History
Classic first Drifters and Clyde McPhatter
To historians and many fans, "The Drifters" means Clyde McPhatter, although he was with the group for only one year. McPhatter was lead tenor for Billy Ward and His Dominoes for three years, starting in 1950. McPhatter's high-pitched tenor was mostly responsible for the Dominoes' success. In 1953, Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records attended a Dominoes performance at Birdland, and noticed McPhatter was absent. Jerry Wexler recalled,Ahmet exited Birdland like a shot and headed directly uptown. He raced from bar to bar looking for Clyde and finally found him in a furnished room. That very night, Ahmet reached an agreement with McPhatter under which Clyde would assemble a group of his own. They became known as the Drifters.Wanting to blend gospel and secular sounds, McPhatter's first effort was to get members of his church group, the Mount Lebanon Singers: William "Chick" Anderson, Charlie White, and David "Little Dave" Baughan (tenors); David Baldwin (baritone, and author James Baldwin's brother); and James "Wrinkle" Johnson (bass). After a recording session of four songs on June 29, 1953, Ertegun realized that this combination did not work, and had McPhatter recruit another lineup. The second group included first tenor Bill Pinkney (of the Jerusalem Stars), second tenor Andrew Thrasher, and baritone Gerhart Thrasher (both of the gospel group "The Thrasher Wonders"), Willie Ferbee as bass vocal, and Walter Adams on guitar. This is the group on the second session that produced their first major hit, " Money Honey", released September 1953, with the record label displaying the group name "Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters". McPhatter was barely known during his time with the Dominoes, and he was sometimes passed off as "Clyde Ward, Billy's little brother". In other instances, people assumed Billy Ward was doing the singing. "Lucille", written by McPhatter, from the first recording session, was put on the B-side of "Money Honey", making a recording industry rarity; a single released with two songs by two essentially different groups of the same name. "Money Honey" was a huge success, and propelled the Drifters to immediate fame. More lineup changes followed after Ferbee was involved in an accident and left the group. After Adams died, he was replaced by Jimmy Oliver. Ferbee was not replaced; instead, the voice parts were shifted around. Gerhart Thrasher moved up to first tenor, Andrew Thrasher shifted down to baritone, and Bill Pinkney dropped to bass. This group released several more hits, including "
Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters
Although Treadwell owned the Drifters brand, original members felt they were the real Drifters and were determined to keep the group alive. Bill Pinkney left first. After receiving exclusive and irrevocable ownership of the name/mark "The Original Drifters" in a binding arbitration, he joined with the Thrashers and David Baughan to begin touring as "The Original Drifters". Several original Drifters came in and out of this group over time, as well as other new artists, but these Drifters never replicated the success of the earlier Drifters group. Baughan left after a short time. Bobby Lee Hollis joined in 1964 and took over the lead spot. Later that year, Andrew Thrasher left and Jimmy Lewis joined the group. Bobby Hendricks returned, making the group a quintet for a short time, before Lewis' departure. Andrew Thrasher returned, replacing Hollis. Hollis and Baughan were periodically with the group through the 1960s. In 1968, the group consisted of Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher, Hollis, and Hendricks. Pinkney hired the Tears to perform as part of his group on a short tour. The Tears were Benny Andersson, George Wallace, Albert Fortson, and Mark Williams. After the tour, the Tears—without Pinkney—continued to tour as the Original Drifters, but Pinkney successfully sued to stop them from using the name. Pinkney added Bruce Caesar, Clarence Tex Walker, and Duke Richardson, but the lineup changed rapidly. In 1979, the group was Pinkney, Andrew Lawyer, Chuck Cockerham, Harriel Jackson, and Tony Cook. Their 1995 album ''Peace in the Valley'' on Blackberry Records credited vocals to Pinkney, Cockerham, Richard Knight Dunbar, (Vernon Young), and Greg Johnson. They appeared on the 2001 PBS special ''Doo Wop 51'' with Pinkney, Dunbar, Johnson, and Bobby Hendricks. The lineup in the early 2000s was Pinkney, Cockerham, Dunbar, Young, and Ronald Jackson, the son of singer Ruth Brown and Clyde McPhatter. Pinkney died on July 4, 2007, and his legacy continues via the successfully defended registered federal service mark "Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters". The present Original Drifters lineup is Russell Henry, Chuck Cockerham, Richard Knight Dunbar, and Roger Whitehead.The New Drifters
Treadwell owned the rights to the name "Drifters" and still had a year's worth of bookings for the Apollo when he fired the group. In summer 1958, he approached Lover Patterson, the manager of the Five Crowns featuring lead singer Benjamin Earl Nelson—better known by his stage name of Ben E. King—and arranged for them to become the Drifters. The new line-up consisted of King (lead tenor), Charlie Thomas (tenor), Dock Green (baritone), and Elsbeary Hobbs (bass). James "Poppa" Clark was the fifth "Crown"; he was not included due to an alcohol problem, which Treadwell had considered to be a problem with the first group. The group went out on the road to tour for almost a year. Since this new group had no connection to the previous Drifters, they often played to hostile audiences. When Atlantic decided to send the new Drifters into the studio, Ertegun and Wexler were too busy to produce the sessions, so they hired Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had been successful producing the Coasters. With Leiber and Stoller producing, this new lineup — widely considered the "true" golden age of the group — released several singles with King on lead that became chart hits. " There Goes My Baby", the first commercial rock-and-roll recording to include a string orchestra, was a top-10 hit, and number 193 on the ''Rolling Stone'' 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. "Dance with Me" followed and then " This Magic Moment" (number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1960). " Save the Last Dance for Me" reached number one on the U.S. pop charts and number two in the UK. It was followed by "I Count The Tears". This version of the Drifters was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000 as Ben E. King and the Drifters. The write-up indicates an award primarily as a tribute to Ben E. King with a nod to his time in the Drifters, only one of five paragraphs being exclusively devoted to the Drifters, although Charlie Thomas was also cited by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame's induction of the original Drifters, which technically was only through 1958). With this brief golden age lasting two years, personnel changes followed. Lover Patterson (the Drifters' road manager) got into an argument with George Treadwell. Since Patterson had King under contract, he refused to let him tour with the group. King was only able to record with the group for about a year. Johnny Lee Williams, who sang lead on "(If You Cry) True Love, True Love", the B-side of "Dance with Me", handled the vocals on tour along with Charlie Thomas. When the group passed through Williams' hometown of Mobile, Alabama, Williams left the group. Williams died on December 19, 2004, at the age of 64. When King asked Treadwell for a raise and a share of royalties, a request that was not honored, he left and began a successful solo career. Williams left at the same time, and a new lead, Rudy Lewis, (of The Clara Ward Singers), was hired. Lewis led the Drifters on hits such as " Some Kind of Wonderful", " Please Stay", " Up on the Roof" (which reached number five on the U.S. pop singles chart and number four on the U.S. R&B singles chart in 1963), and " On Broadway" (which reached number 9 on the U.S. pop singles chart and number seven on the U.S. R&B singles chart in 1963). Lewis was also named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Drifters induction. Ben E. King died on April 30, 2015, at the age of 76. Hobbs was drafted for military service and replaced by the returning Tommy Evans (from the first group). Green left in 1962 and was replaced by Eugene Pearson (of The Rivileers and The Cleftones). Evans left again in 1963 and was replaced by Johnny Terry, who had been an original member of James Brown's singing group, The Famous Flames (and was co-writer of their first hit, " Please Please Please"). After his military service and a failed solo career, Johnny Moore returned in 1964, making the group a quintet of Moore, Thomas, Lewis, Pearson, and Perry. Later that year, the group was scheduled to record " Under the Boardwalk" on May 21, but Rudy Lewis died on the night before the session, and Johnny Moore took over as the sole lead (Lewis and he had been alternating). Terry was replaced in 1966 by Dan Dandridge for a few months, then by William Brent, who had been with Johnny Moore in the Hornets in 1954. Gene Pearson was replaced by Rick Sheppard during the same year. By late 1966, baritone/bass Bill Fredricks had replaced William Brent. Charlie Thomas, the group's last member from the Five Crowns, left in mid-1967 and was replaced by Charles Baskerville, a former member of The Limelites. Baskerville stayed only a short time. In 1972, the Drifters left the Atlantic roster.Post-Atlantic career
The Drifters moved to England and continued with several different vocalists, and a songwriting and producer team led by long-term Drifters fan Roger Greenaway. They issued four albums between 1973 and 1976 and had U.K. chart hits with "Like Sister & Brother", "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies", "There Goes My First Love", and "You're More Than a Number in My Little Red Book". Butch Leake andLitigation
In 1969, magazine editor Larry Marshak planned a series of concerts by the Drifters and other classic vocal groups. He found Dock Green, Charlie Thomas, and Elsbeary Hobbs, and began to promote them as "the Drifters". This brought swift legal action from Faye Treadwell, wife of George Treadwell, who was managing the Drifters. In an attempt to grant his group the sole rights to the name, Marshak convinced Hobbs, Thomas, and Green to apply for a trademark on the Drifters name in 1976. The trademark was granted, but due to Treadwell's legal action, it was revoked in 2000 in U.S. federal court. The trio of original Drifters split afterward into separate groups. TheSplinter groups
Dock Green led his group, the Drifters featuring Dock Green, throughout the 1970s and 1980s. That group consisted of Green (lead/baritone), Derek Ventura (lead/tenor), Lloyd Butch Phillips (second tenor), and Bernard Jones (bass/baritone). Green died on March 10, 1989; Phillips died in 2002. Ray Lewis and Roy Hemmings have led a Drifters group. Bobby Hendricks led a group, as did Billy Lewis. Don Thomas leads a group, Don Thomas and the Drifters Review. In addition, Ronn McPhatter, son of Clyde McPhatter, leads a group called Clyde McPhatter's Drifters. Aside from the official post-2008 lineup, Treadwell managed a second group, The Drifters Legends, composed of former members Rick Sheppard, Butch Leake, Joe Blunt, and Clyde Brown. Faye Treadwell died of breast cancer at the age of 84 on May 22, 2011.Awards
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has inducted both "The Original Drifters" (1998) and "Ben E. King and the Drifters" (2000). In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the Drifters number 81 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 1988, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the Drifters; naming members Clyde McPhatter, Bill Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher, Johnny Moore, Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, and Rudy Lewis. Bill Pinkney, Charlie Thomas, and Johnny Moore (posthumously) received Pioneer Awards from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 1999. The Songwriters Hall of Fame include The Drifters among their Songwriters Friends, the artists who popularized the songs written by inductees. Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame 2018.Members
* Clyde McPhatter (1953–55; died 1972) * David Baughan (1953, 1954–55; died 1970) * William Anderson (1953) * David Baldwin (1953) * James ‘Wrinkle’ Johnson (1953); died 2001 * Bill Pinkney (1953–56; died 2007) * Gerhart Thrasher (1953–58; died 1977) * Andrew Thrasher (1953–56; died 1978) * Willie Ferbee (1953) * Walter Adams (1953; died 1953) * Jimmy Oliver (1954–57) * Johnny Moore (1954–57, 1964–78, 1980, 1983, 1987–98; died 1998) * Tommy Evans (1956–62; died 1984) * Lee Anderson 2015 * Charlie Hughes (1956) * Bobby Hendricks (1957; died 2022) * Jimmy Millinder (1957) * Ben E. King (1958–60, 1981–85; died 2015) * Charlie Thomas (1958–67) * Dock Green (1958–62; died 1989) * Derek Ventura (1972–84) * Bernard Jones (1972–84) * Lloyd Butch Phillips (1972–84; died 2002) * Elsbeary "Beary" Hobbs (1958–60; died 1996) * James Clark (1958–59) * Johnny Lee Williams (1959–60; died 2004) * Reggie Kimber (1959–60) * Daniel Bowen-Smith (2014-2016) * James Poindexter (1960) * Rudy Lewis (1960–64; died 1964) * Eugene "Gene" Pearson (1962–66) * Johnny Terry (1963–66; died 2005) * Jimmy Lewis (1963–65; died 2004) * Dan Dandridge (1966) * Clarence Tex Walker (1966–1973; died 2007 Woodstock, Oxford UK) * William Brent (1966) * Rick Sheppard (1966-1967) * Bill Fredericks (1966–??, 1982–83; died 1999) * Charles Baskerville (1967) * Hollywood Lee Logan (1983–Present) * Luddy Samms * Butch Leake (1970–1976) * Joe Blunt (1976–1980, 1983–1986) * Ray Lewis (1978–83, 1986–present) * Terry King (1978–Retired 1989) * Rudy Ivan (19??–82) * Louis Price (1980–83, 1986) * Peter Lamarr (1990, 1991, 1998–2001, 2004–??) * Roy Hemmings (1990–2003) * Rohan Delano Turney (1991–????) * Patrick Alan (1990, 1998–????) * Jason Leigh (1995–2001) * Vernon K. Taylor (1995–present) * Victor Bynoe (2002–??) * Steve V. King (2008–10) * Maurice Cannon (2008–11) * Damion Charles (2008–12) * Michael Williams (2008–present) * Ryan King (2010–present) * Carlton Powell (2011–14) * Pierre Herelle (2012–14) * Damien Charles (2014–present) * Bobby Charles Taylor August 13, 1940 - (died on October 14, 2018, in Moreno Valley, California). * Gil Hamilton aka. Johnny Thunder * Emmanuel Dadey (2015) * Jerome Bucknor (2015)Lineups
The Atlantic Years 1953–1972 (does not include Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters (1959– ), Charlie Thomas's Drifters (1971– ) or the Drifters in the UK (1972– ) which for many years featured Johnny Moore.); nor does it include the various later Drifters groups that used the name but have no connection with the Treadwell Drifters,Discography
References
External links