The Righteous Brothers

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The Righteous Brothers

The duo got its name before they split from five-piece band, the Paramours. The group was performing "Little Latin Lupe Lu" (written by Medley) in the Black Derby (Santa Ana, California), when a few African-American Marines entered the club. At the end of the performance, a couple of Marines proclaimed that they were "righteous brothers" -- which Medley and Hatfield adopted when they struck out on their own.

In 1964, they opened on the Beatles' US tour, but quit midway through.

Billy Joel inducted them into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2003. At the ceremony, Joel said: Sometimes people with blue eyes transcended the limitations of what their color and culture can actually be. Sometimes white people can actually be soulful. This was a life-changing idea. It changed my life."

Bobby Hatfield died suddenly while on tour on November 5, 2003. He was found in his hotel room just before the duo was supposed to go on stage at Miller Auditorium on the Western Michigan University campus. He was 63.