Songwriters Hall of Fame

The Drifters were originally formed in 1953 to showcase lead singer Clyde McPhatter. The original lineup included Gerhart and Andrew Thrasher, Bill Pinkney and McPhatter who eventually left the group to go solo in 1955.

The group had 11 top 10 R&B hits from 1953-1955 prior to their first pop hit, including “Money Honey” (#1, 1953), “Such a Night” (#2, 1954), “Lucille” (#7, 1954), “Honey Love” (#1, 1954), “Bip Bam” (#7, 1954), “What’cha Gonna Do” (#2, 1954), and “Adorable” (#1, 1955).

From 1956 through 1967, the group continued with various lead singers including Ben E. King (1959-1960), Rudy Lewis (1961-1963) and Johnny Moore (1964-1966). Among the nearly 80 R&B and pop hits are “There Goes My Baby” (#1, 1959), “Dance With Me,” “Save the Last Dance For Me” (#1, 1960), “Under the Boardwalk.”

The Drifters were inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.