- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: Before the Drifters, McPhatter was lead tenor for Billy Ward and His Dominoes for three years, starting in 1950. It was McPhatter's high-pitched tenor that was mostly responsible for the Dominoes' success.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: Described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry," Ahmet Ertegun was responsible for the original, Clyde McPhatter-led Drifters.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: In 1953, Ahmet Ertegün of Atlantic Records attended a Dominoes performance at Birdland and noticed Clyde wasn`t present, only to learn that McPhatter was no longer with the group.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: According to Jerry Wexler, "Ahmet exited Birdland like a shot and headed directly uptown. He raced from bar to bar looking for Clyde and finally found him in a furnished room.''
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: That very night, Ahmet reached an agreement with McPhatter under which Clyde would assemble a group of his own. They became known as the Drifters."
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: To many fans and historians, the Drifters means Clyde McPhatter, although he was with the group for only one year.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: McPhatter received his Army draft notice in March 1954, and "What'cha Gonna Do", recorded a year before its release, was McPhatter`s last official record as a member of the Drifters.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: When he left the original Drifters, McPhatter sold his share of the Drifters to George Treadwell, manager, former jazz trumpeter, and husband of singer Sarah Vaughan.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: The Drifters were the least stable of the great vocal groups, as they were low-paid musicians hired by George Treadwell, who owned the Drifters name.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: So, over the years, there were over 60 members of (Treadwell`s) Drifters, and their membership overlaps and recurs throughout the existence of the quartet.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: Several splinter groups by former Drifters members (not under Treadwell's management) also existed. These groups are usually identified with a possessive credit such as "Bill Pinkney`s Original Drifters", "Charlie Thomas` Drifters", etc.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: The first Drifters, formed by Clyde McPhatter, was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as "The Drifters"
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: A second set of Drifters, featuring Ben E. King, was separately inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as "Ben E. King and the Drifters". In their induction, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selected four members from the first Drifters, two from the second Drifters, and one from the post-Atlantic Drifters.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: According to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame: "Through turmoil and changes, the (original) Drifters managed to set musical trends and give the public 13 chart hits, most of which are legendary recordings today."
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted The Drifters in 1988. Members Clyde McPhatter, Bill Pinkney, Gerhardt Thrasher, Johnny Moore, Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, and Rudy Lewis were all named.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: The recording of The Drifters classic, "There Goes My Baby," pioneered the concept of using strings and high production value to enhance the emotional aspect of R&B music.
- McPhatter & The Drifters Trivia: Later on, Phil Spector would study these same production processes while working as a musician on The Drifters albums.
