The Drifters - This Magic Moment (1960)

In the summer of 1958, with his original lineup of The Drifters being entirely disintegrated, George Treadwell was desperate to find a new lineup, call them The Drifters, and complete the remaining year’s worth of bookings he had signed his vocal group up for at The Apollo. Luckily for Treadwell, he was able to get into contact with Lover Patterson, the manager of the doo-wop group known as The Five Crowns. Through some finagling and persuading, Treadwell managed to take The Five Crowns and turn them into the “new” Drifters. Lead by Five Crowns lead singer Ben E. Nelson, the group featured Charlie Thomas, Dock Green, and Elsbeary Hobbs. Poppa James Clark had been a member of The Five Crowns but wasn’t invited to join The Drifters because of a drinking problem, a problem that plagued Treadwell’s last group. Ben E. Nelson changed his stage name to the now widely recognized Ben E. King and although these “new” Drifters were initially met with crowd hostility at their shows, they would go on to release hits such as “There Goes My Baby,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “Dance with Me,” and the hit heard below to be considered by many as the truly “golden” lineup of The Drifters history.

Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, this song was one of the best-selling hits of Ben E. King’s era of The Drifters. It’s almost one of the most recognizable songs by any Drifters lineup. Featuring the B-Side “Baltimore,” the song was released on Atlantic Records in 1960 and reached number sixteen. It has since been used in a wide variety of media; you may remember it being used in The Sandlot.



The Drifters - This Magic Moment (1960)

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Lyrics:

This magic moment
So different and so new
Was like any other
Until I kissed you

And then it happened
It took me by surprise
I knew that you felt it, too
By the look in your eyes

Sweeter than wine
Softer than the summer night
Everything I want, I have
Whenever I hold you tight

This magic moment
While your lips are close to mine
Will last forever
Forever ‘til the end of time

(Magic)
(Magic)
(Magic)
(Magic)

Sweeter than wine
Softer than the summer night
Everything I want, I have
Whenever I hold you tight

This magic moment
While your lips are close to mine
Will last forever
Forever ‘til the end of time

(Magic)
(Magic)
Magic moment
(Magic)
Magic moment
(Magic)
Magic moment
(Magic)
(Magic)
(Magic)…

The Drifters - White Christmas (1954)

Created in 1953 by George Treadwell to be a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, this group has never had a consistent lineup. With over sixty people being in various incarnations of the group, they are regarded as one of the least stable groups in doo-wop and rhythm and blues/soul history. As an example of their different lineups, “Money Honey” was released in 1953 by the original Clyde McPhatter and The Drifters; “This Magic Moment” was released in 1960 by Ben E. King with The Drifters, a different incarnation; and “Under the Boardwalk” was released in 1964 by The Drifters featuring Johnny Moore (a previous singer from the group in 1958), also a different incarnation. Although the group has had more than twenty successful songs, it would be far too complex to accurately and clearly explain which members were in which incarnation of the group during the time of each of their many hits. Instead, we’ll just say that there’s a reason so many people wanted to be affiliated with The Drifters’ name: they were known for success.

This song, written and composed by Irving Berlin, was first recorded and released by Bing Crosby in the 1942 film, Holiday Inn. Crosby’s version has sold over fifty million copies and is the best-selling single of all time for any music category. This version of the song, recorded and released by a version of The Drifters that featured Bill Pinkney and Clyde McPhatter, was released in 1954 and topped out at the number two spot on the US R&B charts in December. On the US pop charts, it reached number eighty. In recent years, it has been most memorably associated with Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin McCallister, in the 1990 movie Home Alone.



The Drifters - White Christmas (1954)

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Lyrics:

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where those treetop glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
The snow

And I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and the children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May those days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way