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The Drifters

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Drifters are an American pop and R&B/soul group. The first group formed in 1953 around Clyde McPhatter, the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes. Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records sought him out and had him put together a group of his own. McPhatter wanted to mix gospel and secular music and recruited singers from his church choir, but after a first session that line-up proved not to work. A second line-up made Money Honey, their first big hit in 1953.

Music and breakthrough

The group is remarkable because there was hardly ever a fixed line-up. George Treadwell had owned the name since 1955 and kept hiring new singers, at low pay. Over the years the Treadwell group counted sixty musicians. A second group, which formed around Ben E. King in 1959, received its own place in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. There are three golden periods: the early 1950s, the 1960s and the early 1970s.

Influence

The Drifters had six number ones on the R&B chart: Money Honey (1953), Honey Love (1954), Adorable (1955), There Goes My Baby (1959), Save the Last Dance for Me (1960) and Under the Boardwalk (1964). Their greatest successes in England came in the 1970s, with Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies. The sound links gospel singing with pop and soul. Many later vocal groups learned from the way the Drifters brought singing and arrangement together.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Save the Last Dance for Me and notice how the vocals and the rhythm of the song together create a danceable atmosphere. What tells you that this is soul and not rock and roll?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists