(Vocal group, 1953–present) Formed in 1953, various versions of The Drifters have existed ever since. Among the significant members of the group among the dozens who have been involved are Clyde McPhatter (lead vocalist 1953–54), Johnny Moore (lead vocalist 1955–57, 1963–78, 1985–98), Ben E. King (lead vocalist 1958–60, 1981–85) and Rudy Lewis (lead vocalist 1960–64). Signed ...
, three-minute pop songs that were being turned out by the brilliant young composing/production teams housed inside New York City’s Brill Building, as recorded by artists ranging from The Drifters to The Shirelles; about a uniquely solo dance craze known as The Twist; about the innovative ‘Wall of Sound’ hits produced by wunderkind Phil Spector; about the non-stop flow of ...
(Vocals, b. 1938) Ben E. King was lead singer on The Drifters’ 1959 hits, including ‘There Goes My Baby’ and ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’. He quit in 1960 over royalty payments, finding solo success with 1961’s ‘Spanish Harlem’, and co-wrote the follow-up, ‘Stand By Me’, a US top 5 hit and his meal-ticket recording. King ...
(Vocal group, 1961–69) If admired as a bandleader, Bennett was also one of few white UK singers able to take on black pop without losing the overriding passion. After six flop singles, covers of The Drifters’ ‘One Way Love’ and ‘I’ll Take You Home’ reached Nos. 9 and 42 respectively, but it was to be nearly two ...
set the stage for vocalists like Jackie Wilson and Smokey Robinson. McPhatter started out with Billy Ward’s Dominoes, and left in 1953 to form and lead The Drifters. His Drifters hits included ‘Money Honey’ and ‘Honey Love’. During a successful solo career, he recorded his biggest hit, ‘A Lover’s Question’. Styles & Forms | Roots of Rock Personalities ...
, in a talent contest. Welch and Marvin opted to remain in London and gravitated to the legendary 2i’s coffee bar, where they were recruited to play in The Drifters, the backing band for singer Cliff Richard. In addition to working with Richard, the band recorded in its own right. After a change of name to The Shadows ...
Grand Coolee Dam’ 1962 ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’ 1999 Muleskinner Blues 2000 The Skiffle Sessions: Live In Belfast Styles & Forms | Fifties | Rock Personalities | The Drifters | Fifties | Rock ...
Born Ray Charles Robinson on 23 September 1930 in Albany, Georgia, Charles suffered from glaucoma from the age of five and was blind by the time he was seven. His mother was unable to look after him and he moved away to the Institute for the Blind, Deaf and Dumb in St Augustine, Florida. He learned to ...
Man’. The group’s version of ‘Stardust’ reached No. 12 on the pop charts in 1957. Ward’s strict-disciplinarian ways led to a high turnover rate. McPhatter became lead singer of The Drifters and Wilson developed a legendary solo career. Styles & Forms | Roots of Rock Personalities | Lionel Hampton | Roots of Rock ...
, 1958–present) Formed in 1958 by Newcastle teenagers Hank B. Marvin (lead guitar) and Bruce Welch (rhythm guitar), the friends became the backbone of Cliff Richard’s backing group, The Drifters, who were joined later in 1958 by Terence ‘Jet’ Harris (bass guitar) and Tony Meehan (drums). In 1959, the group became The Shadows and continued to back Richard ...
the year and, according to some, the earliest identifiable example of a rock’n’roll song. He quit The Dominoes in early 1953 and formed his own band, The Drifters, the same year. They recorded ‘Money Honey’ (1954) and several other big R&B hits for Atlantic Records during the mid-1950s and McPhatter’s extremely versatile tenor voice proved capable of ...
the previous few years. Rock steady owed a great deal to the soul groups who were doing so well in the US at that time – The Impressions, The Drifters, The Dells. But the undisputed king of rock steady was Duke Reid, sound system owner, record producer and fearsome former policeman. Slowing It Down The rock steady ...
Greenwich housed inside New York City’s Brill Building, who turned out hit after classic hit for artists such as The Shirelles, The Shangri-Las, The Chiffons, The Drifters, Little Eva, Connie Francis, The Crystals and The Ronettes; Phil Spector, whose slick, echo-bathed ‘Wall of Sound’ creations added an entirely new dimension to record ...
The Four Seasons. Often drawn from immigrant Italian or Hispanic stock, they made the transition from street-corner harmonizing to the hit parade in style. Their black counterparts like The Drifters and Coasters successfully sanitized rhythm and blues with help from white writers Leiber and Stoller. The rock’n’roll gospel was being spread by the likes of DJ Alan Freed, instigator ...
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