The Drifters Story

The Drifters Story
One of the most complicated band stories in rock'n'roll history. Clyde McPhatter formed the Drifters when he joined Atlantic Records in 1953. When he left the band to join the US Army he sold his share of the band's name to manager George Treadwell. This enabled Treadwell to sack the entire band in 1958 and replace them with Ben E King's band The Crowns - and change their name to, "The Drifters".
The band had more than 60 members over the years, multiple lead singers and spawned a number of bands, all calling themselves "The Drifters".
Founder of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun, called the Drifters, "the all-time greatest Atlantic group".
Author of Rock'n'Roll Unravelled, Derek Shelmerdine on The Frank Carlyle Show on 22 January 2018.