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Drifters Music Headline Friday Show at Forum

Tim Andrews performs his own music.
One of the many incarnation of the Drifters of the 50s and 60s.
Lee Logan performs a tribute act .

A trio of acts will appear at the Forum at 4224 Maple Road in Amherst Friday night.

Combined, they promise an intriguing night of music.

Billed as "Hollywood Logan's Legendary Drifters with Tim Andrews and Willy Orbison," the top billed act is Lee "Hollywood" Logan and his group the "Legendary Drifters."

Not to be confused with the Drifters, which racked up a string of hits in the 1950s and 60s such as “Under the Boardwalk,” “This Magic Moment,” “Up on the Roof,” and "On Broadway," the "Hollywood Logan's Legendary Drifters" are a tribute band performing the songs of the Drifters and other artists of that period.

The original members of the Drifters are deceased.

Also on the bill is opening act, Gerald 'Willie O" Ralston, 70, a folk-rock pioneer of the San Francisco Bay Area’s 60's sound. Ralston recorded for Hush Records and had a hand in writing the 1965 top ten hit, “Hey Little Girl,” performed by the Syndicate of Sound.

Ralston's songs are included in the “Nuggets of the Golden State” anthology of Hush Records. Ralston also wrote songs for the Gotham City Crime Fighters, that later became “The Tower of Power.” In 1970, his recording of "Rock and Mole” was named by Cream Magazine as “The Best Record of the Year.” Ralston wrote and recorded for Gamma Records in Europe and Scepter Records in the U.S.

He will perform 60's songs, including some of his own.

Following Ralston, singer Tim Andrews and his band will perform songs from his Lonesome Road album. One music reviewer wrote of him, "Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, you come to feel this is music where one can find something beautiful within life."

The shows starts at 7 p.m.. Tickets are available at www.tickemaster and www.livenation.com

Ticket price $20.

 


 

Drifters were Manager, Treadwell, and Interchangeable singers

 

Over the years Leporia Logins has made a living as the lead singer of a Drifter's tribute band.

Using the stage name, Lee Hollywood Logan, he first used the name the Drifters, and later "The Legendary Drifters."

Lee Logan was never in the Drifters.

But, actually, there is no set lineup of the recording and performing act known as the Drifters. All told, there were 26 different singers who performed as the Drifters from 1953 when they were formed and the last time they had a top 40 hit in 1964.

Originally the Drifters were formed to serve as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter after Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records signed him.

Bill Pinkney, Andrew Thrasher, Gerhart Thrasher, Willie Ferbee and Walter Adams were the original Drifters when the group had its first hit "Money Honey", in 1953, and were then known as Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters.

Ferbee, involved in an accident, left the group. Adams died and was replaced by Jimmy Oliver. The new lineup released several hits including "Honey Love," "White Christmas" and "What'cha Gonna Do" in February 1955.

McPhatter, who went on to a solo career, left the group and sold his majority interest to George Treadwell, manager, and husband of singer Sarah Vaughan. From then on, Treadwell, as manager, owned the Drifters and he paid the changing and always expendable singers low salaries and little or no royalties.

After McPhatter left, Johnny Moore sang lead and had the R&B #1 hit "Adorable."

The line up kept changing. Pinkney was fired after asking for more money and replaced by Tommy Evans. Andrew Thrasher left. Charlie Hughes replaced Thrasher.

Moore sang another top ten hit, "Fools Fall In Love" in 1957.

Treadwell made most of the money.

With declining popularity, the Drifters were reduced to working the club scene and following a fight at the Apollo in May 1958, Treadwell fired the group but kept the name. He soon hired the Five Crowns featuring Ben E. King to become the Drifters

The new line-up consisted of King, Charlie Thomas, Dock Green, and Elsbeary Hobbs.

Atlantic hired Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, songwriting and record producers and they produced and wrote the Drifters best known songs. With King singing lead, the Drifters released "There Goes My Baby" "On Broadway" "There Goes My Baby", "This Magic Moment," "Save the Last Dance for Me" and "I Count The Tears."

But when Treadwell refused to give King a raise and a larger share of royalties, King left for a solo career. But the hits kept coming. Rudy Lewis sang lead on the Drifter hits "Some Kind Of Wonderful", "Up On The Roof", "Please Stay" and "On Broadway."

in 1964, when Rudy Lewis died. Johnny Moore returned to the Drifters and sang lead for of the Drifters last major hit, "Under the Boardwalk."

Soon afterward Treadwell died, and the group went into steady decline. By 1972, the Drifters left the talent roster of Atlantic artists.

In the early 1970s, promoter Larry Marshak decided to reunite some of the old Drifters. This brought swift legal action from Faye Treadwell, widow of George Treadwell.

A number of other splinter groups emerged. Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters. Charlie Thomas' Drifters." Rick Sheppard owns the Canadian Trademark for the Drifters name. Ray Lewis and Roy Hemmings led a Drifters group. Bobby Hendricks leads a group, as does Billy Lewis. Don Thomas leads Don Thomas and the Drifters Review.

And at the Forum, Lee Logan who never sang for the Drifters, but puts on a good show by all accounts, maybe as good as any of the dozens of men who sang and called themselves, the Drifters.

 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter - Publisher Frank Parlato Jr. www.niagarafallsreporter.com

Nov 19, 2013