On this day in music history: March 16, 1955 - “Unchained Melody” by Roy Hamilton is released. Written by Alex North and Hy Zaret, it is the second chart topping for the R&B vocal legend from Leesburg, GA. Written by film score composer North (“A Streetcar Named Desire”, “Spartacus”) and lyricist Zaret (“One Meatball”, “Why Does The Sun Shine?”), the song is originally composed as the theme for the film “Unchained”. It quickly becomes a hit and is covered by numerous artists, including Al Hibbler and Les Baxter who both reach the top 10 with their versions. Hamilton’s version (the third recording of the song) spends three weeks at number one on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues singles chart and number six on the Best Sellers chart. It is Roy Hamilton’s vocal style and arrangement that is the one most directly influences and inspires The Righteous Brothers’ 1965 recording, that becomes the most famous rendition of the song.

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