Charlie Thomas (musician)

Charles Thomas (born April 7, 1937, Lynchburg, Virginia) is an American rhythm and blues singer best known for his work with The Drifters. Thomas was performing with The Five Crowns at the Apollo Theater in 1958 when George Treadwell fired his group, called The Drifters. Treadwell recruited the Five Crowns[1] to become the new Drifters.

Charlie Thomas
Charlie Thomas Performing Live.
Background information
Birth nameCharles Thomas
Also known asCharlie
Born (1937-04-07) April 7, 1937
Lynchburg, Virginia
OriginUnited States
GenresPop, Rock & Roll, R&R
InstrumentsVocalist
Years active1957–present
LabelsAtlantic Records
Associated actsThe Drifters, Elsbeary Hobbs, Terry King, The Five Crowns, Johnny Moore, Ben E. King, Bobby Hendricks
WebsiteCharlie Thomas' Drifters Official Site

The new Drifters' first release was the 1959 hit "There Goes My Baby". Charlie was lead singer on two of the group's top 40 hits, "Sweets For My Sweet" and "When My Little Girl Is Smiling".[2][3]

Family

He is the father of Charles "Happy" Thomas Jr. and grandfather to hip-hop producer Charlie "Bambu" Thomas.

Honors

Charlie Thomas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999. On May 21, 2011, in Cranston, Rhode Island, Thomas and The Drifters performed at the Vintage New England Theater.[4]

References
  1. "The Five Crowns - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. Cylist. "Billboard Top 40 Hits (1962) at cyList". www.cylist.com.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2010-01-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Baptista, Todd (May 21, 2011). "Go back to the boardwalk with The Drifters Charlie Thomas". Go back to the boardwalk with The Drifters' Charlie Thomas. Goldmine Magazine. Retrieved January 3, 2016.


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