The Drifters

	I first saw the Drifters in the Summer of 1998 whilst staying in Majorca. They were appearing at a plush supper club along with the Supremes. They didn't get on stage till about three o'clock in the morning by which time, after about four hours of Irish jigging, I was well and truly jaded. They sang about four numbers, as did the Supremes before clearing off to claim their barely earned fees. Needless to say I was extremely disappointed.
The original Drifters 1958: Left to Right Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, Dock Green, Elsbeary Hobbs
Bearing in mind my Majorca experience I didn't get too excited when I found they were coming to Jersey, especially when I saw that they were appearing with 'Showaddywaddy. The event was billed as 'A Rock & Soul' Christmas, which seemed to me to be a bizarre combination. People with a taste for Soul music were unlikely to like Showaddywaddy's brand of rock, and vice-versa. As it turned out it was a clever marketing ploy with both old 'Rockers' and old 'Soulies' turning out in numbers. Each group showed total respect for the other's tastes and the lively atmosphere was enjoyed by all.
		The Drifters line up 1970: Left to Right Rick Sheppard, Johnny Moore, Don Thomas, Bill Fredericks
	The two groups had equal billing, but it was the Drifters who took to the stage first. What immediately struck me was that the line up was totally different to the one I had seen in Majorca. This begs the question of just how many different 'Drifters' groups are around at the moment. Needless to say the programme claimed that these had the best pedigree and had a direct lineage to the originals, but they would say that wouldn't they. There was however some evidence to support this claim as Faye Treadwell now manages the group is presumably the daughter of George Treadwell who first started them in the fifties.
The Drifters 2000: Left to Right Roy Hemmings, Rohan Turney, Jason Nemhard, Patrick Allen Whipple
Whatever their pedigree it was soon apparent that this group was a class above the one I had seen in Majorca. They also worked much harder to earn their corn. At first I wondered what the format would be, would they do a couple of numbers each then swap over? Would they be on stage together and try their hand at each others songs? Would they try a soul v rock competition by singing a number each and asking the crowd to respond. In the end it turned out to be two very distinct and separate concerts with the Drifters doing a 1hr. 45 minute set, a short break, then Showaddywaddy doing the same. The Drifters alone were worth far more that the Ł20 I paid, and for anyone liking both groups this concert, or more accurately two concerts represented excellent value for money.
		The Drifters with President Clinton at the Whitehouse where they performed on Saturday June 5th. 1993 for the 25th. re-union of Clinton's University Class
	The current line up of Roy Hemmings, Rohan Turney, Jason Nemhard, Patrick Allen Whipple performed a concert which any of their illustrious predecessors would have been proud of. Roy Hemmings, who is also currently performing solo concerts and Jason Nemhard shared the lead. The remarkable thing was that apart from their renditions of Jackie Wilson's 'Higher and Higher' and the Temptations 'My Girl' they filled all one hundred and five minutes with their own songs. Maybe Ben E. King's 'Stand by Me' was a little cheat as he made it a hit after he left the Drifters but it still made me realise just how much the group had achieved and over so many decades. The Drifters have always had a unique 'soul' sound as a result of their early experimentation with Latin Rhythms. I must admit that as a youth I far preferred the Grittier sound which emanated from the Stax studios. Having said this I thoroughly enjoyed this concert.
The Drifters were originally known as 'The Five Crowns' and boasted Ben E. King as their lead singer
The group were ultra professional with their tight harmonies and slick choreography. It was like being back in the sixties all over again. The concert was a fitting tribute to Johnny Moore, their former member who recently died. If there was any disappointment in this performance it was that they came without a sax player. For me sax is an integral part of soul music and I have never seen any soul band before perform without it. Listening to 'soul' without sax is like eating an egg without salt. It was the only blemish which spoiled what was otherwise a very professional and faultless concert. As for Showaddywaddy? What can I say? This is neither the time nor the place.
		Drifter's Facts The Drifters were formed in 1953 by the late George Treadwell and have covered more than four decades of popular music with sales in excess of 50 million records. The Drifters were the first ever black group to successfully crossover to white audiences.

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