The Marines heard about the duo singing rhythm and blues songs and went to check out their performances in the early 1960s in Orange County, California. Sometimes at the end of a song, the Marines would yell out, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 righteous, brother!鈥

Shortly after 鈥淟ittle Latin Lupe Lu鈥 peaked at 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, the duo was approached by record producer and songwriter Phil Spector, and recorded 鈥淵ou鈥檝e Lost That Lovin鈥 Feelin鈥.鈥

鈥淲hen Barry (Mann) and Cynthia Weil wrote the song for us, it was kind of faster and higher, and I couldn鈥檛 get the real high notes,鈥 Medley said. 鈥淭hey鈥檇 have to lower it and every time they would lower it, Phil Spector, who produced it, slowed it down. And so it just became kind of a different record and it just did amazingly well.鈥

The Righteous Brothers music has spanned several generations, with its songs being used in blockbuster films such as 鈥淕host鈥 and 鈥淭op Gun.鈥 However, the song 鈥(I鈥檝e Had) The Time of My Life,鈥 performed by Medley and Jennifer Warnes for the 鈥淒irty Dancing鈥 soundtrack, stands out the most in Medley鈥檚 mind. He jokingly refers to it as 鈥渢he song that won鈥檛 die.鈥

In 2003, Medley took a short hiatus after Hatfield passed away at age 63. It was not until Medley listened to Bucky Heard, 10 years after Hatfield鈥檚 death, that he realized he was not ready to give up what he and Hatfield created together and returned to the stage with Heard. It has been a good run for Medley and Heard, who are bidding adieu to fans with their 鈥淟ovin鈥 Feelin鈥 Farewell Tour鈥 that makes a stop at Isleta Resort & Casino on Saturday, Feb. 1.

鈥淲e do the songs that we had kids with and I know that鈥檚 why 90% of the people are there,鈥 Medley said. 鈥淲e just do those songs and a couple of other surprises. But the main thing is we have a lot of fun in the show. We both have pretty good sense of humors and so it鈥檚 always kind of a party.鈥

Medley also credits young at heart audiences for keeping the mood lively during The Righteous Brothers concerts and keeping him touring after all these years.

鈥淭he audience makes you feel like you鈥檙e 25-years-old,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou walk on stage and they feel like they鈥檙e 25, so the whole room is filled with 25-year-old people. The only tough thing is the traveling. The traveling鈥檚 getting a little tough, but I love what I do, and I can鈥檛 do anything else, so it鈥檚 a no brainer.鈥