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The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley: ‘I’ve had some real downs’

The soul singer is releasing his first album in nearly 20 years and looks back on a career full of major highs and devastating lows

To flesh out the well-known songs he covered on the album, such as Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down and I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, some pieces were arranged as duets, letting Medley mix it up with guest singers such as Michael McDonald, Vince Gill and Keb’ Mo’. In that same time frame, he reunited with Hatfield and the two enjoyed a comeback hit with Rock and Roll Heaven, a treacly ballad whose lyrics imagined the ultimate jam in the afterlife between famous dead musicians such as Otis Redding, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. The pair continued to tour successfully under the old brand but, as a solo star, Medley couldn’t secure a new record contract for decades due to trends that disfavored his vintage style, as well as the realities of an industry that’s long been reluctant to back artists of age.

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