Butch Leake & Joe Blunt with Lynn Kopp (Marketing) and John Jackson (Vice President) A&R Sony Music
Ironic after almost 60 years come 2013 an 60 or so members
through it's lineup The Drifters as a brand is still going
strong.
Since the days when Treadwell acquired the name the Drifters
the Idea of a brand was forever apart of the legacy.
It's competing members unknowingly today continue to
add to the concept of the brand through in fighting
as each try to usurp their superiority along with the numerous
pirate groups as the legitimate Drifter group.
The fact is the group was a dead issue towards the end of the
60s, Atlantic records which was the home of the Drifters during the
early years had ceased to promote the brand as a viable entity.
It wasn't til the early 70s an what became known as the Bell/Arista
Record period that The Drifters brand received new life with a
number of top 10 hits under the prolific British songwriting and productions
of Greenway music headed by Roger Greenway, with writers Tony Mccauley
and Barry Mason.
Though the songs for the most part were never released here in the
United States they did manage to get in through imports.
Recently some of those songs again have gone gold through release
with Sony Music who currently is the custodian of the Bell/Arista
catalogue.
In brief ceremonies in the UK and here in the United States living
members of those years received Gold awards from Sony Music for the
current sales of the CD album titled The Drifters "Up On The Roof"
The Very Best Of.
This CD also included new tracks performed by the current Official
Drifters Group today....
In the continuing Drifter Wars you have Charlie Thomas and his Drifters
who a long with Ben E. King were featured on many of the 60s Drifters
songs claiming to to be the only legitimate Drifters alive today.
Yet there is Bobby Hendricks who came along before any of them in the
early 50s who they don't want to recognize.
Johnny Terry A Drifter member who is still a live and who lives in
the Detroit area of the country was also a known member out of
the early years.
Rick Sheppard also who worked with Charlie during the 60s is never
mentioned and given credit for his contributions.
Now there are the Drifter Legends which for the most part should be
all of these former members but sadly Charlie Thomas and Ben E. King
turned downed the proposal to return to this fold so as to set the
record straight on who are the legitimate members of this 60 year brand.
The current Legends lineup are now Joe Blunt, Butch Leake, Clyde Brown
and Rick Sheppard.
For continued updates on the Drifter Wars log in here at
CORNER TALK REPORT.
(Corner Talk Report) for related info on the Drifters Legends:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=162862227105852
The Drifters Legends Website:
http://theofficialdrifters.com/drifterslegends.php
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