Charles Thomas (born April 7, 1937,
Lynchburg, Virginia) is an American singer best known for his work with
The Drifters
The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in ...
. 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 to become the new Drifters.
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
"Sweets for My Sweet" is a song written by the songwriting team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, originally recorded by American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group the Drifters.
The Drifters version
The group's first single featuring Charlie Thoma ...
" and "
When My Little Girl Is Smiling
"When My Little Girl Is Smiling" is a pop song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, and first recorded by The Drifters in 1961.
At the time of recording the song on October 26, 1961, the Drifters comprised Charlie Thomas (tenor), Rudy Lewis ...
".
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 as a member of the Drifters and was given a Pioneer Award by the
Rhythm and Blues Foundation
The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music.
The idea for the foundation came in 1987 during discussions about royalties with en ...
in 1999. On May 21, 2011, in
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second largest in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island ...
, Thomas and The Drifters performed at the Vintage New England Theater.
References
External links
Interview with Charlie Thomas
American rhythm and blues singers
The Drifters members
Living people
1937 births
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