The Drifters: Keeping the flame burning bright

IT’S different if you’re a Drifter, says Michael WiIliams. When the singer was invited to join the American vocal group several years go, it was made clear he had a tough road ahead. He would have to serve as understudy for several tours — even then, his place in the line-up was conditional on becoming intimately acquainted with the R&B ensemble’s history, from its inception in Philadelphia in 1953.

Wed, 22 Oct, 2014 - 01:00

“Tina Treadwell [daughter of legendary Drifters manager George Treadwell] approached me after a gig in New York and asked if I wanted to be an understudy,” Williams recalls.

“She said I reminded her of [‘50s Drifter] Andrew Thrasher. He was a big guy with a similar voice to mine. I had to learn everything: the back catalogue, the history of the guys, the legacy… everything. The Drifters achieved a lot and it’s up to us to keep that legacy alive. It is quite a responsibility.”

Early on it was decided The Drifters, whose hits include ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’ and ‘Under the Boardwalk’, would be a ‘brand’ as much as a band. The group was assembled as a backing group for singer Clyde McPhatter but was soon losing members through military conscription. With George Treadwell taking over as manager, it was decreed The Drifters would feature an ever changing line-up — indeed, at one point Treadwell, fearing the Drifters’ popularity was on the slide, fired the entire group. Ever since Drifters have come and gone, while the identity of the band has endured.

“They knew they were going to lose members — that this would be a regular occurrence, in fact,” says Williams. “Some players came and went and had second stints with The Drifters. We have had a changing line-up ever since. It’s a brand that will keep going, as we keep the memory alive.” However, The Drifters are no dusty museum piece. In 2012, the group released their first original collection in 35 years, earning a gold disc.

“That was a big deal for us — a couple of years before that, some of the original Drifters, Butch Leake and Lee Hollis, received lifetime achievement awards from Sony. It all tied together nicely. It meant a lot to be able to put out new material.”

He is proud to be a member of an outfit which has spanned the decades — proud, also, of The Drifters’ part in furthering the cause of African-American entertainers.

“Starting out, it was tough for those guys,” he says. “Touring America, they weren’t allowed stay in ‘white’ hotels. They couldn’t use the swimming pools. They had to go around the back entrance if they were staying somewhere. Certain restaurants wouldn’t serve them. They travelled America in a beat-up Cadillac and never gave up. Life was very difficult for those guys — and they kept on going.”

Indeed, so rich is the group’s lineage, Williams admits to a quiver of nerves when taking to the stage as a Drifter for the first time. He stood in the wings, thinking of all the great vocalists to grace the line-up across the decades. Then, the spotlight came down and he had to leave his jitters to one side.

“Those are big shoes to fill,” he says. “I found that hard, starting out. Being an understudy, becoming a Drifter...there’s a lot to take in. However, in the end I got there. I feel I fill those shoes now.”