Righteous Brothers join Vocal Hall Class of 2005

Other groups in the class include Fleetwood Mac and The Pointer Sisters.
THE VINDICATOR
SHARON, Pa. -- When Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley harmonized in the early 1960s, they called it "blue-eyed soul."
And when a man attending one of their early shows shouted out, "That was righteous, brothers," they had their name.
The Righteous Brothers will be the second duo to be inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) and head up the hall's class of 2005.
They've got some extremely talented company.
The Neville Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, The Pointer Sisters and The Rascals are also members of the Class of 2005, all noted for their tight harmonies.
The groups are part of a list of 14 inductees representing vocal group harmony from the 1950s through the 1980s. In addition, two pre-1950s harmony groups are being recognized with the hall's Pioneer Award.
It's the eighth class of inductees and 2005 marks only the second year that the vocal duo category has been included.
The Everly Brothers took that initial honor as part of the class of 2004.
Inductees receive Harmony Awards, essentially a lifetime achievement honor, as groups have to be publicly active for at least 20 years to earn consideration for a nomination.
Suggesting groups for list
Musicologists, former inductees and Web site visitors can make suggestions for groups to be added to the qualifiers list. The VGHF Induction Committee determines a group's eligibility before nominating a group to the ballot. The public gets to help choose which groups are inducted.
Voting breaks down this way: the Induction Committee represents 35 percent of the vote, past inductees make up 30 percent, voters using the ballots in the Dec. 22 issue of Goldmine magazine make up another 30 percent and ballots posted at the VocalGroup.org Web site count for 5 percent. Voting will run through Dec. 31.
A combined class of 2005 and class of 2006 induction ceremony and concert date and location will be announced in early 2007.
The Class of 2005, by decade, is:
1950s: the Del Vikings, the Spaniels, the Hilltoppers.
1960s: the Angels, Brooklyn Bridge, the Chiffons, the Crystals, the Rascals, the Tymes.
1970s: the Chi-Lites, Fleetwood Mac, the Pointer Sisters.
1980s: the Neville Brothers.
Pioneer Awards: Sons of the Pioneers, the Mel-Tones.