Charlie Thomas
Encyclopedia
Charlie Thomas is an American
rhythm and blues
singer best known for his work with The Drifters
.
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 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
" and "When My Little Girl Is Smiling".
Charlie Thomas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1988 and was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
in 1999.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer best known for his work with The Drifters
The Drifters
The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
.
Thomas was performing with The Five Crowns at the Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
in 1958 when George Treadwell
George Treadwell
George McKinley Treadwell was an American jazz trumpeter....
fired his group, called The Drifters. Treadwell recruited the 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
"Sweets for My Sweet" is a song written by the songwriting team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, originally recorded by The Drifters. The group's first single featuring Charlie Thomas on lead vocal, "Sweets for My Sweet" reached #16 in October 1961. This was one of the few post-1958 Drifters singles...
" and "When My Little Girl Is Smiling".
Charlie Thomas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1988 and was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
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....
in 1999.