caption current_members website associated_acts years_active label image_size article_title background genre image origin name
the drifters in 1964 michael howard -lsb- http://www.theofficialdrifters.com/ theofficialdrifters.com -rsb- ben e. king , clyde mcphatter 1953 -- present atlantic , bell , neon records 250px the drifters
 group_or_band r pop & b , doo wop , soul , the drifters.png new york city , u.s. the drifters
the drifters

the drifters are a long-lasting american doo-wop and r&b / soul vocal group .
they were originally formed to serve as a backing group for clyde mcphatter -lrb- of billy ward & the dominoes -rrb- in 1953 .
according to `` rolling stone '' magazine , the drifters were the least stable of the great vocal groups , as they were low-paid musicians hired by george treadwell , who owned the drifters name .
there have been 60 vocalists in the history of the treadwell drifters line , including several splinter groups by former drifters members -lrb- not under treadwell 's management -rrb- .
these groups are usually identified with a possessive credit such as `` bill pinkney 's original drifters '' , `` charlie thomas ' drifters '' , etc. .
there are two notable versions of the drifters .
the first classic drifters , formed by clyde mcphatter , was inducted into the vocal group hall of fame as `` the drifters '' .
the second drifters , featuring ben e. king , was separately inducted into the vocal group hall of fame as `` ben e. king and the drifters '' .
in their induction , the rock and roll hall of fame selected four members from the classic drifters , two from the second drifters , and one from the post-treadwell drifters .
according to the vocal group hall of fame : `` through turmoil and changes , the -lrb- original -rrb- drifters managed to set musical trends and give the public 13 chart hits , most of which are legendary recordings today . ''
matching that feat , subsequent formations of the drifters managed to give the public 13 billboard hot 100 top 30 chart hits .
