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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