Why the Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley Says Opening for the Rolling Stones Was ‘More Fun’ than Opening for the Beatles

The Righteous Brothers opened for both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones early in the legendary bands’ careers — but singer Bill Medley says his experience with one group was a bit more fun.

Medley, 84, and his Righteous Brothers cofounder Bobby Hatfield had a busy 1964, serving as one of the Beatles’ opening acts on their first American tour in August and September of that year, then doing the same with the Stones that October and November.

In an interview with Billboard, Medley joked that the interviewer wanted “to get me in trouble” when asked which was more fun, though he admitted it was a “pretty simple answer.”

“The Beatles, when we opened for them, it was the first American Beatles tour — and the kids were just screaming and crying, yelling out, ‘John, John, Ringo!’ Whatever,” he recalled. “A lot of times when we were on, they’d be clapping and screaming, ‘We want The Beatles!’”

The Stones, on the other hand, who had just released the album 12 x 5, were a bit more unknown at the time — meaning their fanbase was slightly calmer.

“They hadn’t really made it yet. I think the next weekend after we worked with them, they became huge,” he said. “So that was at least more musical, opening for them, so that was really more fun. But being with The Beatles was, obviously, more historic.”

The Beatles played 32 shows on that first North American tour, and ultimately quit touring altogether by 1966, as poor sound quality, screaming fans and the hysteria of so-called Beatlemania made it difficult to hear themselves play.

Medley and Hatfield, meanwhile, founded the Righteous Brothers in the early 1960s, and Medley launched a solo career in 1968. The duo was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, the same year Hatfield died at age 63.

On Feb. 21, Medley — who still tours as the Righteous Brothers with Bucky Heard — will release Straight from the Heart, a collection of country songs that marks his first new album in nearly 20 years.

“Country songs give you the flexibility to do them the way you want. I’m 84, I’m not a country singer — but I love country blues songs,” he told Billboard. “I’ve always thought George Jones was one of the great blues singers in the world.”