Charlie Thomas, Member of Legendary Soul Group the Drifters, Dies at 85

SoloEnt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Charlie Thomas, a prominent member of the golden-era lineup of the R&B group the Drifters in the 1960s, died on Tuesday (Jan. 31). He was 85.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who sang on two of the group's top 40 hits — 1961's "Sweets for My Sweet" and "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" (1962) — had been battling liver cancer.

Originally formed as a backing group for Clyde Lensley McPhatte, one of the doo-wop and R&B circuit's most popular acts in the ’50s, the Drifters have played an outsized role in music history through the group's various incarnations, lineups and spin-offs.

Thomas was an original member of the second iteration of the band, formed in 1958 when the vocal group he was part of (The Five Crowns) was hired to become the new Drifters by the group's manager George Treadwell following a falling out with the original members over low pay and other issues.  

The CMHOF expresses their deepest condolences for the loss of Charlie Thomas. Charlie Thomas was most known for his vocal talent in the popular group The Drifters. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Charlie Thomas.#CharlieThomas pic.twitter.com/vRkRDluCtc

— California Music Hall Of Fame (@CAMusicHall) January 31, 2023

The group featured legendary singer Ben E. King and was popularly known as Ben E. King and the Drifters. Thomas remained in the group until 1967, only to return to a different lineup later.

I had the great fortune of capturing the legendary Charlie Thomas of “The Drifters” as he sang his iconic chart topper ‘Under the Boardwalk’ on the historic Asbury Park Boardwalk. He was the very sound of the sea #RIP #asburypark #drifters #charliethomas pic.twitter.com/uSAJaSFrGT

— Adam Nelson (@workhousepr) January 31, 2023

Eventually, he formed his own version of the group. Charlie Thomas' Drifters toured incessantly around the world throughout the new millennium until sickness sidelined the singer.

The Lynchburg, Virginia, native was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of fame in 1988, along with six other former members of the Drifters, whose membership spanned three eras of the band.

Missy Elliott Nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott

Her hometown Portsmouth, Virginia, named a street after her last year but now hip-hop trailblazer Missy Elliott is in the running for a slightly bigger honor.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame revealed its 2023 nominees on Wednesday, and the rapper was selected to compete for one of music's most prestigious accolades in her first year of eligibility for induction.

In its bio for the musician, the Rock Hall credited Elliott, who sometimes utilizes the sobriquet "Misdemeanor," with crafting the Virginia Beach sound that took over radio's airwaves in the late 1990s and 2000s.

She established herself as an in-demand songwriter and producer and founded her own record label, all before breaking out as a platinum-selling solo star. Elliott forged new paths for women in the music industry and society at large through her behind-the-scenes mastery and unapologetic ownership of her body, her sexual desires, and her Blackness in her music.

Elliot was joined in representing hip-hop and R&B on the list of nominees by eclectic, genre-defying hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest and 1970s soul supergroup, The Spinners, in their second and fourth appearances respectively after previously falling to make the cut.

The Spinners

A Tribe Called Quest

An individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination to be eligible.

Other first-time nominees on the list were country music legend Willie Nelson, pop princess Cyndi Lauper, rock singer-songwriter Cheryl Crow and Detroit rock duo The White Stripes, English rockers Joy Division/New Order, dance-pop icon George Michael and singer-songwriter Warren Zevon.

“This remarkable list of Nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”

The inductees will be announced in May, with the induction ceremony set to take place later this fall.

Find the complete list of 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees pictured below:

Barrett Strong, Motown's First Star, Dies at 81

Courtesy Photo Motown Museum 

Barrett Strong, the man behind Motown Records' first hit and a gifted singer and songwriter who helped create some of the legendary label's classics has died. 

The Motown Museum announced his death, at the age of 81, on social media Sunday.

"It is with great sadness that we share the passing of legendary @ClassicMotown singer and songwriter Barrett Strong," the Museum wrote on its official Twitter account. 

Born in West Point, Mississippi on Feb. 5, 1941, and raised in Detroit, Strong was the voice behind Motown's first hit, "Money (That’s What I Want)."

Recorded when he was just 18, Strong played piano and provided the vocals for the Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford penned song, in 1959.

Within a year the record had become the label that would come to be nicknamed Hitsville's first smash, selling over a million copies and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart (No. 23 on the Billboard 100).

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of legendary @ClassicMotown singer and songwriter Barrett Strong.

The voice behind @motown's first hit, the iconic “Money (That’s What I Want),” was born in West Point, Mississippi on February 5, 1941 and was raised in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/RvINyjJgcc

— Motown Museum (@Motown_Museum) January 30, 2023

Gordy, who founded Motown, offered high praise for his departed colleague in a statement, even though the men had butted heads over the years after Strong claimed he co-wrote the song along with Grody and Bradford.

"Barrett was not only a great singer and piano player, but he, along with his writing partner Norman Whitfield, created an incredible body of work," he said. 

Ultimately, Barrett was denied a writing credit but that did not damage his relationship with Motown.

Along with Whitfield, he was the driving force behind some of its signature hits, such as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "War" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone."

He was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which cited him as "a pivotal figure in Motown's formative years," in 2004.