Iam 72 now and having seen the Drifters in the Manchester area of England so many times Johnny Moore was my best singer over all the years. My best song is Nylon Stockings sung by Charles Thomas. I stiil listen to the Drifters now never to be forgotten
Hi my name is Terry King and I would love to do an interview to ad on to this video i Sang With Charlie Thomas Drifters for more than 40 years. Looking forward to it Thank you. Terry King.
The Drifters have one of the most complicated histories of any group in the history of Popular music. Their most successful era in the UK was between 1972-77 when they racked up a string of successive top 30 hits. It made the Drifters one of the most successful Soul/R&B acts of the era in the UK.
Oh MY GOD ILL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN. HE WAS NICEST GUY HE SHAKE MY HAND IN AUDENCE. JUST PICK ME. REST IN PEACE. HE WILL BE MISSED LONG WITH RUDY LEWIS. ❤❤
Outstanding video! One of the greatest (though underrated) "Drifter Group" vocalists was Clyde Brown, formerly of James Cleveland and the Cleveland Singers. Brown on lead with Cleveland's "He Made Them All." Not sure when they parted. Inconsistencies seemed to be the earmark of Brown so much so that his talent was overshadowed by it. Cleveland's lineup also changed a lot. He swayed between forming groups and recording with choirs. Brown was part of the best lineup Cleveland ever stitched together IMHO. He hooked up briefly with the now-defunct Canyon Records in LA headed up by former Motown bigwig Mickey Stevenson. Stevenson left Detroit with Kim Weston who didn't make "the noise" she'd hoped for. A collaboration (brief) between Stevenson and Wally Roker did little to boost Kim or Clyde and it all faded after a very short and jumpy run. Brown was with a sound-a-like group managed by New York's Jimmy Evans. He passed away in December 2022. To my astonishment no one from the industry or the group(s) he'd been associated with attended his services. I've always wondered why. Brown had a brief stint with Atlantic Records: "The Crying Man," and "You Call Me Back" neither of which curried much favor from the company or the public. So often it takes more than talent to succeed.
April covid-19 2022 Great bio and history of the legendary R&B soul group, The Drifters. I loved Ben E King but, Rudy Lewis and Johnny Moore are my most admired lead singers for the group. The Drifters forever remain a part of the soundtrack of my youth, and Soul Generation.
Was 10 yrs. Old got my first am transistor radio,first song was under the boardwalk,brings back rockaway beach,listen to this song everyday, timeless classic
Hi my name is Terry King and the story of The Drifters was very interesting but the Legacy is still continuing I was with Charlie Thomas and Elsberry Hobbs and Don Thomas so there's still a story to be told.
I had the pleasure of playing guitar for the Drifters in Ocean City, Md. on the beach in 1996 or 7. I was in an 8-piece Oldies show band and we had a 4 or 5-piece band to make extra money. They had been using bar bands for backup and we were given a cassette tape of the 2 shows we were going to do. After we got our equipment set up, they came and wanted to do a sound check. They were only going to do a song or two but we got an audience and wound up doing both shows completely. Needless to say, the band was tight when we started that night and the Drifters put on one hell of a show! They were very professional and nice guys, a real pleasure to work with. The only downside was there was a hurricane watch that weekend, (Labor Day), so the crowd wasn't nearly as big as had been expected. I've backed up a few '50s and '60s groups in my career but this was one of the most fun gigs I ever did.
I have been a fan of the Drifters for 60+ years, there has been lots of changes in the line up but manage to keep their sound. My favorite songs are " in the land of make believe" Count the tears" "One way love" " up on the roof" " dance with me" " moon light bay" " someone new dancing with you". They are more.😊
I am getting a little confused. I saw The Drifters 2014 I think? Maybe 2013? Not sure who I saw? I know 3 of them were older. One of the background dancers was young. (Depending on how often they come to Orlando Florida. If not often, that would give you the year. I was in Lakeland. They found out the group was in the area. I heard Lakeland went and picked them up. I felt so lucky. )
How crazily complicated! While the Drifters’ Girl ( now playing at the West End U.K.) has some splendid vocals such a complicated history goes into a tail spin as the singers also play all the other characters including their replacements so it’s a flat presentation as opposed to a nuanced one . Can’t expect the different tones emanating from the real change over, but can help the audience to understand the complete tumble dryer of change over. Nevertheless the music speaks for itself in each of the different guises!
he was cremated in Jan 99 at Norwood Cemetery in South London nr his Upper Norwood home I was privileged to be a pallbearer as I was the Drifters UK tour managers for over 30years with the original line up, sadly the UK is now full of fakes and wannabes all claiming dishonesty to have an original member
