Line-up

Headliner
The Drifters Last time in Devon: First time!

Venue

Exmouth Pavilion

Esplanadde, EX8 2AZ, Devon, UK

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The Drifters biography

The Drifters are an R&B, doo-wop and soul vocal group from New York City. The long-standing group has endured through many changes and has been inducted in the Vocal Hall of Fame

The Drifters were formed in 1953 originally as back up vocalists for Clyde McPhatter, however McPhatter was only associated with the group for a year. McPhatter, with the intention of wanting to blend gospel and secular music, got some of his old church group together, which included William “Chick” Anderson, David Baldwin, James “Wrinkle” Johnson and David “Little Dave” Baughan. They only released one recording, but the record executive in charge of the group didn’t think the group worked and suggested a whole new lineup.

The whole new lineup consisted of Bill Pinkney, Andrew Thrasher, Gerhart Thrasher, Willie Ferbee and Walter Adams, and it was this group that produced the hit song “Money Honey” in September 1953. Unfortunately the group went through a few more lineup changes and was a short-lived group due to various reasons. Some members of the group started a new group under the name The Original Drifters (inducted into the Vocal Hall of Fame in 1998), but The Drifters continued on with a whole new lineup that included Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, Dock Green, Elsbeary Hobbs. It was this group that released a string of successful songs, including “There Goes My Baby” and “This Magic Moment,” and it was also this group that was later inducted into the Vocal Hall Of Fame in 2000 (as Ben E. King & The Drifters).

Live reviews

The Drifters might not have been signed to Motown, but that doesn’t mean they don’t share the same astonishing longevity as many of the legendary label’s biggest acts; admittedly, the current lineup of the outfit is a long way removed from the original 1953 group, but it’s really a testament to the quality of the songs, rather than the identity of those singing them, that The Drifters remain a going concern in any way, shape or form in the present day. Past alumni include the iconic likes of Ben E. King and Rudy Lewis, and it was they that formed the crux of the so-called New Drifters, after the original doo-wop oriented lineup from the fifties had run their course. Today, they’re comprised of a considerably younger group of men, and continue to tour as The Drifters all over the globe. Just this summer, they completed a lap of the UK that saw all the classics brought out - ‘Under the Boardwalk’, ‘Saturday Night at the Movies’ and ‘Kissin’ in the Back Row’ all present and correct - and done justice, too, with a full live band. The Drifters may look very different these days, but the songs remain the same - and audiences continue to lap them up.

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