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Group Not the Real 'Drifters,'

But Draw Sell-out Crowd at Forum

Tim Andrews band
Hollywood Logan's Legendary Drifters and Tim Andrews perform last week.

A band calling itself "Hollywood Logan's Legendary Drifters" performed to a sold-out crowd at the Forum in Amherst, last Friday (Nov. 22).

Over the years, Hollywood Logan, AKA Leporia Logins, AKA Lee Logins, Aka Hollywood Lee Logan, AKA Lee Logins,

AKA Lonnie Logins, AKA Lee L Logins AkA Lee Logan, AKA Lee Logans, Aka Lee Logans, AKA Lee Loggans, has made a living pretending to be the lead singer of the hitmaking, four-time Grammy Award winning, 1950's -60's band, the Drifters.

"Hollywood Logan's Legendary Drifters" share nothing in common with the recording and live performance act known as the Drifters except that the "Hollywood" group sings Drifters' songs.

Logan, who appears with various middle-aged back-up singers cannot legally use the Drifters name, so, he once used the name the Driftors (sic). Later he used the name "The Legendary Drifters."

Now he bills himself as "Hollywood Logan's Legendary Drifters."

Logan is not a member of the original Drifters.

But it is not unusual for his audiences not to know this middle-aged singer is not an original member.

It is not unusual for the media nor to know it either.

A search of the internet shows media from New York to Chicago refer to Logan's "Legendary Drifters' having hits like "Under the Boardwalk," "There Goes My Baby," "Up on the Roof," "This Magic Moment."

This may not be entirely the fault of the media. Logan's press releases aim to fool. Here is an excerpt of one he sent to WLS-TV in Chicago (note the use of Legendary Drifters instead of Drifters.) "August 28, 2009 (PRESS RELEASE) (WLS) -- Legendary singing quartet who sang "Under the Boardwalk" will be in Chicago on Sept. 10.... The Legendary Drifters story began with their first Atlantic Records recording "Money Honey" in 1953. From 1959 through 1964, The Legendary Drifters made musical history, setting musical trends for the nation...In 1959, The Legendary Drifters presented their first million record seller, "There Goes My Baby...1960, saw The Legendary Drifters hit the charts with the fantastic sounds of "This Magic Moment."....The Legendary Drifters second million record seller (was) "Save the Last Dance for Me."...."Experience the excitement the four-time Grammy Award Winning Legendary Drifters."

The Legendary Drifters did not win four Grammy or have million selling records.

The Drifters did.

A televised news interview with two 20-something female ABC-TV reporters in Chicago shows one women telling Logan, " A lot of artists have come and gone but...your music really has spanned the ages."

Logan bows his head modestly, then answers. "Yes it truly is exciting...As I look at other artists and look back at us and see the achievement we made through the years and just to have the impact on the world that we do." Then Logan rattled off hits of the Drifters, as if they were his own.

In one southern city, a gullible reporter not only gave Logan credit for the "big hits over the last 50 years," of the Drifters, but credit for "the 1965 chart-topper 'My Girl,' which will be released on their new album in October." "My Girl" was performed by the Temptations.

Logan has been sued several times for trademark infringement.

But, at the Forum concert last week, most of the audience may not have known that Logan was not one of the Drifters.

After all, the Drifters were really the trademark of the late George Treadwell, who hired some 26 different low paid singers to perform with the group over the 10- year period they had hit songs, while Treadwell pocketed most of the money.

The show opened with Gerald "Willie-O" Ralston, who had a hand in writing "Hey Little Girl" a top-10 hit in 1965, recorded by the Syndicate of Sound, singing early rock'n roll songs.

Singer-songwriter Tim Andrews, with his four-piece band, performed songs from his recently released EP, "Lonesome Road," and an upcoming album.

The final act, Hollywood Logan's Legendary Drifters, performed hits of the Drifters and other soul acts, including a 15-minute version of "My Girl." In the midst of a song, one of the singers left the stage and gathered together approximately 50 members of the audience to form a conga-line.

After that Hollywood Logan called Tim Andrews back to the stage, and they performed "There Goes my Baby," with Andrews singing lead. That and Andrews' version of Shenandoah probably elicited the loudest applause from the audience.

 

 

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

Nov 26, 2013