The Drifters discography

This discography focuses solely on that of American vocal group the Drifters as managed by the Treadwell family.

Albums

Year Album Label Chart positions Certifications
US
[1] 		US R&B
[1] 		UK
[2]
1956 Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters Atlantic — — —
1958 Rockin' & Driftin' — — —
1960 Greatest Hits (compilation) — — —
1962 Save the Last Dance for Me — — —
1963 Up on the Roof – The Best of the Drifters (compilation) 110 — 12
1964 Under the Boardwalk[A] 40 — —
1965 The Good Life with the Drifters 103 — —
1966 I'll Take You Where the Music's Playing — — —
1968 The Drifters Golden Hits (compilation) 122 33 26
1971 Their Greatest Recordings: The Early Years (compilation) — — —
1973 The Drifters Now Bell — — —
1975 24 Original Hits Atlantic — — 2
  • BPI: Platinum[4]
Love Games Bell — — 51
There Goes My First Love — — —
1976 Every Nite's a Saturday Night — — —
1986 The Very Best Of (compilation) Telstar — — 24
2003 The Definitive Drifters (compilation) Atlantic — — 8
2006 The Very Best of the Drifters (compilation) Warner Music — — 46
2017 An Introduction to: The Drifters (compilation) Atlantic, Rhino — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Notes

  1. ^ "Under the Boardwalk" is a retitled and slightly amended version of The Drifters' Our Biggest Hits album released in 1964. Title was changed and a new catalog number assigned when "Under the Boardwalk" became a hit.

Singles

Year Titles (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated 		Lead singer Label Chart positions Certifications Album
US
[8][1] 		US R&B
[8][1] 		US A/C
[8] 		UK
[2][8]
1953 "Money Honey"
b/w "The Way I Feel" (Non-album track) 		Clyde McPhatter Atlantic — 1 — — Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters
1954 "Lucille" — 7 — — Non-album track
"Such a Night" — 2 — — Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters
"Honey Love"
b/w "Warm Your Heart" 		— 1 — —
"Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)"
b/w "Bip Bam" (Non-album track) 		A: Clyde McPhatter & Bill Pinkney
B: Clyde McPhatter 		— — — —
"White Christmas"
b/w "The Bells of St. Mary's" 		A: Bill Pinkney & Clyde McPhatter
B: Clyde McPhatter 		80 5 — —
1955 "What'cha Gonna Do"
b/w "Gone" (Non-album track) 		Clyde McPhatter — 2 — —
"Everyone's Laughing"
b/w "Hot Ziggety" 		— — — — Non-album tracks
"Adorable" Johnny Moore — 1 — — Rockin' & Driftin'
1956 "Steamboat" Bill Pinkney — 5 — —
"Your Promise to Be Mine" Gerhart Thrasher — — — —
"Ruby Baby"

b/w "Your Promise to Be Mine"

Johnny Moore — 10 — —
"I Gotta Get Myself a Woman"
b/w "Soldier of Fortune" 		A: Johnny Moore & Bill Pinkney
B: Johnny Moore & Bill Pinkney 		— 11 — —
1957 "Fools Fall in Love"
b/w "It Was a Tear" 		Johnny Moore 69 10 — —
"Drifting Away from You" Gerhart Thrasher — — — —
"Hypnotized" Johnny Moore 79 — — —
"I Know"
b/w "Yodee Yakee" 		— — — —
"Drip Drop" Bobby Hendricks 58 — — —
"Moonlight Bay" Group Ensemble 72 — — —
1959 "There Goes My Baby"
b/w "Oh My Love" 		Ben E. King 2 1 — — The Drifters' Greatest Hits
"(If You Cry) True Love, True Love" Johnny Lee Williams 33 5 — —
"Dance with Me" Ben E. King 15 2 — 17 (As A-side)
1960 "This Magic Moment" 16 4 — —
"Baltimore" Charlie Thomas & Elsbeary Hobbs — — — —
"Lonely Winds"
b/w "Hey Senorita" 		A: Ben E. King
B: Ben E. King 		54 9 — —
"Save the Last Dance for Me"
b/w "Nobody but Me" 		Ben E. King 1 1 — 2 Save the Last Dance for Me
"I Count the Tears" 17 6 — 28
"Suddenly There's a Valley" Tommy Evans & Bobby Hendricks — — — — The Drifters' Greatest Hits
1961 "Some Kind of Wonderful"
b/w "Honey Bee" (Non-album track) 		A: Rudy Lewis
B: David Baughn 		32 6 — — Save the Last Dance for Me
"Please Stay"
b/w "No Sweet Lovin'" 		A: Rudy Lewis
B: Bill Pinkney 		14 13 — —
"Sweets for My Sweet"
b/w "Loneliness or Happiness" (from Up on the Roof – The Best of the Drifters) 		A: Charlie Thomas
B: Rudy Lewis 		16 10 — —
"Room Full of Tears"
b/w "Somebody New Dancin' with You" 		A: Charlie Thomas
B: Rudy Lewis 		72 — — —
1962 "When My Little Girl Is Smiling"
b/w "Mexican Divorce" 		28 — — 31
"Stranger on the Shore"
b/w "What to Do" 		Rudy Lewis 73 — 19 — Up on the Roof – The Best of the Drifters
"Sometimes I Wonder"
b/w "Jackpot" (from Save the Last Dance for Me) 		A: Ben E. King
B: Rudy Lewis 		— — — — All Time Greatest Hits and More – 1959–1965
"Up on the Roof"
b/w "Another Night with the Boys" (from Up on the Roof – The Best of the Drifters) 		Rudy Lewis 5 4 — — Our Biggest Hits
1963 "On Broadway"
b/w "Let the Music Play" 		9 7 — —
"If You Don't Come Back" / Johnny Moore — — — —
"Rat Race" Rudy Lewis 71 — — —
"I'll Take You Home"
b/w "I Feel Good All Over" 		A: Johnny Moore
B: Charlie Thomas 		25 24 — 37
1964 "Vaya con Dios"
b/w "In the Land of Make Believe" 		A: Rudy Lewis
B: Rudy Lewis & Johnny Moore 		43 10 — —
"One-Way Love"
b/w "Didn't It" 		Johnny Moore 56 12 — —
"Under the Boardwalk"
b/w "I Don't Want to Go On Without You" (from I'll Take You Where the Music's Playing) 		A: Johnny Moore
B: Charlie Thomas 		4 — — 45 Under the Boardwalk
"I've Got Sand in My Shoes"
b/w "He's Just a Playboy" 		Johnny Moore 33 21 — — I'll Take You Where the Music's Playing
"Saturday Night at the Movies"
b/w "Spanish Lace" (from I'll Take You Where the Music's Playing) 		18 8 — 3 (in 1972) The Good Life with the Drifters
"The Christmas Song"
b/w "I Remember Christmas" 		— — — — Non-album tracks
1965 "At the Club"
b/w "Answer the Phone" 		43 10 — 3 (in 1972) I'll Take You Where the Music's Playing
"Come On Over to My Place"
b/w "Chains of Love" 		A: Johnny Moore
B: Charlie Thomas 		60 — — 9 (in 1972)
"Follow Me"
b/w "The Outside World" 		91 — — —
"I'll Take You Where the Music's Playing"
b/w "Far from the Maddening Crowd" 		Johnny Moore 51 — — —
"Nylon Stockings"
b/w "We Gotta Sing" 		— — — — Non-album tracks
1966 "Memories Are Made of This"
b/w "My Islands in the Sun" 		48 — 29 57
"Up in the Streets of Harlem"
b/w "You Can't Love Them All" 		A: Johnny Moore
B: Charlie Thomas 		— — — 52
"Baby What I Mean"
b/w "Aretha" 		Johnny Moore 62 37 — 49
1967 "Ain't It the Truth"
b/w "Up Jumped the Devil" 		A: Johnny Moore
B: Bill Fredericks 		— 36 — —
1968 "Still Burning in My Heart"
b/w "I Need You Now" 		A: Johnny Moore
B: Bill Fredericks 		111 — — —
1969 "Steal Away"
b/w "Your Best Friend" 		A: Bill Fredericks
B: Johnny Moore 		— — — —
1970 "You Got to Pay Your Dues"
b/w "Black Silk" 		A: Johnny Moore
B: Bill Fredericks 		— — — —
1971 "A Rose by Any Other Name"
b/w "Be My Lady" 		Johnny Moore — — — —
1972 "Everynight"
b/w "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight)" 		Bell — — — — The Drifters Now
1973 "You've Got Your Troubles"
b/w "I'm Feeling Sad (and Oh So Lonely)" 		— — — —
"Like Sister and Brother"
b/w "The Songs We Used to Sing" 		A: Bill Fredericks
B: Johnny Moore 		— — — 7 Love Games
1974 "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies"
b/w "I'm Feeling Sad (and Oh So Lonely)" (from The Drifters Now) 		Johnny Moore — 83 — 2
"Down on the Beach Tonight"
b/w "Say Goodbye to Angelina" (from The Drifters Now) 		— — — 7
1975 "Love Games"
b/w "The Cut Is Deep" 		— — — 33
"There Goes My First Love"
b/w "Don't Cry on a Weekend" 		— — — 3 There Goes My First Love
"Can I Take You Home Little Girl"
b/w "Please Help Me Down" 		— — — 10
1976 "Hello Happiness"
b/w "I Can't Get Away from You" (from Love Games) 		— — — 12
"Every Nite's a Saturday Night with You"
b/w "I'll Get to Know Your Name Along the Way" 		— — — 29 Every Nite's a Saturday Night
"You're More Than a Number in My Little Red Book"
b/w "Do You Have to Go Now" 		A: Johnny Moore & Clyde Brown
B: Johnny Moore 		Arista — — — 5
1979 "Save the Last Dance for Me"
b/w "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" 		A: Ben E. King
B: Charlie Thomas 		Lightning — — — 69 Save the Last Dance for Me
2013 "The Whole World" Michael Williams Neon — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Billboard Year-End performances

Year Song Year-End
position
1959 "There Goes My Baby" 29
1960 "Save the Last Dance for Me" 26
1961 "Please Stay" 100
1963 "Up on the Roof" 64
1964 "Under the Boardwalk" 20

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Drifters – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 169. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ^ "Drifters: Up on the Roof – The Very Best Of". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  4. ^ "Drifters – 24 Original Hits". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  5. ^ "Drifters – Love Games". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  6. ^ "Drifters – The Best of the Drifters". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  7. ^ "Drifters – The Definitive Drifters". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d "The Drifters Songs Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  9. ^ "British certifications – Drifters – Save the Last Dance for Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  10. ^ "Drifters – Under the Boardwalk". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  11. ^ "British certifications – Saturday Night at the Movies". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  12. ^ "Drifters – Kissing in the Back Row". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "Drifters – There Goes My First Love". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  14. ^ "Drifters – You're More Than a Number in My Little Red Book". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved March 13, 2022.