The
Drifters
1988
Billy Joel
Mellow yet savvy, the Drifters painted vivid New York scenes with their syrupy-sweet voices. The Drifters took the ardent fervor of their gospel days and channeled it into soulful R&B arrangements about typical lives, elevating the everyday to a state of sanctity.
Induction
Impact
Charlie Thomas of The Drifters: An Oral History
Go up on the roof and look at the stars.
Billy Joel
1988 Hall of Fame Essay
The story of the Drifters is more than the story of a single group’s success...
Written By Michael Hill
sealed with a signature
This is the signature that appears on the inductee’s plaque at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to officially commemorate their induction.
Charlie Thomas
Bill Pinkney
Ben E. King
Gerhart Thrasher
Clyde McPhatter
Johnny Moore
Rudy Lewis
More from
the Hall