Drifters, the

Drifters, the

▪ American music group
      American rhythm-and-blues (rhythm and blues) vocal group that produced a series of chart-topping hits from the early 1950s to the mid-1960s. The Drifters were actually two groups—one built around lead singer Clyde McPhatter (McPhatter, Clyde), the other an entirely different group that took the name Drifters, to which manager George Treadwell held the copyright, after he dismissed the original contingent. The principal members of the first incarnation were Clyde McPhatter (b. Nov. 15, 1932, Durham, N.C., U.S.—d. June 13, 1972, New York, N.Y.), Billy Pinckney (also spelled Billy Pinkney; b. Aug. 15, 1925, Sumter, S.C.—d. July 4, 2007, Daytona Beach, Fla.), Andrew Thrasher , (b. Wetumpka, Ala.), Gerhart Thrasher , (b. Wetumpka), “Little David” Baughan (b. New York—d. 1970), and Johnny Moore (b. 1934, Selma, Ala.). Principal members of the second incarnation included Ben E. King (original name Benjamin Earl Nelson; b. Sept. 28, 1938, Henderson, N.C.), Charlie Thomas, Elsbeary Hobbs, Rudy Lewis, and Moore.

      The Drifters were formed in 1953 at the behest of cofounder Ahmet Ertegun, who approached McPhatter when the popular vocalist was dropped from Billy Ward and the Dominoes. After serving in the army, McPhatter left the Drifters in 1955 to pursue a solo career—but not before the group had reached number one on the rhythm-and-blues charts with “Money Honey” (1953) and scored several other hits, including “White Christmas” (1954). Three lead singers later, in 1959, Treadwell replaced the entire group with another ensemble, the Five Crowns, led by King. Still recording for Atlantic, now under the guidance of writer-producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (Leiber and Stoller), the Drifters cracked the pop Top Ten in 1959 with “There Goes My Baby” (remembered for its innovative use of strings and Latin rhythms) and took “Save the Last Dance for Me” (1960) to number one.

      King, too, left and became a successful soloist, scoring hits with “Spanish Harlem” (1960) and “Stand by Me” (1961). However, the Drifters continued their string of hits, benefiting from the –style songwriting prowess of teams such as Carole King and Gerry Goffin and Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus (Pomus, Doc). Lewis sang lead on “Up on the Roof” (1962) and “On Broadway” (1963), while Moore took the lead on “Under the Boardwalk” (1964). Although the group's popularity waned in the mid-1960s, a changing membership carried the Drifters' gospel (gospel music)-tinged sound into the early 21st century. The Drifters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Drifters (2003 film) — Drifters Directed by Wang Xiaoshuai Produced by Peggy Chiao Yong Ning Hsu Hsiao ming …   Wikipedia

  • The Drifters — The Drifters  чернокожий вокальный коллектив, созданный в начале 1953 года по настоянию продюсеров Ахмета Эртегуна и Джерри Векслера специально под Клайда Макфэттера  обладателя высокого тенора из популярной группы The Dominoes (где его …   Википедия

  • The History of Rock & Roll — was a radio documentary on rock and roll music, originally syndicated in 1969. One of the most lengthiest documentaries of any medium (48 hours in the 1969 version, 52 hours for the 1978 and 1981 versions) Fact|date=January 2008, The History of… …   Wikipedia

  • The Drifters — This article is about the American doo wop/R B group. For other uses, see Drifter. The Drifters Origin New York City, U.S. Genres R B, doo wop, soul Years active 1953 present Labe …   Wikipedia

  • The Drifters — Die Drifters waren eine 1953 gegründete US amerikanische Vokalgruppe des Rhythm Blues, die bis zu ihrer Auflösung im Jahr 1978 starken personellen Fluktuationen ausgesetzt war und insgesamt fünf Millionenseller wie Save the Last Dance for Me auf… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Drifters' Golden Hits — Infobox Album Name = The Drifters Golden Hits Type = compilation Artist = The Drifters Released = 1968 Recorded = Genre = R B Doo Wop Length = 29:47 Label = Atlantic Producer = Bert Berns, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller Reviews = Allmusic… …   Wikipedia

  • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre — Infobox Book name = Treasure of the Sierra Madre title orig = Der Schatz der Sierra Madre translator = image caption = author = B. Traven illustrator = cover artist = country = flagicon|Germany Germany language = German series = subject = genre …   Wikipedia

  • The Santa Clause – Eine schöne Bescherung — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Santa Clause – Eine schöne Bescherung Originaltitel: The Santa Clause Produktionsland: USA Erscheinungsjahr: 1994 Länge: 97 Minuten Originalsprache: Englisch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Blendells — Infobox musical artist Name = The Blendells Img capt = Img size = Landscape = Background = group or band Alias = Origin = East Los Angeles, California, U.S. Genre = Brown eyed soul Latin rock Instrumental rock Years active = 1960s Label = Reprise …   Wikipedia

  • The Temple House — Infobox Skyscraper building name= The Temple House previous building= Temple Emanuel year built= 1933 surpassed by building= year highest= year end= location= Miami Beach roof= antenna spire= height stories= construction period= 1933… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”