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The Drifters – Masquerade Tour
Floral Pavilion New Brighton
October 6 2012
The Drifters are back on tour and will appear at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, on October 6. And next year will be the 60th anniversary of the group.
Billed as the Masquerade Tour, the current recording line up of The Drifters will perform the group’s greatest hits and new material some of which is featured on the new album.
Current Drifters line up member, Michael Williams, says: "We are very excited about the Masquerade Tour. The Drifters music is very uplifting and upbeat and many people come to the shows night after night for that real feelgood factor. The idea of the Masquerade Tour is that it is just one big party – from start to finish so we are hoping that everyone will get on their dancing shoes and come and join the party! There are also some real surprises in the set alongside the old favourites.”
The 70 date tour runs through to the end of the year with dates in most cities across the UK . Prism Music Group is running a Schools Education Programme across all productions including The Drifters. Some shows may therefore feature local school children as part of the performance.
Their appearance will include tracks from their successful gold selling release of their album Up On The Roof last year.
Now in their 59th year, The Drifters have seen massive chart success on both sides of the Atlantic and across the world, with over 114 million album sales and 214 million singles sales and a vast catalogue of hits.
The new album which included many hits including ‘Under The Boardwalk’, ‘Like Sister and Brother’, ‘Saturday Night At The Movies,’ ‘Save The Last Dance For Me,’ ‘On Broadway’ and ‘Kissin in The Back Row’ plus new material reached #12 in the UK charts and remaining in the charts for 14 weeks, demonstrating the group’s timeless appeal.
The Drifters were founded 59 years ago by George Treadwell and Ahmet Ertegun - founder of Atlantic Records. Since their creation the band has featured over 65 vocalists, including icons such as Clyde McPhatter, Ben E King and Johnny Moore. Some of the legends returned to perform alongside the current line-up at a unique concert at the O2 arena in 2009.
With the exception of the much loved icon Johnny Moore, the current line up is the only complete line up in the group’s history to have recorded on both of the group’s historic labels – Atlantic Records with the release in 2009 of Five Decades & Moore and, in 2011 on Sony Music.
The Drifters have sold over 214 million singles and 114 million albums worldwide. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 in recognition of their global success spanning almost six decades.
Since day one, line up members have been replaced, often with new, younger members in order to ensure both the longevity and also the fresh appeal of the group. Johnny Moore, the longest serving member of The Drifters to date, was just 21 years old when he joined The Drifters line up.
Since Faye Treadwell brought The Drifters to the UK in the early 70’s, The Drifters has always included British members in the line up. In fact, when The Drifters performed at the White House in 1993 for President Bill Clinton, the line up at that time consisted of three British members.
In 2010, The Drifters shared the bill on an arena tour in cities across the UK with The Four Tops, The Temptations and The Three Degrees. The Drifters performed to over 100,000 people in the UK last year.
The Drifters have recently recorded a version of the new track The Whole World in Farsi ahead of the release of the song in Asia . The group always perform a song in the language of every country they visit on the tour and there is a special multi-lingual song in the new show for the Masquerade Tour.
Gold Disks for Up On The Roof album were presented to the current line up and former members of The Drifters at a ceremony at the Liverpool Empire in January 2012.
“I am delighted that after nearly 60 years, The Drifters name is still very much alive and kicking. The incredible music sung by the band since it was formed by George Treadwell in 1953 has passed down through many generations. From the early days of Clyde McPhatter and Ahmet Ertegun to the current outstanding line up of Michael, Ryan, Carlton and Pierre , the music of The Drifters has delighted live audiences and record buyers for six decades. Only last year, Sony’s greatest hits compilation ‘Up On The Roof’, featuring all the hits and two brand new songs, proved the enduring popularity of this amazing band by achieving gold status and staying on the chart for an incredible 14 weeks. Drifters past and present – I salute you,” says Phil Savill, Sony Music
To book for the Floral Pavilion, on October 6, call 0151 666 0000 or visit www.floralpavilion.com
www.theofficialdrifters.com
The Drifters Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Drifters/9711646761
