Charlie Thomas, who as a part of The Drifters stored alive such hits as “There Goes My Child” and “Beneath the Boardwalk” for brand spanking new generations, died on Jan. 31 at his house in Bowie, Md. He was 85.
His buddy, singer Peter Lemongello Jr., mentioned the trigger was liver most cancers.
Thomas was a Drifter for greater than 60 years, touring with the group till the pandemic closed the nightclub and live performance circuit. Thomas, a tenor, was an integral a part of the group as they churned out such hits as “There Goes My Child,” “Beneath The Boardwalk,” “Up on the Roof,” and “Saturday Night time on the Motion pictures,” amongst others. “Save The Final Dance For Me” reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts, the group’s solely chart-topper.
Thomas sang lead on “Sweets for My Candy,” which reached No. 16 on the Sizzling 100 in 1961, and “When My Little Lady Is Smiling,” which peaked at No. 28 the subsequent yr.
As with most teams of the period, personnel modified over the a long time and splinter teams claimed to be the official heirs of the unique members. Thomas ended his profession fronting Charlie Thomas’s Drifters.
Thomas is survived by his spouse, Rita Thomas; his daughters, Crystal Thomas Wilson and Victoria Inexperienced; his sons, Charlie Jr., Michael Sidbury and Brian Godfrey, and plenty of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
