Bill Pinkney
R&B Singer | 1925 - 2007 Deep-throated singer who was last surviving member of The Drifters

Bill Pinkney who died on 4 July, 2007, aged 81 was the last surviving member of the legendary rhythm and blues band The Drifters.

Marketed as a beach music group whose music was mixture of soul and American doo wop R&B, The Drifters were formed by Clyde McPhatter in 1953 and based their act around vocal harmonies.

Bill Pinkney had been due to stage a Drifters concert as part of the 4 July Independence Day celebrations when he was found dead in his Daytona Beach hotel room.

His distinctive baritone can be heard on such classics as "Up on the Roof" and "Under the Boardwalk." Along with the other members of the original Drifters, Bill Pinkney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

William Pinkney was born on 15 August, 1925, in Sumter, South Carolina. Before joining The Drifters, he fought in the Second World War and was awarded four bronze service stars for his efforts at Normandy, Bastone, Saint Lo and Rhine River.

Also a talented sportsman, Mr Pinkney was a pitcher for the New York Blue Sox, baseball team. As a member of the African American baseball league the team were unable to compete at a high level due to restrictions barring African Americans from appearing in major league games.

He started his professional music career in 1953, after he was approached by Clyde McPhatter, an influential singer who had had relative success with ‘Billy Ward and the Dominoes’.

The Drifters were soon in business and Mr Pinkney was happy adding vocal support. But after a first hit single with ‘Money and Honey’ tragedy struck the group.

Bass player Willie Ferbie was involved in an accident and guitarist Walter Adams died before Mr Pinkney and his group released their first album.

In 1954 with Mr Pinkney now on bass, the group released their biggest selling single of all time - ‘White Christmas’. This handed them a top 5 U.S hit although unrest in the group had begun to surface.

Mr Pinkney was unimpressed with the amount of money the group were being paid despite their obvious success in the mid-50s. His outspoken actions eventually cost him his role in the group when he was fired by manager George Treadwell in 1958.

On leaving The Drifters, he quickly formed The Original Drifters with ex band members who had also been sacked by Mr Treadwell. His new group held tours and released a couple of tunes before splitting in 1968.

A resurrection of the Original Drifters occurred when Mr Pinkney drafted in the help of an existing 60s group ‘The Tears’ and recruited the four members to his band. When the foursome broke away, however, and toured as the Original Drifters, Mr Pinkney felt betrayed and successfully sued them over the use of the name.

Continuing to tour throughout the 70s and 80s, he was an advocate of keeping the legacy of the Drifters alive.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 beside such acts as The Beatles and Bob Dylan and as a best selling artist received the Order of the Palmetto – a highly regarded civilian honour bestowed upon him by the state of South Carolina.

Awarded an honorary doctorate of Fine Music by the Coastal Carolina University in 2002 he was still performing publicly when he died
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