The Drifter Wars/A House Divided

It's know wonder after 60 years of musical success with numerous
singles and albums sold around the world. The Drifters as a hold is
still a house divided with members still fighting for a title which is
illusive as it was when it was first conceived.

The illusion that it was Treadwell who should get all the accolade
for The Drifters when in reality it was Ahmet Ertegan who first
gave Clyde  McPhatter the impetus to form a group which later
became know as The Drifters. So the truth of the matter it was
the Atlantic Record executives who for the most part were the
spark for the original success of the group.

It was Clyde's bad judgement when he sold the name to Treadwell
which he later regretted that doomed his fellow group members and
all those who came along over the years to being just salaried
employees of  Drifters Inc.

Treadwell being a shrude businessman took advantage of a good
thing and exploited it to maximum. So as always the poor get
poorer and the rich get richer. The practice of of different pay
scales added much to the division between it's members. This
kept alliances from forming among the members.

As Rolling Stone magazine puts it The Drifters were just a bunch
of low paid singers.

Most have died poor and those that continue on today fight
over a trademark which they will never truly own. They still
continue to work for little of nothing in this business of music
for ever being exploited by those who in there self interest
use The Drifter service mark for there own dubious
exploitation of starving artist.

Can there ever be peace in the house that Treadwell built is
as illusive today as it was yesteryear. There has been a
re-branding of the name abroad by the current management
of The Drifters (PMG) Prism Music Group UK who holds
the worldwide licensing rights to The Drifters but for all the
good work they have done still hasn't changed matters on
the ground floor with the former members and the countless
fans who will never except any thing new in the way of current
Drifter lineup who have yet to come of age to fill the shoes of
those great Icons of the past.

Maybe rightfully so as wounded hearts never forget the
skulduggery of years gone by.

Butch Leake (CORNER TALK REPORT)

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