QUESTION:

The Righteous Brothers were undoubtedly the ultimate blue-eyed soul act of all time. However, for a while, they went their separate ways. Bill Medley recorded on his own and Bobby Hatfield kept the name with another partner.

What was the name of the former drummer who temporarily replaced Bill Medley? With what group did he play drums and sometimes sing? What was that group’s only Top 20 hit record?

ANSWER:

In 1968, Jimmy Walker, drummer for the Knickerbockers (formerly Buddy Randell and the Knickerbockers), replaced Bill Medley, if that’s really possible to do. While the only big hit for the Knickerbockers was “Lies,” a masterful 1966 imitation of the early Beatles, they had several local hits, mainly in New Jersey and the Albany, New York area, where they opened for the Rolling Stones in 1965. Side one of their Lies album is full of Beatlesque songs, while side two was heavily influenced by the Righteous Brothers.

QUESTION:

In 1964, the Righteous Brothers released “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling,” which became their signature song and one of the most played records of all time.

Before that release on Phil Spector’s Philles Records, on what label did the Righteous Brothers record? Of the many records they made, what were the only two to crack the Top 100 before their rise to stardom in 1964?

ANSWER:

In 1963, the Righteous Brothers charted two songs in Billboard’s Top 100 for Moonglow Records. The first, “Little Latin Lupe Lu,” rose to Number 49 and “My Babe” made it to Number 75. Unfortunately, some of their most soulful songs remain practically unknown, like the outrageous “Try to Find Another Man.” A few others, like “Justine,” barely hit the charts later in 1965.

triviaelmoremagazine.com