The Drifters

Money Honey - 1953
Sweets For My Sweet
ON BROADWAY
UP ON THE ROOF
UNDER THE BOARDWAL
There Goes My Baby
Sing Sing Sing
At The Club
You Gotta Pay Your Dues
Up In The Streets Of Harlem - Red Atlantic
Baby What I Mean

The Drifters produced a whole raft of songs which proved perenial favouries with the soul fans at Manchester soul clubs in the sixties particularly at the Twisted Wheel and the Blue Note. The Drifters are unique in soul music being the most successful in pop terms and also just the same in the Mod - soul allnighter 'underground' throughout the 60's decade.

Carol King wrote Up On The Roof for the Drifters, Gerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, wrote for them, Wrapped Tied And Tangled by Laverne Baker has riffs obviously related to On Broadway by the Drifters.

They had hit after hit after hit. The invitations toured the UK calling themselves The Drifters'singing all the Drifters hits.

I saw them on a few occasions - the Northern Sporting Club Manchester and then at the Domino Club (on Grey Mare Lane) and noted that they were too young to be the real Drifters. The Drifters were also on at the Twisted Wheel as the `Original Drifters' but there were three separate sets of them floating around at the same time!



ORIGINALS and ORIGINALS and The ORIGINALS - just how many Drifters were touring in the mid to late 1960's?