Charlie Thomas of the Drifters RIP

Sad to hear that Charlie Thomas, a member of the Drifters during their golden age of the late fifties and sixties, has died aged 85. Originally from Lynchburg, Virginia, Charlie was the lead singer on 'Sweets For My Sweet' and 'When My Little Girl Is Smiling' and sang tenor on many other classic hits, including 'This Magic Moment', 'Save The Last Dance For Me, 'Up On The Roof', 'There Goes My Baby', 'On Broadway' and 'Under The Boardwalk'. He joined a group called the Five Crowns along with Ben E King which won an amateur show at the Apollo and he sang lead on the group's 'Kiss and Make Up', written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. This led to George Treadwell, the Drifters' manager, hiring the group as a new line up for the Drifters in 1958 and the start of their great run of hits. He left the group in 1967 but later led his own version of the group for many years, including at the Long Island Doowop Festival in 2014 (pictured above). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. RIP Charlie.