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.

“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.”