Right after a show at the beginning of 1958, bass Bill Pinkney was once again fired from the Drifters. As road manager he had a better grasp of the money situation than any other member of the group, and was always fighting with management for more money for the singers. Pinkney wasted no time getting back into the studio, cutting a single for Sam Phillips' Phillips International label: “After The Hop”/“Sally's Got A Sister,” with a studio group called the Turks (not the West Coast group) subsequently overdubbed by bandleader Bill Justis.
On May 28, 1958, the Drifters (with new bass Tommy Evans) began a week's appearance at the Apollo Theater. Others on the bill were Ray Charles, the Heartbeats, the Cadillacs, the Cookies, Ann Cole, Tiny Topsy, Mary Ann Fisher, Solomon Burke, and the Crowns (a group that was the remnant of the 5 Crowns, a New York City street-corner group that had actually been around longer than the Drifters).
The week closed with one of the Drifters (presumably drunk) cursing out both Dr. Jive and Frank Schiffman, owner of the Apollo. This was the final straw for manager George Treadwell, who fired the entire group. Treadwell decided to start over with a completely new Drifters group. To this end, he hired the Crowns, with whom he'd been impressed all week.
Almost as soon as the old Drifters had been dissolved, Bill Pinkney decided to get as many members of the original group as possible back together. He recruited Gerhart and Andrew Thrasher, and, as Clyde McPhatter was unavailable (doing well with his solo career), lead chores were once again returned to Little David Baughan. They called themselves “The Original Drifters.” Considering how deceptive the word “original” can be, this group came very close. It was, in fact, the very group which had recorded “Honey Bee” and “No Sweet Lovin'” in 1955, and, musically speaking, had more of a right to the name “Drifters” than the Crowns, who were now legally using it. Interestingly, the group's manager, at the beginning, was Esther Navarro (along with Irv Nahan), manager of the Cadillacs.In 1959, the Original Drifters made two records for George Goldner's End label, billed as the “Harmony Grits” (although a Billboard advertisement included the phrase “formerly the Original Drifters”). One of these songs was a remake of the Crows' classic, “Gee.” Unfortunately, Little Dave still had not become the stable member they needed. Over the next ten years, he'd drift in and out of the group. However, he only appears on the End sides.
When Johnny Moore (former lead of the Drifters from mid 1955 to late 1957) was discharged from the army in 1960, he tried a solo career, calling himself “Johnny Darrow.” (He had releases on Melic and Sue.) Here's where the name came from: “Because the old Johnny Moore of the [Three] Blazers was still alive, I couldn't use my real name. One day I was reading an article about Clarence Darrow, the lawyer, in Ebony, and it just struck me that 'Johnny Darrow' sounded good. But my sound was a little too 'white' for Juggy Murray [owner of Sue Records] . Then he got Ike and Tina Turner and spent his time with them.”
In 1960, there was a reunion of sorts at the Apollo Theater. The week beginning August 26 saw Clyde McPhatter (“And His Own Revue”), Johnny Moore (who was doing his solo act as “Johnny Darrow”), the Original Drifters (the trio of Bill Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher, and Andrew Thrasher), and Jimmy Oliver's Band. (The Bobbettes and George Kirby were also on the program.) Bet you wish you'd been there!
Around 1961, Johnny got Bill's Original Drifters to back him on some of his “Johnny Darrow” sides. However, the only one that Johnny could remember specifically was “Chew Tobacco Rag.” At the time, the Original Drifters were a trio: Bill Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher, and Andrew Thrasher. This means that there are a couple of Johnny Darrow sides that have the same lineup as “Adorable,” “Your Promise To Be Mine,” “Ruby Baby,” “Soldier Of Fortune,” and “I Gotta Get Myself A Woman.”
By 1964, Bobby Lee Hollis (tenor/baritone) had become the fourth member. Hollis had previously sung with the Sunbeams on Herald. Like Johnny Moore and Bobby Hendricks, he'd also done some solos for Sue. These were released in 1960, as “Johnny Pancake” (Sue 721: Wonderful Baby/Shook).Later in 1964, soul singer Jimmy Lewis replaced Andrew Thrasher. While touring with his first single, “Wait Until Spring” (on the 4J label), he appeared on the same bill as the Original Drifters, who recruited him for the group. This group (Bill Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher, Jimmy Lewis, and Bobby Lee Hollis) recorded “Don't Call Me” and “I Do The Jerk,” released on Fontana in December 1964, with Jimmy leading “Call” and Bobby fronting “Jerk.”
Soon after this session, former Drifter Bobby Hendricks was added as a fifth member, but the group sank down to four again when Lewis quit to continue his solo work. He'd have subsequent releases on 4J and Minit.
This group continued together for a couple of years, although at some point Andrew Thrasher re-joined to replace Bobby Lee Hollis. In May 1967, they (as “Bill Pinkney and the Originals”) released “The Masquerade Is Over”/“I Found Some Lovin'” on Veep. Bobby Hendricks leads “Masquerade” and Bill Pinkney is out front on the flip.
Throughout most of the 60s, Little David Baughan and Bobby Lee Hollis were alternately in and out of the group. By 1968, the group consisted of Bill Pinkney, Bobby Lee Hollis, Gerhart Thrasher, and Bobby Hendricks. That same year, Hollis, Thrasher, and Hendricks all quit to settle down. Unfortunately, this happened just before a European tour that Bill had arranged. [Gerhart Thrasher died, from throat cancer, in 1977; Little David Baughan died in 1970; Andrew Thrasher has also passed on. Bobby Hendricks continued to occasionally sing with Bill Pinkney, and the whereabouts of Bobby Lee Hollis are unknown.]
Fortunately for Bill, former Drifters valet Lacy Hollingsworth told him about an Atlanta group called the Tears, who might be available for the European tour. Pinkney met them, auditioned them, and ended up taking them along as the new Original Drifters. The members of the Tears were: Benny Anderson (tenor), Wallace Ezzard (tenor; aka George Wallace), Albert Fortson (baritone), and Mark Williams (guitar).When they returned to the States, the Tears not only broke with Pinkney, but continued on for over ten years as “The Original Drifters,” adding Andrew Odem as the fourth singing voice. In November 1981, Pinkney finally won a court battle to get exclusive use of the name “Original Drifters.” This group made a single recording, on the Sounds South label, in 1978 (#16053: “Just Let Your Heart Be Your Guide”/ “Plain, Simple, But Sweet”).
Bill's next Original Drifters, formed later in 1968, consisted of Bruce Caesar (tenor), Clarence Walker (tenor/baritone), and Duke Richardson (baritone). This group did the 1971 recordings on Game: “Ol' Man River” and “Millionaire” (both sides led by Bill).
From then on, there was a succession of singers, but by 1979 it had stabilized to Harriel Jackson (tenor), Andrew Lawyer (tenor), Chuck Cockerham (tenor), and Tony Cook (baritone). (Andrew Lawyer had formerly sung with the True Tones, the Spaniels, and the New Century Platters; Tony Cook had been with Harold Melvin's Blue Notes.) This group cut “Sixty Minute Man”/“Broke Blues” on Southern Charisma in 1979 (which only shows Bill's name on the label) and “(More Than A Number In My) Little Red Book”/“I Count The Tears” on the S&J label in 1980.
There were a series of recordings for the Ripete label in the late 80s and early 90s, but the personnel on these is unknown.
With many more personnel changes the “Original Drifters,” fronted by Bill Pinkney, continued performing. They mostly played southern venues and were very popular with the “Beach Music” crowd. Sadly, Bill Pinkney, last of the original Drifters, passed away on July 4, 2007 (at age 81) as he was preparing for a concert that evening.
Special thanks to Ferdie Gonzalez, for his discographical help.