Bill Medley Interview

0:00[Music]

1:28Mike: Hey, good afternoon, everybody. Coming to you live for a special show tonight here from Tennessee Tales & Tunes, and also Ronnie McDowell's Music Memories and Masterpieces. We got a special show going on tonight for you. And right now, I'd like to introduce our special guests here in the studios in Nashville: Mr. Ronnie McDowell and Mr. Bill Medley from The Righteous Brothers.

1:49Bill: Live and in color!

1:51Mike: Live and in color. Y'all look absolutely wonderful tonight.

1:54Ronnie: Well, thank you, Mike. Thank you.

1:55Bill: Thanks so much.

1:56Mike: Absolutely. And Bill just flew in from California.

1:59Bill: Yeah, I was born and raised in California. Everybody thinks I'm probably from Texas, but Orange County, California. Actually now, I just bought a house in Vegas, but been out there all my life.

2:15Mike: Man, it's beautiful. And you've done some great work, and it's my privilege and pleasure to have you sitting in my studio right now. It's an honor.

2:23Bill: Oh, God bless you. Thank you.

2:25Mike: Both of you. Both of you are just absolute legends.

2:27Bill: You can leave him out. It's all right.

2:32Ronnie: But I got to tell you, in 1965, '64, during that time period, two television shows, Shindig! and Hullabaloo, I used to watch this man when I was a teenager every Wednesday. Every. And I only would watch it because him and Bobby were going to be on there. And that's why I would watch it, because they would come up with a new song.

But Bill told me that they had what they were going to do, and the producer would walk up and said, "Bill, y'all can't—you got to do 'Little Latin Lupe Lu'." And Bill goes, "We didn't have that planned tonight." And he said, "Yeah, but Elvis called in and that's what he wants to hear."

3:15Mike: That's what he wants to hear.

3:16Ronnie: And Bill goes, "So we had to do 'Little Latin Lupe Lu'."

3:21Bill: Which, I wrote it, so I was okay with it, but it's a silly little song.

3:26Ronnie: Yeah, but what a great hit that was.

3:29Mike: What a great hit. And you've done so much over the years. You've inspired so many people: so many musicians, movie actors. I mean, you're just—you've set history.

Well, right now, I'd like to bring to the show—I think we're going to be bringing in live Movie Reviews & More with Mr. Brian on here. And you should be able to see him right here in just a minute.

3:49Voiceover / Disclaimer: This program is designed to provide—

3:53Mike: You'll notice it in the bottom right-hand corner. We are going live out to Los Angeles and also out to Charlotte.

3:59Voiceover / Disclaimer: —or station are engaged in rendering any specific and personal medical, financial, legal, counseling, professional service or any advice. You should seek the services of competent professionals before applying or trying any suggested ideas.

4:16[Music]

4:22Mike: We got Mr. Brian Sebastian coming online with us here tonight. We got a lot going on on the show tonight. So, before they get on here, we are going to say we are shooting a live show tomorrow night at the Troubadour in Nashville.

4:36Ronnie: We are. Music Memories and Masterpieces, going to be showing a lot of our art, which I'm excited about. As a matter of fact, I've got two of the large ones in my vehicle what me and Bill came up in. He hasn't seen them, but I can't wait until he sees them tonight.

I'm going to take him also and show him me and Dolly and George Jones sitting in a pickup truck that me and Tyler, my youngest son, did. And we do a lot of the artwork. But I never will forget, Brian asked us a while ago, said, "Ronnie, Bill said there's no icons left anymore." And I said, "Brian, I'm sitting beside one right here. I'm sitting with Bill Medley."

5:14Mike: That is so awesome. Well, we'd like to welcome to the show right now Mr. Brian Sebastian and his crew right there. We got Terri, and Rachel, and Howard. And welcome to the show, y'all! And we're on your show, and thank you for inviting us to be live with you guys here on Movie Reviews & More. Brian, say hello to everybody.

5:33Brian: Hey, everybody! So, talking on our end, Talk 4 TV, Talk 4 Media, K4HD Radio, we have our radio side for everybody listening as they're driving, doing everything around the world, and streaming on over 100 outlets around the world right now, which is great.

And our co-hosts: Howard Wiggins from Brentwood, Tennessee; Rachel Ann Roberts from Houston, Texas; Terri Marie from Westlake, California; Carol Register from Chile; and then we have one of our other co-hosts coming in, Linda Steele from Chicago. And so, here's the gang.

Mike, I'm going to turn it back over to you for a minute because we're both broadcasting on many different outlets around the world right now, which is great. So, you know what, I got to ask this question first because Edie Hand—I got to mention my southern mom—if it were not for Edie Hand, we would not be going to Tennessee. We would not be there going back to 2018. Rachel's been with us, Terri's been with us, Howard, obviously. Howard goes in and out because, you know why? I'm going to give a secret, because he's moving, because he doesn't have any internet. That's true country. You can't get any more country than that, can you?

So, Ronnie, talk about this: you guys got a show coming up first. Let's talk about that show, because that's important: ticket sales is important, getting people to listen to your songs, albums, cassettes, 8-tracks. It doesn't matter what it is, everybody's still got these things. And those things are important. Where are you tomorrow night with that strange guy next door to you at the Troubadour in Tennessee?

6:59Ronnie: Well, I'm sitting next to this strange guy that I've admired and looked up to for 60-something years: The Righteous Brother, Bill Medley. It don't get no better than: You never close your eyes... And the list goes on and on and on. And still, like me sitting here tonight, I can't believe I'm sitting here beside Bill Medley, and it's so nice of him to come up here and be with us tonight.

7:29Bill: Well, thank you, son. It's my pleasure to be here. And I'm thrilled about your show.

7:38Ronnie: Well, I am too. That's tomorrow night at the Troubadour. And I'm excited about it because Ernest Tubb was one of the nicest people that you would ever want to meet. I never will forget when I first met him. He said, "Son, where you been?" I said, "Mr. Tubb—" Now, this is when I first met him. I said, "I've been to Wisconsin this weekend." He said, "Did you make them any money?" I said, "Well, I hope so." He said, "Did you give them any extra?" And I said, "I didn't know I was supposed to."

He said, "Son, let me tell you this: if you make them money, give them some money back. And if you lose them some money, also give them some money back." That was Ernest Tubb.

What you need to know about when Elvis Presley played the Ryman Auditorium, October the 12th, 1954, and they told him to go back and drive a truck, Ernest Tubb went into the dressing room and said, "Son, you're just different. And it's okay to be different." He says, "Matter of fact, you come over to my Midnight Jamboree tonight and you sing your new song, 'That's All Right, Mama', because I understand they wouldn't let you sing it tonight." He said, "No, sir. They told me it's too pop. We had to do the B-side, 'Blue Moon of Kentucky'." Well, it sounded just like the A-side.

8:57Bill: Yeah, it does.

8:58Ronnie: But anyway, that was Ernest Tubb. So, we're at Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadour tomorrow night, and I'm with this guy. Can you believe that? I'm with Bill Medley. I'm still sitting here like in awe.

9:11Bill: You're making me feel old.

9:18Ronnie: Bill is still—

9:19Brian: Bill, you have this iconic voice. He does, he has that iconic voice. How do you keep your voice going, Bill?

9:25Bill: Bad sinuses for one thing. But, you know, a lot of people don't believe this, but when I was 15 or 16 years old, I was a first tenor. Sang real high. I was 5'3", and I grew seven inches in one year. And my voice went from first tenor down to where it—wherever it is now. And so, I've had this voice probably since I've been 20.

9:59Ronnie: But what I love about it, Bill, it has a different tone than anybody else. But, you know, we're all different. We are. But you just have a different tone in your voice that sounds like nobody else.

10:16Bill: Well, somebody told me that my voice was fractured. You know, like there's like I have the Temptations coming out of my throat when I sing. And but and they all they even for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, they couldn't find a Medley because they do "Lovin' Feelin'" in that. And they said, "We can find a lot of Bobbys, but we can't get anybody that does your voice." I said, "You just have to pick one of the voices. I think I got about three of them coming out of here at the same time."

But I've been blessed. But I don't know how The truth is, I really don't know. It's probably better now than it has been in years. And I don't know how I've maintained it, other than I lost my voice in probably '73, and I was told I'd never sing again. And so, I started taking voice lessons and all that. So I learned learned how to do it correctly, and which I was afraid of doing because I always thought they were going to make me sound like an opera singer or something.

So about an hour before the show, I'm in the shower going: [Vocalizes warm-up sounds: brrrr-brrrr].

11:50Ronnie: Oh yeah.

11:51Bill: All that warm-up. And you need to do that.

11:53Ronnie: Yep. I do that, too. A voice doctor, I went because I was losing my voice, and he bent over the piano and hit a note, and he said, "Ronnie, where do you hear that?" I said, "What are you talking about?" And he goes: Me, me, me, me, me, me, me... I said, "Where do you hear—" He said, "Where do you hear that?" And I said, "I hear it up in here." He said, "Well, that's it." He said, "Gravity takes everything down." And he said, "And your voice." He said, "If you don't believe me, what do you got to sing coming up?" I said, "I'm singing for Elvis's 60th birthday with the Memphis Symphony." He goes, "Okay, what's hardest song you got to sing?" And I said, "'If I Can Dream'." I said, "That thing's higher than a—forget the cat, that's higher than a giraffe's."

And so, and I'm telling you, he said, "Well, let me tell you what you do. You practice throwing your voice back up in your head and you talk up in your head. And every now and then when you sing, go down and grab a note, but take your voice back up in your head, and that's all it is." And it took me two weeks, and now it's all I do. And he said, "If you don't believe me, listen to a young Elvis." He said, "Singing way up there, but it was up in here." He said, "And then: You ain't nothin' but a hound dog... He started going down." And he said, "You got to throw your voice back up in your head, and that's all it is."

13:22Bill: Yeah, well, if you can get that and Elvis had the greatest head voice in the world, I thought. And yeah, getting it way up here, that's And they'll I had a voice teacher say, "Talk like that during the day. 'Hi, how are you?'"

13:37Ronnie: Yeah, that's exactly—

13:39Bill: Made my wife nuts, but what are you going to do?

13:44Ronnie: I got to tell y'all this story Bill told me. He said Elvis was playing the the big room at the International Hilton. He said, "Me and Bobby were in the club." He said, "In 1969, Ronnie," he said, "me and Bobby, we was pretty hot stuff, too." I said, "Yeah, you think?" And he said one night Bill said, "I was sitting on a stool," and he said, "Boy, I was getting into it and had my eyes closed." And he said, "I was tearing them up. I thought I was." And he said, "All of a sudden, somebody tapped me on the shoulder, and I opened my eyes, and it was Elvis." And he said he was tear—the place was going crazy. He'd got through with his show, come see Bill, and he just winked at Bill and walked off.

And Bill said later he called me and said, "Hey, Medley, I hope I didn't mess your show up, man." And Bill said, "Are you kidding, Elvis? Would you come back tomorrow and do it again?" And Bill said, "Guess what, Ronnie. He did!"

14:44Bill: Yeah.

14:45Brian: Hey, Ronnie and Bill, I got a question for you, but I'm going to turn it over to one of my other co-hosts. So, Linda Steele, you get the first question, followed by Carol. Go.

14:54Linda: Of course, and I jumped on late because I couldn't find the camera on my computer. Anyway, hi! Hi, guys! One of my favorite songs is "Unchained Melody." Can you tell me a little bit about what went into that song? Like what's What exactly was the the idea behind it? Like what was the motivation behind it? Love it.

15:20Bill: Well, yeah. Well, interesting sitting on the couch with Ronnie. That was a big hit record for Bobby and I. And then Mike Curb called me and said, "I want you to produce Ronnie McDowell doing 'Unchained Melody'." And and I couldn't do it. But he did a great he did a great job.

A lot of people don't know "Unchained Melody" was the B-side of a song that Carole King wrote for us. And for some reason, every disc jockey in the country just flipped it over and started playing "Unchained Melody." And then God bless the movies, here comes Ghost, and boy, just one of those songs that Well, we've just been blessed by great songwriters: Barry and Cynthia with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," and you know, just had a blessed career.

16:26Ronnie: And so did I.

16:27Brian: Carol Register! Carol Register, all the way from Chile! You're in that show, Carol, go for it.

16:33Carol: Hey, thank you very much. It's so wonderful to meet you guys. Can you guys hear me?

16:40Ronnie: Oh yeah, we hear you loud and clear.

16:44Carol: Okay, great. My sound's been going in and out, but you guys have become, over time, master storytellers. And of course, with the music first, but even just sitting here listening to you. And I wondered if you had like how you had taken that ability and learned how to put it into music?

17:12Ronnie: Well, I'm a I'm a history nut because I just I love history. I was telling Bill coming over here, I said, "Bill, I love history." I was telling him some stories about different entertainers that I know and and their stories about songs, and so we had a lot of conversation.

And Bill, when I picked him up at the Opryland Hotel, he had no earthly idea how far Mike's place was, and halfway here, he goes, "Where's this place at? Out in Burbank or something?"

17:44Mike: China! Somewhere in China.

17:47Bill: Well, you know, and and you know, taking the songs, you know, that and making them sound real on stage, or even when you record. I mean, I I I sing the way I talk, and probably talk the way I sing. And that's why I think a lot of people think I'm maybe a southern boy, because I was raised on rhythm and blues, and so I kind of talk that way.

But I think I think holding on to it's like Ronnie, I mean, if I hear a Ronnie McDowell record, I know it's I know it's Ronnie McDowell. And so, I think it's very important to hold on to your voice, you know, who you are and how you sound.

18:41Ronnie: Yeah. And I was telling I was telling Bill, not to interrupt, coming up here, I got a phone call from Dick Clark right after my first record. I was in Baton Rouge, and Dick Clark said, "Ronnie, there's a private jet for you at the airport, Baton Rouge Airport. Get on it, get some rest. You're going to be on American Bandstand tomorrow." Well, I didn't believe it was him, and he finally said, "Ronnie, this is Dick Clark." I said, "Okay."

So, I didn't sleep a wink. I mean, not a wink. And so, I landed at the airport in LA, got on a helicopter, they put me right down in front of the ABC lot, rushed me into makeup, and here come Dick Clark. And I said, "Wow, Dick Clark, I can't believe I'm here." He said, "Ronnie, you've sold a million—two million records in two weeks. It's unheard of. You're number nine. You deserve to be here." I said, "Well, Mr. Clark, we just kind of threw this song together, and I don't know it that well. It's only been two weeks." And I said, "I'm so glad y'all pantomime." He said, "Ronnie, we don't do that anymore." He said, "You'll have cue cards under the camera." He said, "When that red light comes on, there'll be 82 million people watching you."

My heart froze. I said, "Oh my God." But I told Bill, I said, "If you watch me on that doing 'The King Is Gone' on American Bandstand, I look like I knew what the hell I was doing. I never missed a word, or a syllable, or nothing. And I think Elvis was hanging out with me doing 'The King Is Gone'."

20:20Bill: Probably so.

20:23Ronnie: Yeah.

20:24Brian: Wow. Hey, next question: Rachel Ann Roberts from Houston, Texas. Go ahead, Rachel.

20:29Rachel: My question is, when you guys coming to Texas?

20:33Mike: We was just in Texas.

20:35Ronnie: Yeah, well, oh yeah. No, we're going back next week.

20:37Mike: Yep, going Is it next week we're back?

20:39Ronnie: Yeah, not this coming. Well, we're in the Carolinas, but next week we're going to be in Texas.

20:41Mike: Two weeks from now. Yeah, two weeks from now.

20:44Rachel: Where in Texas? Austin, or Houston, or—

20:48Ronnie: That's a good question.

20:50Bill: It's always a good question.

20:51Ronnie: Hey, I just I have a motto: I just go after 50 years.

20:54Mike: I'll find that question out for you, make sure you have an answer for that.

20:57Bill: Yeah, I'm coming I'm The Righteous Brothers are coming to Texas, I don't know, in the next couple of months, I think. I don't know where. I know how much we're getting paid, that's about it.

21:12Brian: Hey, Howard Wiggins! So, you guys know Howard, and everything like that. So, you guys have always played at the Opry and stuff like that. Howard, go ahead.

21:21Howard: I know The Jordanaires played with Eddy Arnold and my dad before Elvis. Did you ever record with The Jordanaires behind you?

21:30Bill: Have I? Yeah, when Kenny Rogers made it real big in country, I knew Kenny from his rock and roll days out there in LA. And he was working with Larry Butler, and Larry was having huge success with Kenny. And he asked Kenny, he says, "I would really love to produce Medley, if you can." He said, "I'll call him."

So anyway, I came out, and I can't remember exactly what year, must have been about '78 or somebody like that. And I met him at the studio, and very interesting, it was just Johnny Cash and Larry Butler. Johnny Cash was singing this song: You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em... And I thought, that's a cute little song. And then about six months later, I hear Kenny Rogers singing, "You got to know..." And so, but I did an album with Larry, and I did I sang with The Jordanaires, and I just I loved The Jordanaires. And I used to listen to I knew all the stuff on the Elvis records.

Matter of fact, I told Elvis, I said, "I can sing that on—" He says, "Well, some of that stuff." He said, "Well, why don't you jump up on stage and sing?" I said, "Yeah, all those women, that's exactly what they want to see, this skinny white man jump up there." But I I said, "I'll go on tour with you as long as you don't introduce me, and I'll sing." But he had two of the greatest bass singers.

23:36Ronnie: Oh, he sure did. J.D. Sumner.

23:37Bill: In the world, oh my.

23:38Mike: J.D. Sumner and The Stamps Quartet. Actually, J.D. Sumner was my father's third cousin. So he was part of my father's side of the family. So I got to meet J.D. numerous times, and just a wonderful man.

23:51Bill: Real sweet guy. He'd always say to me every time he'd see me, say, "Bill thought he was a bass singer until he heard me." And and Elvis Presley just loved bass singers.

24:01Ronnie: Yeah, he did.

24:03Bill: And and he liked, you know, black bass singers, and he thought I was one of them. But he he called me in in my dressing room, he says, "Bill, come down to the dressing room, I want you to hear this new new bass singer that that I have." And I went down there, and it was J.D., and and he has that great he cups his—

24:26Ronnie: Oh, yeah, cups his ear, yeah.

24:26Bill: —his ear, almost big like getting your own studio.

24:29Ronnie: Well, I never will forget in '77, when "The King Is Gone" was out, I was in Peoria, and Ed Enoch walked up to me, The Stamps, and he said, "J.D. wants to see you on the bus." So I walked up on the bus, and there was nobody there but me and him. I said, "How you doing, Mr. Sumner?" And I was so excited to be with J.D. Sumner. And he said, "Son, I'm going to whoop your ass." I said, "Why are you going to do that, Mr. Sumner?" He said, "I don't think I need to be opening for you. I've been opening for the biggest star that's ever been on the planet." I said, "Well, Mr. Sumner, I totally agree with you, and I'd rather go on first and get out of here anyway." And he goes—then I could tell he'd been drinking. He said, "Well, son, I didn't really mean I was going to whoop your ass."

25:23Bill: Well, thank you, Mr. Sumner.

25:25Ronnie: But right then, right at that moment until he died, we were like that: best friends.

25:33Mike: My memory of J.D. was we met him at We was at a bluegrass festival up in Kentucky. And I was probably 11, 12 years old, and the only thing he ever said to me was, "Son, you need to eat more." Because I was like real skinny. That's all he said to me, he said, "Son, you need to eat more." And he just kept right on walking.

25:52Bill: Well, he has an opinion.

25:54Ronnie: Yeah, oh, he did. He'd tell you his opinion, also.

25:58Mike: But he was a sweet man. Yes.

26:00Brian: Mike, was this the same J.D. that played with Jimmy Buffett, also?

26:05Mike: No. No, different one.

26:08Ronnie: No, it's J.D. Sumner and The Stamps Quartet. And they, you know, of course, J.D. was famous way before Elvis, you know, singing with gospel quartets. But when he started with Elvis at the International Hotel in '69, and you know, through that time period, that's when he became really famous because of that.

26:30Bill: He's a incredible an incredible singer. I mean, I don't know how bass got I mean, I can hit low notes, but when J.D. was singing the song Elvis had a piano in his in the dressing room, and they were singing this song, Elvis wanted me to hear it, and J.D.'s sing singing right in my ear, and I mean he's way down here with it. I can get down there—

26:55Ronnie: I don't know, Bill, you get down there pretty low.

26:57Bill: Well, I can get down there, but it don't pay.

27:03Brian: Hey, Bill, you know in in in the R&B world, you guys, The Righteous Brothers, got credit for blue-eyed soul, if you remember. And that turned us a lot of us on for that. How did that make you feel when you guys crossed over to that, because music has no boundaries, but then everything was kind of segregated?

27:20Bill: Well, yeah, it was very simple. We we had recorded the song that I wrote, "Little Latin Lupe Lu," and it kind of kind of became a hit, at least it started things off. And we went out on the road to promote it, and all the black stations were playing it. And when we showed up to do the interview, they said We said, "We're The Righteous Brothers." They said, "You better be part of the band." We said, "No, me and this little blonde-haired kid, we're The Righteous Brothers."

And so, we would do the interview, and they would take our record off. And it wasn't a racial thing, I mean they weren't playing this on operatic stations, either. But and then, when "Lovin' Feelin'" came out, and I think it was a disc jockey from Philadelphia, I believe, and and it was an all-black station, and he what he would do is say, "Here's 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'' by my Righteous Brother, that blue-eyed soul Righteous Brothers," or something like that, hipping his audience, telling his audience that we were white, because "blue-eyed singer" was a white guy. You know, that a white guy would be referred to as a blue-eyed.

28:45Ronnie: Right.

28:46Bill: So that he started calling us the blue-eyed soul singers, and for some reason it it took off, and we were Listen, man, we we were very honored because it really came from the black audience, and that's what we were doing, and I guess we were doing it real legitimately, and they they liked that.

And even the our name, The Righteous Brothers, was named by the black Marines in California. Like if you had a great-looking a car, '55 Chevrolet or something, they'd say Us white guys, we'd say, "Boy, that's a cool car," or "bitchin'." And a black guy might would say, "Boy, what a righteous-looking car." Which meant good, and they they would always And if they liked you, liked you as a friend, they would call you a brother.

So a lot of times when we were singing, they they started There was a Marine base down there in Orange County, and they the black Marines heard that we were doing rhythm and blues down there, and they would come. So a lot of times they would yell out, "Well, that's righteous, brother." Which meant good friend, in reality. And we didn't even have a name when we recorded "Little Latin Lupe Lu," and so we said, "Well, they're not calling us The Beatles, so let's let's go with let's go with The Righteous Brothers."

30:23Ronnie: And Bill told me a story coming up here, he said, "We opened up for The Beatles." And he said the whole crowd was screaming, "We want The Beatles! We want The Beatles!"

30:35Bill: Clapping and screaming: "We want The Beatles! We You got The Beatles! You got—" Now, we also we also opened up for the Rolling Stones' first American tour. And that that was kind of fun. I mean, the Beatles thing was great, but literally they were chanting, "We want The Beatles." Although except California, we were we were pretty big. But it was before "Lovin' Feelin'." And but the Stones, they they were more earthy, a little souler, or you know, a little more like where we were coming from. So they were a lot of fun to open for.

31:19Ronnie: And I was telling Bill coming up here today that Jimmy Snow, Hank Snow—Hank Snow is a really good friend of mine. He's 92 now, and he's one of the only people left on this earth that rode around with Elvis in a car in '55, '56. And I hope to get him on the show if his health, you know, holds up. Because he has so many stories, but my favorite one is when they were in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Jacksonville Theatre with the Wilburn Brothers. Jimmy Snow was a singer on RCA, Hank's boy. Well, Hank was the big star.

Well, Elvis was on the show. So Elvis went on, did his thing, Wilburn Brothers, Jimmy Snow, and then Hank come out to sing his number one record: I'm moving on, I'll soon be gone... Well, halfway through that song, the whole crowd was doing like y'all, you know, the "We want Elvis! We want Elvis!" And Hank Snow, Jimmy said told Elvis, said, "My dad will say anything to anybody." And he quit right in the middle of that number one song, and he goes, "Well, if you'll just let me finish this number, the little bastard will come out and sing you another song."

32:42Mike: Sounds like something he would do.

32:43Bill: Ouch.

32:44Mike: Yeah.

32:46Brian: Terri Marie, go for it.

32:48Terri Marie: Oh, anyway, I just got a kick out of the Bandstand thing, cuz a little trivia before I ask my question: I was a regular on American Bandstand all through high school. So, did you guys get to sign the board in the back? You know, because they had all the all the talent would sign the back, and then the kids would come right up run up to you and stuff. How was that experience with the kids coming up to you, the dancers, like one somebody like me?

33:10Bill: Yeah, I Dirty Dancing is everything in The Righteous Brothers' career, or my career, has been an accident, a good accident. And I think you you do you get more by accidents in this business than doing it on purpose.

They called me and said, "We want you to sing for this movie." And I said, "Well, I can't do it, my wife is expecting our daughter, and I just and I promised her that I would be there." And I said, "Tell me, what's the name of the movie?" They said, "Dirty Dancing." I said, "That sounds like a bad porno movie."

33:55Ronnie: And here's what here's where I come into the picture again with Bill. So, Mike Curb did all the music in the movie. So Bill turned it down, he didn't want to do it. So Mike Curb called me and said, "I didn't know what to do," said, "I got to do this song, the only other guy that I know that I wanted to sing this song was Ronnie McDowell." He said, "So I picked up the phone, and I was getting ready to dial you." Here's how fate works. Fate is a hunter, it will find you. It found him.

Well, as soon as he picked up the phone to call me, Mike Curb, to sing: I had the time of... Well, guess what? The other phone rang, and it was Bill. And Bill said, "You know, Mike, I've decided I'm going to do that song." But you know what I told him? It was not meant for me to do that. It was meant for him to do that.

34:52Bill: Well, the demo that they they sent me, the guys were singing the real high tenor, you know: Now I've had the time of... you know. It's like "Lovin' Feelin'" start started there, and had the Now I've had the time of my life... down there lower, and they didn't I don't think they wrote it that way, but they wanted to get that: You never close... you know. They wanted to try and get that, and so kind of a—

35:25Ronnie: Well, did you ever do it? I'm telling you, man, you put it on it.

35:28Bill: Thanks.

35:29Ronnie: And when you did it, stick the fork in it, it was done.

35:32Mike: And everybody even nowadays still knows that song. When it starts playing, even the the the younger generation today. It's a timeless piece. It's timeless.

35:41Bill: Yeah, I I just sang at Oh, man, my I got a 85-year-old mind. Come on, it's the biggest TV show in in here. Come on now.

35:59Ronnie: In Nashville?

36:00Brian: Ed Sullivan? In Nashville?

36:02Bill: No, it's the country, so come on. It's the biggest show in the world, Nashville. Come on, man. Ryman—

36:11Mike: Oh, the Opry?

36:12Bill: Opry!

36:13Ronnie: Oh yeah, you did the Grand Ole Opry!

36:14Bill: Yes, yeah, I did the Grand Ole Opry. Scared scared me to death. And I just did it recently, and because I did a kind of a country album, but I I sang four songs, and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" was one of them, and my daughter comes out and sings it with me. And everybody And Mike Curb was there, a lot of They said, "Boy, every all the girls stood up and started dancing." And it's I mean, this is 100 years old, this song, and it's so much fun.

36:43Ronnie: Well, that's like that's like I went to my bank yesterday, and I said, "You ain't going to believe who's going to be on my show Wednesday night." I said, "Bill Medley." She goes, "Bill Medley?" And I said, "So you're trying to tell me you don't know: You never close your..." She goes, "No." I said, "Well, how about this: I had the time of my..." She goes, "Well, yeah, I love that song." See? She was a young girl, but they know that.

37:09Mike: You know, Dirty Dancing movie, the soundtrack for that was voted one of the most favorite soundtracks ever.

37:15Ronnie: Oh, yeah.

37:15Bill: Well, it is a good soundtrack. I thought the music in that movie And who knew that the I mean, Jennifer and I uh recorded the song not not thinking that anything was going to happen. The songs, I mean, the movie was a cute little movie, and this and that and the other, and it just blew up, just blew up. And "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" was just in the perfect spot in the movie, and

37:40Mike: Perfect.

37:41Bill: But it really is a I think it sold 32 million copies or something like that.

37:46Mike: One or two.

37:47Bill: Yeah, it did all right.

37:48Ronnie: Well, it done all right. You think?

37:52Brian: So, what happens when what happens when the prequel's being shot? I'm sure they're going to be calling you two again.

37:58Bill: I you know, I don't know. I was a little disappointed when they Top Gun, they just did Top Gun 2, and "Lovin' Feelin'" was in Top Gun, and it was in there a lot. And so, I figured, no, they'll they'll put it in in in the new one, too, but they didn't. So I hope, I mean, I hope they use it. It would be nice. I could use a hit record.

38:26Ronnie: And Bill and I did this song, I wrote this song with a friend of mine, Lee Bogan, called "Lost in Dirty Dancing." So I gave it to Mike Curb. Well, get this: that's how I met Mr. Bill, because they he we went out to California, and he recorded it with me. And then Mike Curb took that version and sent it over to England. You remember the guy that did: A little less conversation, a lot more action, please... Well, that became a worldwide hit. They played it at all the soccer games.

So the guy that did that redid our version of "Lost in Dirty Dancing," and Mike Curb did that. So, I'm hoping that they use that in the next segment. I mean,

39:13Bill: Sure, why not?

39:14Mike: They might be calling you to sing the next section, you just never know. You might have to take it this time.

39:18Ronnie: Well, he and I are doing a duet on that.

39:20Bill: You got it.

39:20Mike: There you go.

39:21Ronnie: But let me tell you what we just did recently.

39:23Terri Marie: Ronnie?

39:24Linda: I have one more question, though, for Ronnie. Just kind of just kind of curious: if Elvis was alive today and you he was sitting next to you, what would you ultimate tell ask him about his music, or what do you think he'd have to say? I'm just kind of curious if what, you know, just what what do you think he'd say?

39:40Ronnie: Well, I got over being starstruck a long time ago. A long time ago. But I will tell you this now, if I was sitting next to Elvis Now, Bill knew Elvis, they were friends, they were buddies. You know what I would do? If anybody owes a debt of gratitude to Elvis Presley, it's Ronnie McDowell. Because in 1956, my sister sat me down in front of this little black-and-white TV, and her name is Linda Sue, but all I know her by is Tootie because she loved Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," and that's all we called her is Tootie.

Well, so she sat me down, said, "You know that guy that I've been bringing home those records?" I said, "Which one? You bring them all home." She said, "That Elvis Presley guy." She said, "Well, he's on the Dorsey shows tonight. But none of the kids at school are watching it because it's big band. But," she said, "you got to watch him." Well, Bill, when he walked out, I hadn't even started the first grade. But I loved those records that she was bringing home. But when he walked out, you know what I told my sister? I said, I swear to you, I said, "Tootie, that guy's too pretty to be a guy." That's what I told my sister.

40:51Bill: Well, he was a Well, you'll be okay.

40:55Ronnie: Oh yeah. Well, I'm not into that, but anyway. But that was my first impression. But I would say to Elvis, I'd say, "Elvis, man, thanks. Thank you for everything you've done for me."

Well, let me tell you this, Bill. When that record, "The King Is Gone," hit, my mother had 11 of us, I'm number seven, she was mopping a floor. They divorced in '55. So when that record hit that afternoon, I went to this restaurant where she was mopping the floor, and I said, "Mother, take your apron off, you never have to work again." She said, "Son, can't you see I'm working?" I said, "No, mother, you never have to work again. Come out to the car." Swear to God, Bill. Turned the radio on, and that song, "The King Is Gone," was on every station. She never worked again until she died.

41:40Bill: Well, God bless you.

41:41Mike: That's awesome.

41:42Ronnie: Because of Elvis. So, that's what I would say to Elvis: "Thank you for what you did for my mother."

41:49Rachel: Aw.

41:50Brian: And talk about the genuine Elvis book. You got to talk about that book, Ronnie. That's very, very important, how you can get it.

41:56Ronnie: Edie Hand, Elvis's cousin, and if somebody would have tapped me on my shoulder and when I was in the first grade and said, "Hey, one day you're going to write a book with Elvis Presley's cousin," how could I have wrapped my mind around that? And so anyway, she and I wrote that, and I am now an author, but before I did that, I couldn't even spell author.

42:25Mike: And you know, Brian there has something Edie Hand is his southern mother right here. So, there's a story with with Brian also on there about that.

42:39Brian: Well, she's, you know, Edie's the reason that we went to Tennessee, that's very, very important. You know, I found a film of her called The Last Christmas Ride about the family, the Hood-Hacker clan from Alabama and everything, which Elvis is a part of. And so, when I picked the film for the Hollywood Film Festival in 2014-2015, she goes, "Brian, I want you to come to Tennessee." And I said, "Well, why do I need to go to Tennessee?" She goes, "There's a lot of people that need your help there." I'm like, "How am I supposed to help them? They're already famous." I didn't know what the hell she was talking about until I went there.

And then when we went there, she goes, "Brian, I want you to meet my people. They need to meet you, and vice versa. You can help a lot of them." This is 2018. Well, this is Yeah, this is 2018 when she said that, when we finally went there. And then when we went back, Linda Steele came, Rachel came, Howard was there, Terri was there. And then Howard came from Rachel. So, all of our good people that we met came from there, which is interesting.

So, even though I don't live in that state, you guys have been really, really great for us. And it's just the beginning of everything that's happening. You know, Mike and I talked the last two days, Ronnie and I talked yesterday or the day before when we were putting all this stuff together, because this was last-minute, and we're booked four months in advance. So, I'm just honored that we can just make it work on two different platforms going live at the same time.

And we got a couple minutes left. Linda Steele, go for it, ask your next question. And then, Ronnie and Mike, I want you to talk about your military service, because that's very, very important, and what you guys did serving our country.

44:12Ronnie: Well, thank you.

44:12Linda: Yes, thank you for your service. First of all, thank you for your service. We're huge supporters of of our United States military, and we, you know, not a day goes by that we don't salute you. But my question to you is, when you look back on your life, you have so many memories. What is what is the most exciting, what is something that you're most grateful for that you got to experience?

44:38Bill: Me? Oh, jeez, boy. That's a that's a to- Actually, and I'm sure if Bobby was here, he'd say the same thing. One of the most exciting things we did as young art- I mean, we were we were doing real well, but we were the opening act for Jack Benny. And and we got to do a monologue with Jack Benny, and it was just just a thrill of a lifetime. I mean, we he was a wonderful, wonderful guy.

So Bobby and I always felt that that was an amazing time. But I've I've had so many things, you know, like opening for The Beatles and The Stones, and getting the good friends with Elvis, and so I think I think that that and my family.

45:35Brian: Carol.

45:40Carol: Yeah, that this is the history that you guys, musically, is so exciting, for those of us who are close to your age or in your age group. I mean, just going back and hearing all these beautiful stories like with Jack Benny. Is there anybody that I know you get asked about a lot, and you've mentioned a lot, but is there anybody that really stands out for some particular event that you haven't shared in a long time?

46:21Bill: There was a moment with Raquel Welch. No, I was just—

46:27Ronnie: Raquel Welch?

46:29Brian: You got to dig deep now!

46:30Carol: Yeah, there we go! There we go!

46:32Bill: That would have that would have been a great moment. And it would have been a moment, by the way.

46:36Ronnie: Well, I got to tell you, one of my favorite one of my favorite times is I was blessed, Dick Clark, I did a movie with him starring Kurt Russell. I got to be Elvis's voice. I told Mr. Bill coming up here, I did 38 songs in that movie. And it was movie of the year back in '78. And he he got an Emmy for that.

Then Priscilla called me, she said, "Ronnie, I'm doing a movie called Elvis and Me after my number one book, and I want you to be Elvis's voice." I did 36 songs in that movie. And everywhere I go, Bill, everybody goes, "What's she like?" And I go, "I don't know, but I know what she don't like, because I tried that."

47:20Mike: Hey, Mr. Ronnie, you need to tell them about when your when your mother found out about the scene in the movie.

47:26Ronnie: That was my aunt.

47:27Mike: Your aunt. Yeah, you're right.

47:28Ronnie: I took my 84-year-old Aunt Irma to see Breathless with Richard Gere. I sang "Suspicious Minds" in that movie, but I they didn't tell me where I was going to sing it. Well, Richard Gere strips off butt naked, got in the shower, and turned on a waterproof radio, I guess. He started singing along with me singing "Suspicious Minds," and I looked at my 84-year-old Aunt Irma, and I said, "Irma, I swear to you, I did not know where I was going to sing this song. We can leave right now." She looked at me, she goes, "I ain't going nowhere."

48:07Brian: Hey, we got about three minutes left. Rachel, next, go quick.

48:11Rachel: Yeah, I just want to say thank you. I'm going to be 53 in a few days, and this was like the best birthday present a girl could ask for.

48:19Ronnie: Well, you look—

48:19Terri Marie: I just had my birthday, Rachel!

48:22Ronnie: You look like a spring chicken, you don't look 53. Whatever Yeah, whatever you're drinking, give me some of it, baby.

48:28Rachel: Cheers!

48:29Terri Marie: Well, I have Rachel beat. I have Rachel beat, I just turned 59.

48:34Ronnie: Oh, you're a spring chicken, too. You don't look 59.

48:38Terri Marie: Yes, I am 59 years old as of July 30th. Yeah, so.

48:42Bill: Oh, wow. Well, you girls look you girls look beautiful.

48:45Linda: 56 later.

48:47Bill: Oh, wow.

48:48Brian: Ah, see?

48:49Bill: What did you say?

48:51Linda: 56.

48:52Mike: 56.

48:53Ronnie: What in God's name are you girls taking, or drinking? Good Lord.

49:00Terri Marie: Well, you know what's so great? We have three Leos right here.

49:03Linda: Yes, Leos!

49:05Ronnie: Three Leos together, oh Lord.

49:07Bill: Oh, wow.

49:10Brian: Hey, our engineer—

49:10Mike: Brian, how do you deal with that? How do you deal with it, Brian? How do you deal with it?

49:15Brian: I have nothing to do with it. Nothing!

49:19Terri Marie: Every day!

49:21Brian: Hey, I got one last question for you. What?

49:23Ronnie: Hey, don't forget if you get a chance, I want you to interview my young son. He signed with Curb Records when he was nine. He's got this new song that he and I wrote called "What Jimmy Buffett Would Do." I swear to you, y'all going to love this song. It's my favorite thing besides older women.

49:43Mike: I think me and Brian, we're already we're already texting back and forth, kind of work that out. We're going to get Tyler on there, make sure that he can do that.

49:51Brian: I've already got a day for him. And, Mike, that studio, I like that studio. That when the next time we do our show in Tennessee, we're using that studio.

49:59Mike: Absolutely, you're more than welcome to.

50:02Ronnie: Yeah, and it's nice.

50:03Brian: Hey, last question for you guys. So, Mike, talk about this, this is important because who are you music director with, who do you play with?

50:11Mike: Well, I actually I am very blessed to get to play with this young man sitting right here on the couch. I get to do some stage managing, I get to play bass on some shows, I get to play drums on some shows, I get to play guitar, and I get to travel with Mr. Ronnie, and he's kind of like become my dad.

So, and he gives me good advice on stuff, and and I appreciate him very much for being able to do that. And it's been wonderful to get to travel with him. And we've done we've had a great Red, White, and Blue tour this year.

50:41Ronnie: Yeah, with Paulette Carlson from Highway 101.

50:43Mike: Yeah, Paulette Carlson, Jeff Bates, Doral Gresham from the Coral Reefer Band was with us there for a little while.

50:48Ronnie: Jason D. Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis's son, I'm telling you.

50:52Mike: And then we done a show with with Micky from The Monkees.

50:54Ronnie: Yeah, we sure did, Micky Dolenz.

50:56Mike: Micky Dolenz from The Monkees. So, we have got to do some very cool things. We're going to Augusta, Georgia, here this weekend. See, Augusta, Lumberton, North Carolina, and then Wilson, North Carolina, which ticket sales and the crowds are already forming up really good for those.

51:11Ronnie: Lumberton is sold out.

51:13Mike: Lumberton is sold out.

51:14Ronnie: But what I was going to tell you, tomorrow night, I get to be with this young feller right here again for the Music Memories and Masterpieces, and we got to get to show Tyler and I, we do the art together. And I can't wait till you see. I signed with Disney about 15 years ago, and it's one of the biggest thrills of my life to be a Disney artist.

51:38Bill: Sure, why not?

51:39Mike: And it's been my pleasure to actually get to produce that show. And we've had some great numbers on it, and it's it's just an honor to get to produce shows with with with my heroes of growing up, like Bill, and Ronnie, and William Golden we just had on the show, Jimmy Jimmy Velvet.

I still get to about every couple of weeks, I go pick him up and we go have breakfast at Cracker Barrel now. So, we I've built a lot of good things, and I'm just I'm very grateful for all of these folks. And there's a picture of us and Jimmy having breakfast. And getting to sit here just around my heroes that I growed up listening to is phenomenal for me.

52:19Ronnie: Well, thank you.

52:20Brian: Hey, we got one last question before we close out the show: Howard Wiggins. Go ahead, Howard, real quick.

52:26Howard: Yeah, did you ever get any presents from Elvis for Christmas, because I did.

52:31Bill: You did? No, I never got a I never got a present. I guess I was too close to him. I don't I don't know. I asked him for a watch, but he turned me down.

52:43Howard: I did get a watch. I got a watch with a white rope band and a gold face.

52:48Linda: And your mother threw it away!

52:49Brian: Your mother threw it away!

52:51Howard: Yeah, when I went to college.

52:52Ronnie: Oh, Lord. Well, anyway, I was just going to tell you, I love Little Roy Wiggins.

52:58Howard: Well, thank you, sir.

53:01Brian: Hey, you know, it's an honor and pleasure to have you guys on. Would love to have you guys back anytime you want to come. And you know, when I run into the people at Lionsgate, which be the next three weeks, I'll be over there, because I want to know what's happening with that prequel. Because you can't have a prequel to Dirty Dancing without Bill, your song, it's just not possible. Some kind of way it's got to fit, and they will make it work. I guarantee you, because that young audience, your song's priceless. Both of you, it just is. So, how could you not have that come back?

53:34Ronnie: But I do want to tell y'all this: this young feller right here was so generous and gracious, we have four songs on my new duet album on Curb. I've got Wayne Newton, George Jones, Faron Young, Roy Acuff, Mickey Gilley, but the coolest thing that Bill and I did, we were able to take the guitar off of Elvis's first record, "My Happiness," that he paid $2 for in 1953, build a whole new track around his vocal. So me and Bill are doing a trio with Elvis Presley. I can't wait till y'all hear this. When you hear Bill and Elvis together, it is mind-boggling.

54:15Brian: That's a great thing. Hey, I want to thank all you guys. Go out to support them tomorrow night in Nashville at the Troubadour down there. Get there early, because, you know, it will sell out because of these two, that's for sure. Hey, Mike, thank you for what you're doing. We got Mike coming up on the show pretty soon, I'm going to give him a couple days in a little bit. And I can't wait to hear about Tyler's story here, that'll be interesting, too, because—

54:36Ronnie: Oh yeah, Tyler I'm telling you, wait till you hear some of his music. To me, and I'm not saying it because he's my kid, because he's so far beyond me with the art, and the music, and everything. But like I say, I And my oldest son is my drummer, and he was Musician of the Year two years ago in Nashville, and I can't chew gum and pat my feet at the same time.

55:00Mike: He's probably one of the best drummers that I've ever heard in Nashville.

55:02Ronnie: He yeah, he's the best drummer, I'm I'm telling y'all, and I'm not saying it because he's my kid. I don't know where they get this from.

55:10Mike: I'll say it because I've hired him to play with me, and he's just absolutely probably one of the best drummers I've ever worked with down downtown and in Nashville.

55:18Brian: You know why he's so good, Mike? Because drummers bang harder, that's why. So now that I've said that—

55:25Mike: Well, I know about your story about drum corps, okay?

55:29Brian: Oh, absolutely.

55:30Mike: Uh-huh.

55:31Ronnie: But I do want to tell you all that I am a three-term combat veteran of the Vietnam War and damn proud of it.

55:39Brian: Yes. Congratulations.

55:41Ronnie: Thank you.

55:42Mike: Absolutely. And I had I had four years—

55:45Brian: Go ahead, Mike, go ahead.

55:46Mike: I had four years Marine Corps and 16 years Navy, and I was in both Gulf Wars and also Kosovo, so I'm just I'm just happy to be here and with a fellow sailor here in the house. As he told me one time, he said, "You know, if I was still in the Navy, you'd have been my boss, but now I'm your boss, so—"

56:10Brian: Hey, I always say this: thank you to everybody, everybody listening around the world. Have a good night tonight, a better day tomorrow. You see someone without a smile, please give them one of yours. This is Movie Reviews & More, we will see you next week, and go out and support the arts. Support those two young men there, and we can't wait to see you in the near future. We will see you next week.

56:29Mike: It's going to be great.

56:30Ronnie: Thank y'all.

56:31Mike: And then and then we're going to stick around for just a second for all of our Tennessee Tales & Tunes fans that are online tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you guys for tuning in. This is Mr. Ronnie McDowell and Mr. Bill Medley from The Righteous Brothers here in the Tennessee Tales & Tunes studio coming to you live. Thank you, fellas, for being here tonight and everything you do, and thanks for being an inspiration to all the younger folks like myself and all the new kids coming up. We thank you very much.

57:01Ronnie: Thank you.

57:02Mike: It's going to be a great show tomorrow night, y'all make sure you get down there and get your tickets, because it's going to be fun. We're going to be in on the main stage at the the Troubadour in Nashville, Tennessee, in Music Valley right across from the Opryland Hotel. You guys come get your tickets, come get a seat and watch the live show. And there's going to be a special show the band is going to be playing afterwards from from around 8:30 to 10:00, so there's going to be a special show after that.

57:28Ronnie: Yep. I might even talk Bill into singing us—

57:31Mike: I hope we can. I hope we can, that'd be that would be marvelous. But thank you, guys, for tuning in tonight. We hope you have a wonderful evening. Thank you very much. Have a great night from Tennessee Tales & Tunes. Mike Ponder, love y'all!

57:44[Music]