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Clyde McPhatter
Clyde McPhatter
American singer
1
Billy Ward and His Dominoes
Billy Ward and His Dominoes
African American R&B group
2
Rudy Lewis
Rudy Lewis
American singer
3
Ben E. King
Ben E. King
American soul and R&B singer and record producer
4
The Crests
The Crests
band
5
Gene Summers
Gene Summers
American singer
6
The Moonglows
The Moonglows
American R&B group
7
The Flamingos
The Flamingos
American "doo wop" group
8
The Dells
The Dells
American R&B vocal group
9
Bobby Hendricks
Bobby Hendricks
American singer
10
The Jordanaires
The Jordanaires
American vocal group; back-up singers for Elvis Presley
11
The Orioles
The Orioles
American R&B group
12
The Swallows
The Swallows
american band
13
The Ink Spots
The Ink Spots
American pop vocal band
14
The Blackwood Brothers
The Blackwood Brothers
American southern gospel quartet
15
Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
American bluegrass musician, songwriter
16
Sam Taylor
Sam Taylor
American jazz and blues saxophonist
17
The Coasters
The Coasters
American band
18
Buzz Clifford
Buzz Clifford
American musician
19
Lloyd Trotman
Lloyd Trotman
American musician
20
Bob Bushnell
Bob Bushnell
musician
21
The Clovers
The Clovers
American rhythm and blues/doo-wop vocal group
22
Charlie Christian
Charlie Christian
American swing and jazz guitarist
23
Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson
American singer
24
Charles Brown
Charles Brown
American recording artist; songwriter, blues singer and pianist
25
Jon Hendricks
Jon Hendricks
American jazz singer, lyricist, jazz critic and historian
26
Ronnie McDowell
Ronnie McDowell
American musician
27
Benny Powell
Benny Powell
American jazz trombonist
28
The Jazz Messengers
The Jazz Messengers
American jazz band
29
The Diamonds
The Diamonds
Canadian Vocal Quartet
30
Leiber-Stoller
Leiber-Stoller
American songwriting and record producing duo
31
Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
American band led by Louis Jordan
32
Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
American jazz saxophonist
33
The Imperials
The Imperials
American christian music group
34
Martin Drew
Martin Drew
British musician
35
The Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen
American bluegrass band
36
Ben Webster
Ben Webster
American saxophonist
37
Jimmy Nolen
Jimmy Nolen
American guitarist
38
Peter King
Peter King
British musician
39
The Teenagers
The Teenagers
American doo wop group
40
King Pleasure
King Pleasure
American singer
41
Max Roach
Max Roach
American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer
42
The Silhouettes
The Silhouettes
American doo-wop group
43
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys
American band that plays country music
44
Nolan Strong & The Diablos
Nolan Strong & The Diablos
American, Detroit-based, R&B and doo-wop vocal group
45
Jack Clement
Jack Clement
American musician
46
Jimmy Justice
Jimmy Justice
English singer
47
The Midnighters
The Midnighters
American R&B group
48
Bill Black
Bill Black
American bassist
Intro
American R&B band (1953-)
Awards Received
Grammy Hall of Fame
Grammy Hall of Fame
Grammy Hall of Fame
Grammy Hall of Fame
Grammy Hall of Fame
News

The Drifters are an American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953.

According to Rolling Stone, 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 from 1955, after McPhatter left. The Treadwell Drifters line has had 60 musicians, including several splinter groups by former Drifters members (not under Treadwell's management). These groups are usually identified with a possessive credit such as "Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters", "Charlie Thomas' Drifters".

The three golden eras of the Drifters were the early 1950s, the 1960s, and the early 1970s (post-Atlantic period). From these, the first Drifters, formed by Clyde McPhatter, were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as "The Drifters". The second Drifters, featuring Ben E. King, were 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 first Drifters, two from the second Drifters, and one from the post-Atlantic Drifters. There were other lead singers too, but the group was less successful during those times.

According to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame: "Through turmoil and changes, the (original) 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 recorded 13 Billboard Hot 100 top-30 chart hits. The 1950s and '60s incarnations of the group were also a force on the US R&B charts, notching six number-one R&B hits: "Money Honey" (1953), "Honey Love" (1954), "Adorable" (1955), "There Goes My Baby" (1959), "Save The Last Dance For Me" (1960), and "Under The Boardwalk" (1964). A 1970s revival in Britain, with both old and new material, was not matched in the United States, although they had their biggest successes on the UK singles chart, peaking with the number-two hit "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies".