Robert Lee Hatfield (August 10, 1940 – November 5, 2003) was an American singer. He and

Bill Medley William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers. He is noted for his bass-baritone voice, exemplified in songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Med ...

were

the Righteous Brothers 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 Lo ...

. He sang the tenor part for the duo, and sang solo on the group's 1965 recording of "

Unchained Melody "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the prison film '' Unchained'' (1955), hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack.Robert Rodr ...

Early life

Born in

Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Beaver Dam is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, along Beaver Dam Lake and the Beaver Dam River. The population was 16,708 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city primarily located in Dodge County. It is the principal city ...

, Hatfield moved with his family to

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

, when he was four. He attended

Anaheim High School Anaheim High School is a public, four-year high school in the city of Anaheim, California, United States and serves students living in the Colony District of Anaheim. Anaheim High School was first established in 1898, which makes it the oldest ...

, where he played football and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, and was co-captain of the basketball team. He was student body president in the 1957–1958 school year, graduating in 1958. He briefly considered signing as a professional ballplayer, but his passion for music led him to pursue a singing career while still attending high school. He attended

Fullerton College Fullerton College (FC) is a public community college in Fullerton, California. The college is part of the California Community Colleges System and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the oldest communi ...

. He eventually encountered his singing partner,

, while attending California State University, Long Beach. Hatfield is an alumnus of

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...

fraternity.

Career

Bobby Hatfield initially was in a group from Anaheim called the Variations. In 1962, Hatfield joined with Medley who was in a group called the Paramours, and formed a five-member group using the same name: ''Paramours''. They first performed at a club called John's Black Derby in Santa Ana. Later they performed as a duo and named their singing act The Righteous Brothers. They were often told they sounded like African-American gospel singers and chose the name after black Marines remarked of their singing, "that's righteous, brothers" and called them "righteous brothers". Their first charted single as the Righteous Brothers was "

Little Latin Lupe Lu "Little Latin Lupe Lu" was written by Bill Medley in 1962, and became the song that launched The Righteous Brothers' career. Though it peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 49 on June 8, 1963, Medley and his partner, Bobby Hatfield, were ...

" released under the label Moonglow Records, and they appeared regularly on the television show ''

Shindig! ''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles, Hatfield also recorded as solo artist with Moonglow and released an uncharted single, "Hot Tamales"/"I Need a Girl". In 1964, they appeared in a show at the

Cow Palace The Cow Palace (originally the California State Livestock Pavilion) is an indoor arena located in Daly City, California, situated on the city's northern border with neighboring San Francisco. Because the border passes through the property, a por ...

near San Francisco and met the music producer

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

, whose group

The Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. ...

was also in the show. Spector was impressed and signed them to his own label

Philles Records Philles Records was an American record label formed in 1961 by Phil Spector and Lester Sill, the label taking its name from a hybrid of their first names. Initially, the label was distributed by Jamie/Guyden in Philadelphia. In 1962, Spector pu ...

. Their first No. 1 was "

You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin is a song by Phil Spector, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, first recorded in 1964 by the American vocal duo the Righteous Brothers, whose version was also produced by Spector and is cited by some music critics as ...

," produced by

in 1964. Follow-up hits included "

," which was actually a Hatfield solo performance. After the success of "Unchained Melody", Spector then started recording older standards with the Righteous Brothers such as "

Ebb Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tabl ...

", which Hatfield also performed solo, and it reached the Top 5. Both "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide" were songs he had performed with his first group, the Variations. Another two of the last songs the duo recorded with Philles Records, " The White Cliffs of Dover" and " For Sentimental Reasons", were performed solo by Hatfield. In 1966, the Righteous Brothers left Spector and signed with Verve/ MGM Records, and had a hit with "

(You're My) Soul and Inspiration "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" is a song by American pop duo the Righteous Brothers. It was the group's first hit after leaving their long-time producer Phil Spector. The song was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who also wrote the group ...

". However the duo broke up in 1968, and Hatfield teamed with singer Jimmy Walker (from

The Knickerbockers The Knickerbockers were an American garage rock band formed in Bergenfield, New Jersey in 1964. They released the 1965 hit " Lies", which was known for its resemblance to the Beatles. The band was formed in 1964 by the brothers Beau Charles (g ...

) using the Righteous Brothers name on the MGM label. The new partnership released an album but did not have much success. Hatfield recorded a number of singles as a solo artist, such as the self-penned "Hang Ups" and covers of older songs, but " Only You" was his only charted single, peaking at No. 95. In 1969, Hatfield also appeared in the TV movie ''

The Ballad of Andy Crocker ''The Ballad of Andy Crocker'' is a 1969 American made-for-television film produced by Thomas/Spelling Productions, which was first broadcast by ABC. The film tells the story of a young man's struggle to reclaim his life after fighting in the Vi ...

''. In 1971, he released a solo album, ''Messin' in Muscle Shoals'', recorded at the FAME Studios in

Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

in August 1970. However, MGM was in financial trouble, a scheduled single "The Promised Land"/"Woman You Got No Soul" was not released, and with little promotion the album largely went unnoticed. Hatfield and Medley reunited in 1974, and had another hit, the No. 3 "

Rock and Roll Heaven "Rock and Roll Heaven" is a song written by Alan O'Day and Johnny Stevenson, popularized by The Righteous Brothers. It is a paean to several deceased singers such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding, and has been rewritten a number of ...

." A hiatus followed between 1976 and 1981 when Medley retired from music after his ex-wife died, but they reunited for an anniversary special on '' American Bandstand'' in 1981 to perform an updated version of "Rock and Roll Heaven". In 1990, after the success of the 1990 film '' Ghost'' where "Unchained Melody" was used, Hatfield re-recorded "Unchained Melody", and Hatfield remarked to friends that he had not lost any of the high notes in his

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

range since the original recording, but had actually gained one note. The duo then toured extensively all through the 1990s and early 2000s. The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003 by Billy Joel.

Personal life

Hatfield had a short marriage with Joy Ciro, who appeared as a dancer on the ''

T.A.M.I. Show ''T.A.M.I. Show'' is a 1964 concert film released by American International Pictures. It includes performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and England. The concert was held at the Santa Monica Civ ...

'' and ''

Where the Action Is ''Where the Action Is'' is a music-based television variety show that aired in the United States from 1965 to 1967. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon. Created by Dick Clark as a spin-off of '' American Bandstan ...

''. They had two children, Bobby, Jr. and Kalin. Hatfield married Linda Torrison on August 4, 1979, and they remained married until his death. Linda suffered from lupus, and Hatfield set up an annual golf tournament, the Bobby Hatfield Charity Golf Classic, to raise funds for charities for the disease. The couple had two children, Vallyn and Dustin.

Death

Hatfield died at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan on November 5, 2003. He was found by Bill Medley and the Righteous Brothers' road manager Dusty Hanvey. A security guard let them into Hatfield's room after he had failed to show up at the concert venue when expected. He apparently died in his sleep, hours before a scheduled Righteous Brothers concert. In January 2004, a

toxicology Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating e ...

report concluded that

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

use had precipitated a fatal heart attack.Cocaine caused death of Bobby Hatfield
Associated Press. The Argus-Press – January 6, 2004 The initial autopsy found that Hatfield had advanced coronary disease. The medical examiner stated that "in this case, there was already a significant amount of blockage in the coronary arteries."

Discography

This is Hatfield's discography as a solo artist. See

The Righteous Brothers 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 Lo ...

for his discography as part of the duo.

Albums

Singles

Film soundtracks * ''Zig Zag'' (Original Motion Picture Score) (MGM, 1970)

Bibliography

External links

Righteous Brothers Discography contains Bobby Hatfield Discographies and Tribute
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hatfield, Bobby 1940 births 2003 deaths Burials at Pacific View Memorial Park California State University, Long Beach alumni Cocaine-related deaths in Michigan Musicians from Anaheim, California Drug-related deaths in Michigan People from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Singers from California 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers American soul singers 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers The Righteous Brothers members