The “Original Drifters” had been formed in 1958 by Bill Pinkley after the bass singer and first tenor had been fired from The Drifters by its manager George Treadwell, who’d taken ownership of The Drifters’ name after original lead singer Clyde McPhatter had left.
Although Treadwell legally owned The Drifters brand, four former Drifters – Pinkley, lead tenor singer David Baughan plus brothers, second tenor singer Gerhart Thrasher and baritone singer Andrew Thrasher wanted to keep performing under the name and started to tour as The “Original Drifters” once Pinkney had secured legal ownership of this brand name.
Pinkney’s rival version was never as commercially successful as The Drifters, who’d continued under Treadwell’s direction (albeit with changing personnel, including Ben E King for a short period), but was able to capitalise on the parent name when British promoter Roy Tempest brought Pinkney’s “Original Drifters” over for the first of many British tours, kicking off in January 1966 (just over six months after Treadwell’s The Drifters had performed in Britain – see separate entry here).
Pinkney’s efforts to promote his rival version in Britain was made easier when George Treadwell suddenly died in May 1967.
I would like to credit US music historian Marv Goldberg for his painstaking work in piecing The “Original Drifters” history together here . Like The Drifters, this rival band had many personnel changes and it hasn’t been easy determining who participated in each British tour, so we’d welcome any feedback.
It also doesn’t help that from the spring of 1967 promoter Roy Tempest, who organised all of these tours, started to pass fake groups off as the real thing, starting with The Invitations, who he booked as The “Original Drifters” (and The Drifters).
In the summer of 1967, Tempest brought over The Fabulous Temptations – who were, in fact, The Velours and later renamed The Fantastics – and in the autumn of that year, The Marvelettes – who were, in fact, The Gypsies and later renamed The Flirtations.
When The “Original Drifters” toured Britain for the first time, the line-up most likely comprised:
Bobby Lee Hollis – lead tenor/baritone
Bobby Hendricks – second lead tenor
Bill Pinkney – bass
Gerhart Thrasher – second tenor
For this first tour, it’s not clear which British rock band(s) Roy Tempest booked to back The “Original Drifters”. Often, he would book one group to do the honours but due to the large number of gigs typically involved and their geographical spread, he would also use other groups on his books to fulfil individual gigs or even split a tour between two-three bands.
However, the list below does name The Trendsetters Ltd on few gigs and they do appear to have also appeared with The “Original Drifters” on the second tour, so it seems fair to presume they were the main backing group on this first tour by Bill Pinkney’s version.
Bournemouth band The Trendsetters Ltd comprised future King Crimson members Michael Giles (drums) and Peter Giles (bass) alongside Allan Azern (piano); Bruce Turner (guitar); and Mike Blakesley (trombone).
We would welcome any comments in the box at the end from anyone who can shed light on this tour and any others listed below.
For each tour listed below I’ve listed the main group providing the backing at the start, some notable facts, and then named other bands where it’s known they did the honours.
Tour dates:
14 January 1966 – Cue Club all-nighter, Paddington, west London (Melody Maker)
15 January 1966 – Oasis Club, Manchester (Melody Maker)
15 January 1966 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester with The Ram Jam Band (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
19 January 1966 – Dungeon, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post) Most likely local group The Sons of Adam backed them here
22 January 1966 – The Macador, Roseberry Place, Dalston Junction, east London (Melody Maker)
22 January 1966 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London (Record Mirror)
23 January 1966 – New All-Star Club, Artillery Passage, Bishopsgate, east London (Melody Maker)
29 January 1966 – Northwich Memorial Hall, Northwich, Cheshire with The Trendsetters Ltd, The Notions and The Exiles (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle/Runcorn Guardian)
29 January 1966 – Cavern, Liverpool with Earl Preston’s Realms, The Hideaways, The Fix, The Plain and Fancy, The Richmond, The Sect and The Trendsetters Ltd (Liverpool Echo) Says first Liverpool appearance
30 January 1966 – Riverboat Theatre Club, Salford, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
For this next “Original Drifters” tour, the formation was most likely the same as the previous one few months earlier:
Bobby Lee Hollis – lead tenor/baritone
Bobby Hendricks – second lead tenor
Bill Pinkney – bass
Gerhart Thrasher – second tenor
Melody Maker reports that the soul quartet arrived on 6 May and stayed until the end of the month.
On this tour, Bournemouth group, The Trendsetters Ltd (see line up listed above) provided backing again for most, if not, all dates.
Tour dates:
6 May 1966 – New All-Star Club, Artillery Passage, Bishopsgate, east London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
6 May 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with The Trendsetters Ltd and Steve Darbyshire & The Yum Yum Band (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
7 May 1966 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Trendsetters Ltd and The Cortinas (Herts & Essex Observer) Billed as The Drifters
11 May 1966 – Mecca Pavilion Royal Pier, Southampton, Hants with The Trendsetters Ltd (Southern Daily Echo)
12 May 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London with The Chessmen (Melody Maker) Billed as The Drifters
13 May 1966 – Catacombe, Eastbourne, East Sussex with Trendsetters Ltd, The Defiants and The Creatures (Poster on Facebook) Billed as The Original Drifters
13 May 1966 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
14 May 1966 – Iron Door, Liverpool with The Hideaways, The Dark Ages, The Fix, The Aztecs, The Kop, Solomon’s Mines, The Trendsetters Ltd and Billy Butler (Liverpool Echo)
15 May 1966 – Oasis, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Drifters
16 May 1966 – Parr Hall, Warrington, Cheshire with The Trendsetters Ltd and The Escorts (Runcorn Guardian)
17 May 1966 – Dungeon, Nottingham with The Trendsetters Ltd (https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com)
18 May 1966 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, Surrey (Chris Broom’s book Rockin’ and around Croydon)
19 May 1966 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Drifters
21 May 1966 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Drifters
24 May 1966 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Melody Maker)
27 May 1966 – Flamingo (two sessions, including an all-nighter), Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Chessmen (Melody Maker) Billed as The Drifters
28 May 1966 – King Mojo all-nighter, Sheffield, South Yorkshire with The Mike Cotton Sound starring Little Lucas (Sheffield Star) Billed as The Drifters
28 May 1966 – The Union, Manchester with The Trendsetters Limited (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Drifters
5 June 1966 – Dungeon, Nottingham with Powerhouse Six and Gary Farr & The T-bones (https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com) Says backed by Manchester’s Powerhouse Six
For this third “Original Drifters” tour in 1966 (I have only found a handful of gigs), the formation most likely comprised the following:
Bobby Lee Hollis – lead tenor/baritone
Bobby Hendricks – second lead tenor
Bill Pinkney – bass
Gerhart Thrasher – second tenor
Tour dates:
7 October 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London (Melody Maker) Possibly backed by The Noblemen/Motivation. Sax player Chris Rodger and keyboard player Mick Ketley both confirm they did at least one gig with The Original Drifters and there is an advert that lists them as having backed them recently The other members were Jimmy Marsh (vocals); Bryan Stevens (bass); Malcolm Tomlinson (drums); and future Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre
16 October 1966 – Cue Club, Praed Street, Paddington, west London (Melody Maker) Moved to 23 October
27 October 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (Melody Maker)
For this final “Original Drifters” tour in 1966, the formation most likely comprised the same line up as the previous one in October:
Bobby Lee Hollis – lead tenor/baritone
Bobby Hendricks – second lead tenor
Bill Pinkney – bass
Gerhart Thrasher – second tenor
The Kettering Advertiser contains an article on The Canadians (formerly Bobby Faulds & The Strangers, a group from Victoria, Vancouver Island, who arrived in England in October) in one of its December 1966 issues and lists them as The “Original Drifters” backing band on a ten-day tour.
It’s fair to presume therefore that they appeared on all the December dates below.
At the time, the group comprised Bobby Faulds (aka Bobby Hanna) (lead vocals); David Foster (keyboards/vocals); Mike Stymest (bass); Wes Chambers (sax); Rich England (sax); Billy Stewart (trumpet/trombone); and Barry Casson (drums). David Foster would later become a hugely successful songwriter and producer.
Tour dates:
10 December 1966 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Drifters
11 December 1966 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London with The Bystanders (Melody Maker) Billed as The Drifters
13 December 1966 – Dungeon, Nottingham (https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com) Possibly with The Canadians (9-piece)
25 December 1966 – Dungeon, Nottingham with The In Crowd (Nottingham Evening Post) Backed by The Canadians (says 9-piece band still)
For The “Original Drifters’” first tour in 1967, the formation most likely comprised the following judging by the line-up on their May 1967 single. However, Marv Goldberg notes that lead tenor David Baughan did return intermittently to the group throughout 1967, so he may have taken either Hollis’ or Hendricks’ place.
Bobby Lee Hollis – lead tenor/baritone
Bobby Hendricks – second lead tenor
Bill Pinkney – bass
Gerhart Thrasher – second tenor
It’s not clear which band provided backing on this particular tour, but The Canadians are listed on a few so it’s possible that they did most of the March shows listed below. By this point, the group’s horn section had returned home to British Columbia and the line up comprised Bobby Faulds (aka Bobby Hanna) (lead vocals); David Foster (keyboards/vocals); Mike Stymest (bass); and Barry Casson (drums) alongside English singer Barry Noble.
Tour dates:
11 March 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham (https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com)
17 March 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Love Affair (http://www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/) Billed as The Original Drifters
18 March 1967 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Canadians, The Sound Society and The Solents (Evening Sentinel) Most likely backed by The Canadians as they are listed on the bill
19 March 1967 – Top Ten Club, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Drifters
22 March 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Portsmouth, Hants (Portsmouth News) Billed as The Original Drifters
23 March 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
24 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s Club, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters.
25 March 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
28 March 1967 – Catacombe, Eastbourne, East Sussex (Eastbourne Herald & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
1 April 1967 – New Century Hall, Manchester with The Mike Curtis Set and Pete Doyle and Dave Eager (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
This next tour in 1967 looks like it might have been the first “Original Drifters” tour that Roy Tempest used The Invitations and passed them off as The Drifters. At this point, The Invitations comprised lead tenor singer Herman Cofield plus Robert (Bobby) Rivers, William (Bill) Morris and Gary Gant.
It’s not clear who provided backing but Scottish group The Scots of St James, who’d recently backed Lee Dorsey on a British tour during March, are listed as backing group on one of the shows below.
Drummer Stuart Francis recalls them also playing US airbases in West Germany with The “Original Drifters” while working for Roy Tempest (most likely May/June). At the time of the West German dates, The Scots of St James comprised Jimmy Oakley (lead vocals); Owen “Onnie” McIntyre (lead guitar); Graham Maitland (keyboards); Alan Gorrie (bass/vocals); and Stuart Francis (drums). Both McIntyre and Gorrie would subsequently find fame with The Average White Band.
Tour dates:
19 April 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London (David Else’s research)
22 April 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham (https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com)
24 April 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire with The Scots of St James and The Escorts (Evening Sentinel) Backed by The Scots of St James. Billed as The Drifters
26 April 1967 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Worcester News) The Garage Hangover entry on the Blue Moon lists this as potentially being The Invitations
29 April 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
This next tour (in June 1967) may have been just after The “Original Drifters” (presumably Bill Pinkney’s version) had played US Airbases in West Germany with The Scots of St James.
The Trend’s lead guitarist Norman Cummins confirms that the Dagenham, east London group backed three different formations of The (Original) Drifters during 1967-1968 and the frequency of this soul outfit touring Britain reflects the fact that clearly this wasn’t the same group of singers on each tour.
The Newham & Stratford Express newspaper’s 20 June 1967 issue confirms The Trend backed The Original Drifters during June.
When The Trend backed The “Original Drifters” on this particular tour, the formation comprised Wade Maddison (lead vocals); Norman Cummins (lead guitar/vocals); Michael Claxton (keyboards/vocals); Phil Duke (bass); and Frankie Morgan (drums).
This June tour looks like it was with Bill Pinkney’s version judging by the Flamingo gig listed below on 10 June, which interestingly has backing provided by The Sovereigns, a west London group who Roy Tempest employed to back The Fabulous Temptations (later renamed The Fantastics) in September that year.
The Sovereigns featured future session guitarist/producer Pip Williams and also comprised Roy St John-Foster (lead vocals); Mich Tomich (bass); Freddie Tillyer (sax); and Keith Franklin (drums).
For this “Original Drifters” tour, the formation possibly comprised:
David Baughan – lead tenor
Bill Pinkney – bass
Gerhart Thrasher – second tenor
Andrew Thrasher – baritone (he did return briefly in the second half of 1967)
Tour dates:
10 June 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
10 June 1967 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Sovereigns, The All-Nite Walkers (aka Workers), Bobby Johnson & The Atoms and Toni Rocket (Melody Maker) Backed by The Sovereigns and billed as Bill Pinkney & The Original Drifters
15 June 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Backed by The Trend. Billed as The Original Drifters
17 June 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham (https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com)
18 June 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Drifters
17 June 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham (https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com) Says making last appearance
For this next tour, it looks like it was The Invitations again that masqueraded as The “Original Drifters”, judging by the photo and article in the Rhyl & Prestatyn Gazette, 14 July 1967.
It also looks like The Trend were the backing group (or did most of the backing) judging by the gig on 8 July listed below and also the reference in the above article regarding the Prestatyn gig. The Trend’s line up hadn’t changed since the previous one in June.
Tour dates:
1 July 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Manchester with supporting bill (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
1 July 1967 – New Century Hall, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
2 July 1967 – Warmingham Country Club, Warmingham, Cheshire (Nantwich Chronicle)
5 July 1967 – Club Riverboat, Salford, Greater Manchester with backing band (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters with 7-piece American band
8 July 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Six Across and The Charades (Lincolnshire Echo) Backed by The Trend. Billed as The Original Drifters
9 July 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Southgate, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (Barnsley Chronicle & South Yorkshire News) Billed as The Original Drifters
11 July 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
15 July 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
15 July 1967 – Royal Lido, Prestayn, north Wales (Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette) Photo shows its The Invitations!
18 July 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham (https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com) This says the group is now known as The Invitations
By September, The Trend’s original bass player/singer Pete Cole had returned to the fold. The group’s lead guitarist Norman Cummins kept a diary and the following are all listed (and confirmed by various newspapers). When they are confirmed by papers, I’ve just listed the newspapers but they are all in Cummins’ diary.
At this point, The Trend comprised Norman Cummins (lead guitar/vocals); Cliff Reuter (keyboards); Pete Cole (bass/vocals); and Frankie Morgan (drums). They provided backing on all of the gigs below.
The Woking Herald newspaper lists the Walton Hop (Playhouse) gig below on 16 September and the photo that appears as part of a featured article on The “Original Drifters” shows it was, in fact, The Invitations on this September tour.
Tour dates:
14 September 1967 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull with The Ray King Soul Band, Tiny Davies Souls A-Go-Go and The Honey Band (Hull Daily Mail)
15 September 1967 – Clouds, Derby (Derby Evening Telegraph)
15 September 1967 – Co-op Ballroom, Doncaster, South Yorkshire with The Trendsetters, Travellers Express, The Six Shades of Blue (Retford, Gainsborough and Worksop Times)
16 September 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill, West Midlands (Norman Cummins’ diary/Birmingham Evening Mail)
16 September 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands (Norman Cummins’ diary/Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as The Drifters
16 September 1967 – Penthouse, Birmingham with The Gravey Train (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as The Drifters
17 September 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London (Norman Cummins’ diary) Billed as The Original Drifters
17 September 1967 – Club West Indies, Stoneleigh Park, Harlesden, northwest London (Norman Cummins’ diary) Billed as The Original Drifters
18 September 1967 – King’s Hall, Berkhamsted, Herts (Norman Cummins’ diary)
19 September 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Norman Cummins’ diary) Billed as The Original Drifters
20 September 1967 – Dungeon Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
21 September 1967 – Locarno, Streatham, southwest London (Norman Cummins’ diary)
22 September 1967 – Princess Theatre, Chorlton, Greater Manchester with full backing group (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
22 September 1967 – Domino Club, Openshaw, Greater Manchester with full backing group (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
22 September 1967 – Dino’s, Liverpool (Norman Cummins’ diary) This gig was cancelled
23 September 1967 – New Century Hall, Manchester with The Silverstone Set, Dave Eager and Peter Doyle (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
23 September 1967 – Paradise, Wigan, Lancashire with The Trends, The Hideaways and The Country Five (Liverpool Echo)
23 September 1967 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Norman Cummins’ diary)
24 September 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Norman Cummins’ diary)
24 September 1967 – The Hub, Barnsley, West Yorkshire (Norman Cummins’ diary)
26 September 1967 – Walton Playhouse, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (Norman Cummins’ diary/Woking Herald)
27 September 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with Manchester Playboys (Evening Sentinel)
29 September 1967 – Tin Hat, Kettering, Northamptonshire (Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph)
30 September 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Lincolnshire with Cats Pyjamas, The Trend, Magic Roundabout and Ray Bones (Lincolnshire Echo/Spalding Guardian)
30 September 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester with Pesky Gee (Leicester Mercury) Billed as The Original Drifters
1 October 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham with Garnet Mimms and The Senate (Nottingham Evening Post)
2 October 1967 – Parr Hall, Warrington, Cheshire with The Trend, Garnet Mimms and The Senate (Runcorn Guardian)
This next set of gigs could have been by Bill Pinkley’s version and was most likely The Trend again as guitarist Norman Cummins and bass player Pete Cole recall backing three different formations of the soul group. However, The Soul Survivors provided backing on 28 October gig below.
However, the Woking Herald article above mentions The Invitations version travelling to Munich for a week and then returning for a second British tour.
If the gigs below were by Pinkley’s version, then the formation most likely comprised the following as this was the line-up in late 1967, according to Marv Goldberg:
Bobby Lee Hollis – lead tenor/baritone
Bobby Hendricks – second lead tenor
Bill Pinkney – bass
Gerhart Thrasher – second tenor
Tour dates:
14 October 1967 – Faculty of Technology Union, Manchester with supporting groups (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Drifters
14 October 1967 – New Century Hall, Manchester with The Rogues and Dave Eager and Pete Doyle (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
15 October 1967 – Top Ten Club, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
20 October 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Gentle Madness and The Urchins (http://www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
21 October 1967 – Golden Disc, Keighley, West Yorkshire (Barnsley Chronicle & South Yorkshire News) Billed as The Original Drifters
22 October 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as The Drifters
24 October 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, Central London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
24 October 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
25 October 1967 – Empire Hall, Hamworthy, Dorset with The Gates of Eden (https://bournemouthbeatboom.wordpress.com/gigs) This may be a British band called The Drifters and not the US soul act although The Gates of Eden had backed Lee Dorsey in October 1966 and were on Roy Tempest’s books
28 October 1967 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Soul Survivors, Ferris Wheel with Diane Feraz and The Purple Barrier (Lincolnshire Echo) Backed by The Soul Survivors and billed as The Original Drifters
29 October 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex (Surrey Mirror & County Post) Billed as The Original Drifters
4 November 1967 – Vaudeville Club, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
Marv Goldberg says that in late 1967, Bobby Lee Hollis, Bobby Hendricks and Gerhart Thrasher informed Bill Pinkney that they wanted to settle down, so he put together the first of several entirely new versions. The first involved Atlanta group, The Teals.
It’s not clear which British band provided the backing on the first shows but The London All-Stars assumed duties soon into the tour and honoured the rest. This may be the group associated with drummer Bobby Graham but we’d welcome any further details on this band and its personnel.
For this next “Original Drifters” tour, the formation probably comprised:
Benny Anderson– lead tenor
Bill Pinkney – bass
Wallace “George” Ezzard – second tenor
Albert Fortson – baritone
Mark Williams – guitar
Tour dates:
23 February 1968 – Music Hall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire with The Clockwork Orange, The Hooker Green and The Astronauts (Shropshire Journal) Billed as The Original Drifters
26 February 1968 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, Surrey (Chris Broom’s book Rockin’ and around Croydon)
27 February 1968 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
2 March 1968 – New Century Hall, Manchester with The Inner Mind, Dave Eager and Pete Doyle (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
2 March 1968 – Paradise, Wigan, Lancashire with The Chants and three top acts (Liverpool Echo)
3 March 1968 – Vaudeville Club, Manchester with The Locomotion Band, Phil Kelly and Jack Diamond (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
5 March 1968 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
Definitely from this point on, The London All-Stars provided backing
8 March 1968 – Princess Theatre, Chorlton, Greater Manchester with The London All-Stars (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
8 March 1968 – Domino Club, Openshaw, Greater Manchester with The London All-Stars (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
9 March 1968 – Princess Theatre, Chorlton, Greater Manchester with The London All-Stars (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Says last night of tour so were the dates below yet another version or a tour extension?
13 March 1968 – Mardi Gras Club, Liverpool with The Seftons and The Vix (Liverpool Echo)
16 March 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The London All-Stars, Terry Reid’s Fantasia and The Rock and Rolling Barons (Lincolnshire Standard) Billed as The Original Drifters
17 March 1968 – Warmingham Grange Country Club, Warmingham, Cheshire with The Executives (Evening Sentinel/Winsford Chronicle)
17 March 1968 – Sloopy’s, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
18 March 1968 – Bluesville ’68 Club, Ipswich, Suffolk with The London All-Stars (Ipswich Star) Billed as The Original Drifters
23 March 1968 – Paradise, Wigan, Lancashire with The Troubles Show Group and two top acts (Liverpool Echo)
24 March 1968 – Georgian Club, Manchester with The London All-Stars (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Says last night in Britain so were the dates below yet another version or yet another tour extension?
25 March 1968 – 99 Cabaret Club, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria with The London All-Stars, Jack Barker and The Brass Impact with Julie Day and Tony Flanagan (The Mail – Millom and South Copeland Ed)
29 March 1968 – Tabernacle Club, Stockport, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
30 March 1968 – Royal Lido, Prestayn, Clywd, Wales with The Raynes and London All-Stars (Chester Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
30 March 1968 – The Place Club, Manchester with The London All-Stars and The Trend (Manchester Evening News)
31 March 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with Jo Jo Gunne (Surrey Mirror & County Post) Billed as The Original Drifters
3 April 1968 – Pavilion Ballroom, Royal Pier, Southampton, Hampshire with The Impressions (Southern Evening Echo) Billed as The Drifters
4 April 1968 – Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire (Worcester News) Billed as The Drifters
5 April 1968 – Farnborough Technical College, Farnborough, Hants with Mickey Finn and Skye Wine (Aldershot News)
6 April 1968 – Clockwork Orange, Chester, Cheshire with The Times (Chester Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
7 April 1968 – Sloopy’s, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Says farewell appearance so were the dates below yet another version or a tour extension?
9 April 1968 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
13 April 1968 – New Century Hall, Manchester with Watson Brown and Doyle & Eager (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
13 April 1968 – Domino Club, Openshaw, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
14 April 1968 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London with The London All-Stars (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
15 April 1968 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The London All Stars, Milton James & The Harlem Knockout and The Jaytree Organisation (Cheshire Chronicle) Billed as The Original Drifters
16 April 1968 – Clouds, Derby (Derby Evening Telegraph)
26 April 1968 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, Surrey (Chris Broom’s book Rockin’ and around Croydon)
Marv Goldberg says that when Bill Pinkney and the latest version of The “Original Drifters” (made up of Atlanta group, The Teals) returned to the US, The Teals split away and started touring as The “Original Drifters”. Apparently, they toured for about 10 years before Pinkney was able to stop them, so it’s possible they may have returned to Britain and played further tours separately!
However, Goldberg says that Pinkney did put together an entirely new version in 1968 with Bruce Caeser (tenor); Clarence Walker (tenor/baritone); and Tony “Duke” Richardson (baritone).
For this next “Original Drifters” tour, the formation could have comprised this line up, although I’ve only found this one gig so perhaps the tour didn’t happen?
Tour dates:
30 September 1968 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, Surrey (Beckenham & Penge Advertiser) Billed as The Original Drifters
Melody Maker lists the following members of the band for the next British tour.
These three musicians were part of The Invitations, masquerading as The “Original Drifters”. This tour corresponds with a recollection that fan Sylvia has left here.
She remembers meeting The Shirelles at a London nightclub while travelling with The “Original Drifters”. This was most likely Hatchetts Playground in Piccadilly where The Shirelles played in December 1968.
Herman Cofield – lead tenor
Robert Rivers
William Morris
+ (missing but a member)
Gary Gant
Tour dates:
11 December 1968 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Funky Fever and Johnny Farlowe (Melody Maker) Billed as The Drifters and says featuring Herman Cofield, Robert Rivers and William Morris
It is not clear which versions toured on the following dates in 1969 but quite possibly The Invitations again as Roy Tempest did bring them back multiple times.
Tour dates:
28 April 1969 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, Surrey (Chris Broom’s book Rockin’ and around Croydon)
2 May 1969 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Drifters
Tour dates:
25 October 1969 – Queen Mary College, Mile End, east London with Audience (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
Tour dates:
3 December 1969 – Birdcage, Harlow, Essex (Melody Maker) Billed as The Original Drifters
7 December 1969 – The Bull, East Sheen, southwest London (Melody Maker)
12 December 1969 – Assembly Rooms, York, North Yorkshire with Percy Sledge (Melody Maker) Billed as The Drifters
20 December 1969 – Cue Club, Praed Street, Paddington, west London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Drifters
Tour dates:
30 May 1970 – Music Hall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire with Orange Rainbow (North Shropshire Journal) Billed as The Original Drifters and backed by Orange Rainbow. This photo shows this is The Invitations
We would welcome any recollections in the comments below