The Drifters

It's hard to adequately detail the influence of a group who had their first hit with Money Honey in 1953 and have had at least 60 different singers - most famously Clyde McPhatter, Ben E. King, Rudy Lewis, Johnny Moore and Bill Pinkney - during their epic musical journey. They were originally assembled by Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun with McPhatter as front man on early hits like Such A Night, Bip Bam and a cover of White Christmas. His departure triggered a constant series of personnel changes but their popularity endured as they set a benchmark for doo-wop harmony singing under the direction of George Treadwell. The group's richest period was the 1960s when, fronted by Ben E. King, they recorded their biggest hits There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me and then, with Rudy Lewis on lead vocals, Up On The Roof and On Broadway. When Lewis died suddenly the night before a recording session in 1964, Johnny Moore stepped in to sing their best-loved hit Under The Boardwalk. Their career declined amid legal battles for the right to the Drifters name but a version of the group continues to perform and keep the legend alive.

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