The Drifters A History...
After leaving the Drifters, I began thinking of where my future was going after taking a break from the music business after my mother’s passing in 1983. Early that day, I was notified by a friend that The Drifters had been inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. A couple of months earlier, I was in Federal court testifying on behalf of a service mark issue that has been going on since the early 1970s. It was like a drama you would see on television. The players in this real-life story had assembled for one of the many showdowns that have taken place over the rights to one of the most controversial service marks in history. Larry Marshak had filed a legal action against singer Rick Sheppard to infringe his Drifters service mark. Grant Kitchings, Johnny Moore, and The Drifters manager Faye Treadwell was, the rightful owner of the trademark in the United States and was engaged in legal action with Mr. Marshak over service infringement, were in court to testify on Mr. Sheppard’s behalf.
A certain amount of excitement engulfed me, not so much who owned the rights to the service mark. From The Drifter’s emergence in the 1950s, it had virtually been inseparable from the Treadwell family name. Rights in many cases have been established by their continued use in commerce without a mark ever being filed. A challenge to this ruling had begun in 1970 when a former member Charlie Thomas filed for the service mark under The Drifter’s partnership with two former Drifter members, Dock Green and Elsbeary Hobbs. I realized that I was an essential player in this historical course of events for the first time. The 1970s was the beginning of the re-emergence of one of the most famous groups in musical history. I was a part of that new legend, even though differences kept us apart. We were all interwoven into one another’s lives.
Much of my earlier life was like that of the young generation today. We had our celebrities, those entertainers who filled so much of our fantasies and became part of our lives. I refer to them as the Kings & Queens of the roaring ’50s and 60s. The era of the vocal groups and teen idols. Groups such as Franky Lymon and the Teenagers who know doubt the Jackson Five of that period. Little Anthony and the Imperials, who I have always idolized and continue even today to be one of the most contemporary groups out of that period. You may also refer to it as the excellent renaissance period—the architects of today’s music scene. Much of what you experience today in music, dance, and fashion is a spin-off of what was developed years ago. Michael Jackson’s moonwalk was no more than what was known as the camel walk, which goes back to the 40s. Break dancing is reminiscent of swing during the 50s. Prince’s earlier styling is taken from such greats as Jimmy Hendricks and the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Even Rap & Hip Hop had their true roots in this period. That era could be termed the era of the music highwaymen. During that time, much of white music was a copy of what was innovated by the black artist.
Much of his musical roots, Elvis Presley, were principally deep southern gospel, blues, and country.
Born in racially segregated Mississippi, he was raised amidst the enthusiasm of the pentecostal religion. At thirteen, moving to Memphis with his family, he heard the early R&B stars on radio station WDIA. Much of his styling came from the influences of the late songwriter Otis Blackwell, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller. After 60 years of hits, 214 million singles and 114 million albums sold, an incredible track record despite a succession of personnel changes and diverse groups. The Drifters are one of the longest-running success stories in music history. Since the group’s formation in 1953, over sixty individuals have performed through their ever-changing lineup. Some lasted with the group for years, others never made it past a few engagements, and others were never recorded in photo sessions.
In the middle seventies, Atlantic Records reissued tracks from 1964-to 65, featuring a lineup that disbanded eight years prior. At the same time, Bell Records (presently Arista Records) and EMI promoted two entirely different groups, each led by a member of the earlier disbanded group. The magic is in the name, for it wasn’t the first time that one of the many offspring groups competed for the top title. Ironic it has been the subject of much litigation in the courts, who should own the title The Drifters. No doubt, looking back, the name has been inseparable from the Treadwell family clan for the most part.
First beginning with George Treadwell and later held together by his widow Miss Faye Treadwell. It had slipped into the hands of people who never had any involvement with the group or its historical past in recent times. It is currently owned by the Treadwell estate, controlled by Tina Treadwell, with worldwide management and license rights formerly through PMG (prism music group) in the U.K.
On January 20, 1987, The Drifters were inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame with such notables as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Supreme, a tribute that had been long overdue. Like many other music stories, the Drifters illustrates the making of a vocal group, Not just any vocal group that was around during the ’50s and ’60s. But an innovation-led Atlantic Records to its supremacy as an R&B label throughout that golden age. In the late 1960s, The classic voice of Rudy Lewis joined Thomas as the lead. Also, after the 60’s session, Elsbeary Hobbs left the lineup and was drafted into the military. William Van Dyke, George Grant, and Tommy Evans (Bass of the second Drifters group) were his replacements.
The Drifters were always photographed with four or five members. One such member entered the scene in mid-1959: Bill Davis (AKA Abdul Samad), arranger, composer, guitarist, and road manager. Samad’s guitar sound was unique to the overall sound of The Drifters. In 1962, Doc Green left the lineup and was replaced by Gene Pearson, formally of the Clef tones and Rivileers. Gene Pearson, Charlie Thomas, and Tommy Evans are the voices you hear on the track “Another Night With The Boys.” After the classic song “On Broadway,” Tommy Evans leaves the lineup and is replaced by Johnny Terry, formally of the Dominoes, Flames, and Knickerbocker fame.
Mid-1963, Atlantic released a solo recording on Rudy Lewis (Atlantic 2193), but he continued to sing with The Drifters, alternating lead with Johnny Moore. Sadly Rudy died after the last 1963 session. The Drifters in early 1964 were now Johnny Moore, Charlie Thomas, Gene Pearson, Johnny Terry, and Abdul Samad. This group recorded the track “I Don’t Want To Go On Without You” as a tribute to Rudy Lewis. The Drifters had a unique background sound that accompanied them from early 1961 through 1963. The studio singers on these sessions consisted of the soulful sounds of Dionne Warwick, her sister Dee Dee Warwick, Doris Troy, and Cissy Houston.
In 1966, Johnny Terry was replaced by bass singer Dan Dandridge in yet another personal change. Dandridge never recorded with the Drifters. William Brent later replaced him.
Brent was also there only a few months, even though he was in a 10/12/66 session. He was replaced by baritone Bill Fredricks who had initially sung with the Packards of the “Ding Dong” Fame. Also, on 10/12/66, session Gene Pearson was replaced by baritone singer Rick Sheppard.
When hired by George Treadwell for The Drifters, Sheppard was a soloist on Capitol and Shout Records. After nine years, Charlie Thomas left the group in August 1967.
He was replaced by the tenor of (Shep and The Limelites) Charles Baskerville for a short period. The next recording session on 11/8/67 had only three voices - Johnny Moore, Rick Sheppard, and Bill Fredricks. December of 1967, Charles Baskerville left the lineup and was replaced by baritone Milton Turner who sang with Bill Fredricks in The Packards’. Guitarist Abdul Samad also goes around this time and is replaced By Butch Mann, the former guitarist for Ruby and The Romantics of the (Our Day Will Come) fame. Milton Turner leaves in 1969 and is replaced by another Charles Thomas, who later changes his name to Don, not to confuse it with the original Charlie Thomas. Both Don and Charlie were from the state of Virginia.
From this point on, The Drifters as a group spiraled downward. Atlantic Records had only been releasing one record a year the group from 1967 thru 1971, non-making it to the top 100 in the charts. In 1970, the group broke up over internal problems relating to management. Bill Fredricks stayed because of closeness with management, who was then Faye Treadwell, wife of the late George Treadwell. Johnny, Rick, and Don wanted to go it alone, but nothing came out of these plans. Rick left and became a police officer, even though he continued singing with his review. Johnny rejoined Bill Fredricks and the management. Don Thomas also returned for a short period.
April of 1970, after a stint in the military and returning from a tour in Vietnam, I was recruited into The Drifters by Bill Fredricks, then a lead singer for the brand. Through the year 1970, the Drifters consisted of Johnny Moore, Bill Fredricks, Butch Leake, Don Thomas, and guitarist Ben Westerfield. Westerfield left after 1970 and was replaced by Butch Mann. June 1969, after my military discharge, my return to New York was met with a social scene that was in decay. Drug use in the communities was rising, and jobs were not easy to come by. I had to live on my military savings the first few months after returning home. My first job was as a security officer for a Japanese company called Zuma near 57th street and Lexington avenue. I intended to join the police department, but fate struck early in 1970 while partying at a local nightspot in Harlem called the Star lounge on 48th street and St. Nicholas avenue. It was there that I first met Bill Fredricks. The Drifters were going through personnel changes, as had been the case since its beginning. Leaving the lineup was Rick Sheppard. Bill invited me to one of the shows to familiarize myself with the act and work my way as a replacement for Rick Sheppard. In 1994, a book titled “Save The Last Dance For Me The Musical Legacy of The Drifters, published by Popular Culture 11/1993 1-56075-028-6 written by Tony Allan with Faye Treadwell, states that I was a member of the group from 1972 thru 1975.
1972 was the year the group signed with Bell Records, and much of the distorted chronology is locked to those signing dates, not the actual date I was a member who joined the Drifters. The record will show that I joined the group in early 1970. For the most part, management is responsible for this distortion of dates because the form will show that I was on the payroll of Drifters Inc., where Faye Treadwell was the President. During the early 1970s, most of our performance was along the chitlin circuit. We worked mainly on the eastern coast of the United States - Florida and Virginia Beach. New Jersey, New York City, Staten Island and Canada, etc. Many of the club dates were jukebox joints, with no stages and no dressing rooms to dress inappropriately. All this was new to me, and being a new boy, as I was called, was an exciting time. This was, of cost, a famous group that I was working with. One of the many groups I idolized doing my teen years.
I wanted to learn everything about the music industry and everything about possible singing. I knew nothing then. Johnny and the guys would ride me a lot, especially when I would make mistakes on vocal notes. But that was to be expected. One day I would overcome all of that. Overall we had great times out on the road. Before the days we started flying to our gigs, we used to drive mainly around the country in a black Fleetwood limousine owned by Drifters Inc. We virtually lived in this car owing to the time we spent out on the road. The Drifters worked more than any group out there at that time. At one point, at least fifty weeks out of the year.
In the early part of 1970, we did our first tour out of the country, visiting Japan, Taiwan, Bangkok, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Okinawa. This tour was very special to me because in 1969, in Okinawa, my last duty station that we came to perform in 1970. Many of the troops and officers that I knew in the war were still there and very surprised to see me performing before them.
We performed at many military bases in the far east. such as Subic Bay in the Philippines, nightclubs such as the Copacabana in Japan, and the Godown Club on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong.
In the 1970s, we worked in famous theaters such as the Howard Theater in Washington D.C. with the Ojay’s’ and the late King Curtis and the Apollo Theater Harlem New York City with Little Anthony and The Imperials and Screaming Jay Hawkins. The 1970s thru 1971 were the years of the great Rock n Roll revivals. The ones that particularly stand out in my mind were the Richard Nader Rock n Roll Revivals Volume IV in October of 1970 and Volume VI in June 1971. We headed the latter, featuring the Four Seasons, Jay, and the Americans. Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Duane Eddy, Little Eve, The Crystals, Bobby Lewis, The Del Vikings, and Bobby Comstock. Then there were the bus tours which were always a lot of fun, especially when working with groups like The Shirelles and The Coasters.
In 1971, we were to go through another personnel change when Don Thomas left the group after a dispute with manager Faye Treadwell. He either quits or was fired. He was replaced by Grant Kitchings, who formally sang with the Ink Spots and The King Toppers. This would seal the classic group for the ’70s. In July of 1971, the group would find a new home in the British-based recording company Bell Records, then headed by the company’s president Dick Leahy. The famed writer-producers Roger Greenway, Roger Cook, and Tony Macaulay were brought in, and a string of hits dominated the British and European charts through the rest of the seventies.
The early 70s was particularly unique because it was the unit that managed to stay together for the longest for that period of The Drifter’s history. It was, in my view, a model group.
There were no social problems connected with the act.
None of the usual scandals and negative publicity seemed to follow those of celebrity status. Johnny Moore (Mo as we called him), the great golden lead voice on most of The Drifters recording, stemming from the ’50s until his death in Dec. 1998, was a private individual whose social life was situated around a close circle of friends, including that of the group members. His favorite pastime was bowling and playing 500 Gin Rummy, which we used to play a lot in our dressing rooms out on the road.
Johnny was from Selma, Alabama. The spokesman for the group and most vivid of its members was Bill Fredricks, an ultimate showman in every word aspect. Bill thrived on the glitz and glamour of the business. A natural comedian. He could always bring an audience to life with his antics. Both Bill and I grew up in the Harlem region of New York and attended Stitt Junior High School, the same school that heralded notables like Franky Lymon and The Teenagers. Bill recruited me to take outgoing singer Rick Sheppard’s place in the lineup. Bill passed away in mid-1999 from prostate cancer while still living in London, England, where we all migrated to. We frequently spoke up until his death. He was a trooper. Both Bill and Johnny will be missed. 1974, yet another personnel change. Both Grant and Bill leave the lineup over disputes relating to royalty issues with the management. Enter Clyde (Moultry) Brown, who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, and William Henry (Billy) Lewis.
Currently, Clyde Brown heads his musical review in and around the Cincinnati, Ohio, area in the United States.
Unfortunately, in 1998, Johnny Moore passed away, And after a long illness with diabetes, Grant Kitchings died in New York in April 2005. Billy Lewis passed away in 2010, but for a period performed with his group in the UK, Billy Lewis Nu Drifters.
South Africa in 1974 was to be a landmark year for the group. It was the first time performances were held in front of integrated audiences. Apartheid was still the law of the land. Then, the lineup was Johnny Moore, Butch Leake, Clyde Brown, and Grant Kitchings. Band members were conductor Jonah Ellis on lead Guitar, Seaborn Westerfield on Base With a south African orchestra provided by the Quibell Brothers, who were the tour’s promoters. Second on the Bill were the group Ecstasy Passion and Pain and a South African singer, the late Margaret Sengala. Christmas of 1975, I decided to depart the group and set out on a solo career. Much of my decision to leave was centered around management issues that the other members and I were having.
I was replaced then by Joe Blunt, who is featured as lead vocalist on the Drifters album tracks: “Like A Movie I’ve Seen Before,” “I’ll Know When True Love Passes By,” “When You Coming Home,” “Knee High To A Grasshopper,” and “Twice A Week.”
It was during Joe Blunts tenure with The Drifters that the group celebrated its 25th anniversary and further expanded its popularity in the U.K. and throughout Europe with the release of the singles “Hello Happiness,” “Every Night’s A Saturday Night With You,” “Closely Guarded Secret,” “Pour Your Little Heart Out” (featured in the Joan Collins film – “The Bitch”)
Joe is also on the hit track “You’re More Than A Number In My Little Red Book”........
The Drifters Legends have been created to bring credibility back to the Drifters brand after many years of abuse of the trademark by misrepresentation and pirate groups trading on the service mark without any legal license.
Recently Sony Music, the current holder of the Bell era catalog, has released a new CD titled “Up On The Roof The Very Best Of The Drifters featuring classics from the ’60s & ’70s. To include two new tracks titled “Dream Of Me” and “I Still haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” performed by the current new lineup of Drifters in the U.K.
After 35 years, the Drifters Brand is now back in the charts and looks to recapture the stature it once had in its past glory.
D Legends, as we are called now, are looking at options. Finding good material is not always easy, and finding what you might characterize as that great hit song is even more elusive. When all the right stars are in alignment, the magic happens. This was the case when we were at Bell/Arista back during the ’70s under the prolific writing and production team at Greenway music. This was also how it was during the earlier years with the Drifters Brand with those great Brill Building writers Carol King, Leiber and Stoller, Shuman and Pomus, etc. To clarify things relating to our name. We are historically The Drifters Legends and will always be known as such, part of that list of men who came through the brand, but due to trademark issues and controversy with The Drifters Brand name, we op to move away from it commercially.
