The Drifters
Formed in 1953 in New York, USA, at the behest of Atlantic Records, this influential R&B vocal group was initially envisaged as a vehicle for ex-Dominoes’ singer, Clyde McPhatter. Gerhart Thrasher, Andrew Thrasher and Bill Pinkney completed the new quartet which, as Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, scored a number 1 R&B hit with their debut single, Money Honey. Follow-up releases, including Such A Night, Lucille and Honey Love (a second chart-topper), also proved highly successful, while the juxtaposition of McPhatter's soaring tenor against the frenzied support of the other members provided a link between gospel and rock ‘n’ roll styles. The leader's interplay with bassist Pinkey breathed new life into White Christmas, the group's sixth R&B hit, but McPhatter's induction into the armed forces in 1954 was a blow the Drifters struggled to withstand. The vocalist opted for a solo career upon leaving the services, and although his former group did enjoy success with Adorable (number 1 R&B 1955), Steamboat (1955), Ruby Baby (1956) and Fools Fall In Love (1957), such recordings featured a variety of lead singers, including David Baughn and Johnny Moore. A greater emphasis on pop material ensued, but tension between the group and manager, George Treadwell, resulted in an irrevocable split. Having fired the extant line-up in 1958, Treadwell, who owned the copyright to the Drifters’ name, invited another act, The Five Crowns, to adopt the appellation. Ben E. King (tenor), Charlie Thomas (tenor), Doc Green Jr. (baritone) and Elsbury Hobbs (bass), plus guitarist Reggie Kimber, duly became ‘the Drifters’, and declared their newfound role with There Goes My Baby. Written and produced by Leiber And Stoller, this pioneering release contained a Latin rhythm and string section, the first time such embellishments had appeared on an R&B recording. The single not only topped the R&B chart, it also reached number 2 on the US pop listings, and anticipated the ‘symphonic’ style later developed by Phil Spector. 
Further excellent releases followed, notably Dance With Me (1959), This Magic Moment (1960) and Save The Last Dance For Me, the last-named of which topped the US pop chart and reached number 2 in the UK. However, King left for a solo career following I Count The Tears (1960), and was replaced by Rudy Lewis, who fronted the group until his premature death in 1964. The Drifters continued to enjoy hits during this period and songs such as Sweets For My Sweet, When My Little Girl Is Smiling, Up On The Roof and On Broadway were not only entertaining in their own right, but also provided inspiration, and material, for many emergent British acts, notably the Searchers, who took the first-named song to the top of the UK chart. Johnny Moore, who had returned to the line-up in 1963, took over the lead vocal slot from Lewis. Under The Boardwalk, recorded the day after the latter's passing, was the Drifters’ last US Top 10 pop hit, although the group remained a popular attraction. Bert Berns had taken over production from Leiber and Stoller, and in doing so brought a soul-based urgency to their work, as evinced by One Way Love and Saturday Night At The Movies (1964). When he left Atlantic to found the Bang label, the Drifters found themselves increasingly overshadowed by newer, more contemporary artists and, bedevilled by lesser material and frequent changes in personnel, the group began to slip from prominence. However their career was revitalized in 1972 when two re-released singles, At The Club and Come On Over To My Place, reached the UK Top 10. A new recording deal with Bell was then secured and British songwriters/producers Tony Macauley, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway fashioned a series of singles redolent of the Drifters’ ‘classic’ era. Purists poured scorn on their efforts, but, between 1973 and 1975, the group, still led by Moore, enjoyed six UK Top 10 hits, including Come On Over To My Place, Kissin In The Back Row Of The Movies’, Down On The Beach Tonight and There Goes My First Love. This success ultimately waned as the decade progressed, and in 1982 Moore left the line-up. He was replaced, paradoxically, by Ben E. King who in turn brought the Drifters back to Atlantic. However, despite completing some new recordings, the group found it impossible to escape its heritage, as evinced by the numerous ‘hits’ repackages and corresponding live appearances on the cabaret and nostalgia circuits.