EDITORIAL

When it comes to fund-raising for good causes in the Newport-Mesa

community, no one does it better than Bill Medley.

He sang a concert to gather funds for Amanda Arthur’s medical bills after

the 1997 Irvine Avenue crash left her in a coma for three months.

He and fellow Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield packed the Balboa Pavilion

last year to raise money for the Balboa Theater renovation project.

And just this week, he did his part for local schools when he gave a

benefit concert for the Ensign Fund along with his musically inclined

children, McKenna, 12, and Darrin, 34.

Medley, who got his start in Balboa performing at the Rendezvous

Ballroom, has said performing for local charities is his way of giving

back to the community that helped boost his career.

Ensign Intermediate holds a special place in his heart because it’s the

school McKenna attends and because a portion of the proceeds from

Wednesday’s concert will go to the school’s music department. Medley said

he first developed his love for music while singing in his junior high

school’s choir.

Baby Boomers grew up to the soulful sounds of The Righteous Brothers in

the 1960s. Many residents can remember dancing their first dance to

“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” or having their first kiss while

“Unchained Melody” played on the radio.

That nostalgia, along with the fact that Medley is simply a great

entertainer, still keeps him busy touring both as a solo act and with

Hatfield. It also gives him the star power that local good causes

desperately need when attempting to raise large sums of cash.

Newport Beach is a prominent town with plenty of prominent, if not

famous, residents. But few are as dedicated as Medley or Hatfield when it

comes to their community. While some refuse to even talk to the local

newspaper, Medley invites reporters and photographers into his home -- if

that’s what it takes to help advertise for the fund-raiser.

And Medley is passing those ideals on to his children. McKenna, with a

voice twice as big as she is and a love for music as deep as her

father’s, clearly has a bright future.

There is little doubt in our minds that even as her musical career takes

off, she will not forget the example her father set.

Neither will we.