- Bill Pinkney
Infobox musical artist
Name = Bill Pinkney
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Background = solo_singer
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Born = birth date|1925|8|15
Dalzell,South Carolina , USA
Died = death date and age|2007|7|4|1925|8|15
Daytona Beach,Florida , USA
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Voice_type =Bass-baritone
Genre =Rhythm and blues ,Beach music
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Associated_acts =The Drifters
URL = http://www.originaldrifters.com/
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Notable_instruments =Bill Pinkney (
August 15 1925 –July 4 ,2007 ) was an American performer and singer. Pinkney is often incorrectly said to be the last surviving original member ofThe Drifters , who achieved international fame with numerous hit records. This is technically untrue, as he was not a member of the original lineup of the group. He did, however, join the group at an early stage, before it achieved great fame. He was chiefly responsible for its sound throughout the decades. The Drifters have had a strong influence on soul,rhythm and blues , androck and roll music.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 apitcher for theNegro league baseball 'sNew York Blue Sox teamHe also served in theUnited States Army inWorld War II . He earned 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.The Drifters
Bill Pinkney, brothers Andrew and
Gerhart Thrasher , and bass singerWillie Ferbie were approached byClyde McPhatter , who had just quit as the lead tenor of the popular R&B group,Billy Ward & the Dominoes . McPhatter proposed they create a new group to record forAtlantic Records . On their first record, "Money Honey ", Pinkney, a naturalbass-baritone with a multi-octave range, actually sang firsttenor . After Ferbie left, Pinkney switched to the bass part, in which he was heard on "Honey Love," "White Christmas," "Adorable," "Ruby Baby," and many other early Drifters recordings. In 1954 the Drifters recorded their version of "White Christmas" byIrving Berlin . That version was featured in the 1990 movie "Home Alone ". [ [http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-passings6.1jul06,1,1093685.story?track=rss "Los Angeles Times" "Bill Pinkney, 81; last original member of the Drifters vocal group" July 6, 2007] ] 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. He did not participate in the recording of later hits like "Fools Fall in Love " and "Drip Drop," which featured bass Tommy Evans.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 ".olo career and reformation of The Drifters
In 1958 the manager fired all of the individual Drifters and hired all new singers, The Crowns (formally known as the Five Crowns), signing them under the Drifters' name. Pinkney was forced to leave.
Pinkney quickly created a group called the Original Drifters, made up of key members of the first (1953-58) association. Pinkney's Original Drifters was consistently popular throughout the southeastern United States. For decades their music was a staple of the "
beach music " scene.Leaders such as President
Bill Clinton and PresidentNelson Mandela ofSouth Africa recognized Pinkney's contributions. Pinkney received many musical awards, including theRhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, and was inducted into theVocal Group Hall of Fame , theRock and Roll Hall of Fame , [ [http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-passings6.1jul06,1,1093685.story?track=rss "Los Angeles Times", "Bill Pinkney, 81; last original member of the Drifters vocal group" July 6 2007] ] United Group Harmony Association, and the Beach Music Hall of Fame.He was selected for the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame and given a "key to the state", which proclaimed
May 14 as Bill Pinkney Day. The cities of Sumter, Bamberg, andMyrtle Beach , South Carolina, each presented its "key to the city" to Pinkney. He also was honored by theUnited States Senate and theUnited States House of Representatives . In 2002, Pinkney received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Music fromCoastal Carolina University . During his final years, he still toured and recorded with The Original Drifters, while encouraging young talent in their musical endeavors.Death
Pinkney died the evening of
July 4 ,2007 inFlorida from a heart attack, while staying at the Daytona Beach Hilton. He was to perform withThe Drifters at the annual Daytona Beach 4th of July celebration,Red, White & Boom . Pinkney's funeral services were held onJuly 9 ,2007 at the Sumter County Exhibition Center inSumter, SC . Pinkney was buried at the St. Luke AME Church in Sumter.References
According to the following sources Bill Pinkney was born in Sumter, SC: Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll, page 286 (also they state that his name was spelled both as Pinckney and Pinkney); Rock Movers and Shakers, page 162; Peoples Almanac 2000, page 517.
External links
* [http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/famousperson/pinkney/2595716 Bill Pinkney - Obituary and Public Tributes]
* [http://www.originaldrifters.com/ Official site]
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