YEAR
1988
INDUCTED BY
Billy Joel
CATEGORY
Performers
Mellow yet savvy, the Drifters painted vivid New York scenes with their syrupy-sweet voices.
The Drifters took the ardent fervor of their gospel days and channeled it into soulful R&B arrangements about typical lives, elevating the everyday to a state of sanctity.
Ben E. King
Bill Pinkney
Charlie Thomas
Clyde Mcphatter
Gerhart Thrasher
Johnny Moore
Rudy Lewis
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
By Michael Hill
The story of the Drifters is more than the story of a single group’s success.
It’s also the story of the great rhythm and blues singers who claimed membership in the group at various times, of the equally great songwriters who created classic songs for the group and of the pioneering record executives who helped bring the Drifters’ music to the attention of the world.
