Bill Pinkney (August 15, 1925 – July 4, 2007) was an American performer and singer. Pinkney was the last surviving original member of The Drifters, who achieved international fame with numerous hit records. The Drifters have had a strong influence on soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll music. is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dalzell is a census-designated place located in Sumter County, South Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35°12N... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Daytona Beach in 2005 Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. As of 2004, the population estimates recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 64,422. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Rhythm and blues (also known as R&B or RnB) is a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences, first performed by African American artists. ... Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, is a regional genre which developed from various musical styles of the forties, fifties and sixties. ... Voice type, often called Fach (pl. ... A bass-baritone is a singing voice that shares certain qualities of both the baritone and the bass. ... The Drifters are a long-lived American doo wop/R&B band, originally formed by Clyde McPhatter (of Billy Ward & the Dominoes) in 1953. ... is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Drifters are a long-lived American doo wop/R&B band, originally formed by Clyde McPhatter (of Billy Ward & the Dominoes) in 1953. ... The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the self-aware essence unique to a particular living being. ... Rhythm and blues (also known as R&B or RnB) is a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences, first performed by African American artists. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

Early life

Born in Dalzell, South Carolina, Pinkney grew up singing his favorite music, gospel, in his church choir. Before his career with the Drifters, Pinkney was a pitcher for the Negro league baseball's New York Blue Sox team^{[citation needed]}. He also served in the United States Army in World War II, earning a Presidential Citation with four Bronze Stars (for battles including Normandy and Bastogne under General Patton). Returning from the war, Pinkney began to sing again in various gospel choirs. It was there that he would meet the members of the original Drifters. Dalzell is a census-designated place located in Sumter County, South Carolina. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Bud Fowler, the first professional black baseball player with one of his teams, Western of Keokuk, Iowa The Negro Leagues were American professional baseball leagues comprising predominantly African-American teams. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Bronze and Silver Service Stars A Service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (U.S. 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe... Combatants 101st Airborne, Combat Command B of 10th Armored, 463d Field Artillery Nazi Germany 5th Panzer Army Commanders Anthony McAuliffe Hasso von Manteuffel Strength 11,000 (101st) 15 German divisions (Four Armored) The Siege of Bastogne was a smaller battle in and around the Belgian town of Bastogne, during the... George Smith Patton Jr. ...

The Drifters

Bill Pinkney, brothers Andrew and Gerhart Thrasher, and bass singer Willie Ferbie were approached by Clyde McPhatter, who had just quit as the lead tenor of the popular R&B group, Billy Ward & the Dominoes, about organizing a new group to record for Atlantic Records. On their first record, "Money Honey", Pinkney, a natural bass-baritone with a multi-octave range, actually sang first tenor. After Ferbie left, Pinkney switched to the bass part, where he was heard on "Honey Love," "White Christmas," "Adorable," "Ruby Baby," and many other early Drifters recordings. The Drifters' version of "White Christmas", by Irving Berlin, was first heard in 1954, and featured in the 1990 movie Home Alone. ^[1] Pinkney can also be heard singing lead on the 1954 recording "I Should Have Done Right" and 1955's "Steamboat". Pinkney was in and out of the group from 1956 through 1958, and was not present at the recording of later hits like "Fools Fall in Love" and "Drip Drop," which featured bass Tommy Evans. Clyde McPhatter (November 15, 1932 _ June 13, 1972) was an influential American R&B singer, born in Durham, North Carolina. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ... Money Honey, written by Jesse Stone, was the first record and the first hit for Clyde McPhatter and The Drifters. ... A bass-baritone is a singing voice that shares certain qualities of both the baritone and the bass. ... In music, an octave (sometimes abbreviated 8ve or P8) is the interval between one musical note and another with half or double its frequency. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or examples of poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... Bass (IPA: [], rhyming with face), when used as an adjective, describes tones of low frequency or range. ... White Christmas is an Irving Berlin song whose lyrics reminisce about White Christmases. ... Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was an American composer and lyricist, one of the most prodigious and famous American songwriters in history. ... This article contains a trivia section. ...

After Pinkney's permanent departure, The Drifters recorded hit classics such as "Under the Boardwalk", "Save the Last Dance for Me", "There Goes My Baby", "Up on the Roof", and "On Broadway". The Drifters are a long-lived American doo wop/R&B band, originally formed by Clyde McPhatter (of Billy Ward & the Dominoes) in 1953. ... Save the Last Dance for Me was a song by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, that was recorded in 1960 by the band The Drifters, who took it to #1 on the U.S. pop charts. ... There Goes My Baby is a song written by the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for The Drifters, a doo wop group. ... Up on the Roof is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded in 1962 by The Drifters. ... On Broadway is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil in collaboration with the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. ...

Solo career and reformation of The Drifters

Although Pinkney was forced to leave The Drifters in 1958, when their manager fired the entire group and hired all new singers (The Crowns, formally The Five Crowns) under the Drifters' name, Pinkney quickly re-formed the Original Drifters, which for many years was made up of key members of the first (1953-58) Drifters group. Pinkney's group was consistently popular throughout the southeastern United States, and was for decades a staple of the "beach music" scene. Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, is a regional genre which developed from various musical styles of the forties, fifties and sixties. ...

Pinkney has been recognized for his contributions by leaders such as President Bill Clinton and President Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Pinkney has been the recipient of many musical awards, including the Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, as well as induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame^[2], United Group Harmony Association, and the Beach Music Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame and holds the key to the state of South Carolina, which proclaimed May 14 as Bill Pinkney Day. Pinkney has also been presented the keys to Sumter, Bamberg, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and was honored by the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. In 2002, Pinkney received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Music from Coastal Carolina University. During his final years, he still toured and recorded with The Original Drifters, while encouraging young talent in their musical endeavors. The presidential seal is a well-known symbol of the presidency. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (IPA: ) (born 18 July 1918) is the former President of South Africa, and the first to be elected in fully representative democratic elections. ... The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music. ... The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor what they term the Greatest Vocal Groups in the World. The Hall of Fame is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. ... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at sunset. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35°12N... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sumter (IPA: or ) is a city located in Sumter County, South Carolina. ... Bamberg is a town located in Bamberg County, South Carolina. ... Myrtle Beach is a city located in Horry County, South Carolina. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Image:Coastal Carolina Univerisity. ...

Death

Pinkney passed away the evening of July 4, 2007 in Florida from a heart attack while staying at the Daytona Beach Hilton. He was to perform with The Drifters at the annual Daytona Beach 4th of July celebration, Red, White & Boom. Pinkney's funeral services were held on July 9, 2007 at the Sumter County Exhibition Center in Sumter, SC. Pinkney was buried at the St. Luke AME Church in Sumter. is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ... The Drifters are a long-lived American doo wop/R&B band, originally formed by Clyde McPhatter (of Billy Ward & the Dominoes) in 1953. ... Daytona Beach in 2005 Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. As of 2004, the population estimates recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 64,422. ... Red, White & Boom is the name of a number of annual fireworks shows in the United States, held on or near July 4 to celebration the nations Independence Day. ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Sumter is a city located in Sumter County, South Carolina. ... Sumter is a city located in Sumter County, South Carolina. ...

References

External links

• Bill Pinkney - Obituary and Public Tributes