The Drifters (1964-1980's)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
Although
Brendan Bowyer and Dickie Rock fans may argue, Joe Dolan is regarded as the
greatest international star produced by the showband era. He has had numerous
hits in Ireland and Europe, including the U.K. His career started in his native
Mullingar with a band that would create two major musical forces in Irish
music...The Drifters and The Times.
The story
of The Drifters started when the two Dolan brothers Joe and Ben, got
together with some friends and entered a local talent contest which
they won. The brothers knew they could make a go of music and quit
their day jobs (Ben as a carpenter and Joe as a compositor) and
formed The Drifters in 1964 with Ben on Sax and Joe as guitarist
and lead singer. The other members of the band were: Sid Aughey
(drums), Jimmy Horan (bass), Tommy Swarbrigg (trumpet), Joey
Gilheaney (trombone), and Des Doherty (keyboards). The band's first record was an an old Del Shannon
song, "The Answer To Everything," which went to No. 4 in the Irish
Charts.
With
a hit
single under their belts, the boys took the dancehalls and ballrooms
by storm. In the following years, Joe released a string of
hits, including
"I Love You More And More Everyday", "My Own
Peculiar Way", "Aching Breaking Heart", "Pretty Brown Eyes", "Tar
And Cement", "The House With The Whitewashed Gable", "Love Of The
Common People", and "The Westmeath Bachelor".
In mid
1968, a crisis hit the band when Tommy Swarbrigg and the younger members
of the band decided it was
time for a change in direction and left to form The Times. Tommy contacted his brother, Jimmy, who was
living in London, and he returned to front the new pop band. This
move left Joe and Ben alone, and they went about rebuilding a new
band, that would eventually go on to even greater success at home
and abroad. They recruited:
Frankie McDonald (trumpet), Gordon
Coleman (guitar), Maurice Walsh (drums), Kieran Mc Donnell
(keyboards),
Seamus Shannon (trombone), and Patrick Hoye
(bass).
After adding a guitarist, Joe set down his six string and focused
all his energy on singing.
Joe Dolan
and the "New" Drifters' first international chart success came in July, 1969, when they reached no. 3 in
the UK charts with "Make Me an Island." Following this, the
floodgates opened and Joe and the band continued to record hit after
hit. During the
Seventies, Joe continued to have hits in Ireland, Europe,
South Africa and Australia.
In the
early seventies, the band suffered a couple of minor setbacks when
Seamus Shannon left to join Brendan Shine's Superband, and was
replaced by Liam Meade and a year
later Patrick Hoye left the band and journeyed to the United States
to study at the Berklee School of Music, where he studied with the
likes of Paul Ashford (who would return to form Stepaside) and John
Farrell (of the Dazzle Band). Pat was replaced by Mick Bagnell (who
also played with Margo for a spell).
In 1974,
Joe and the band hit another high when "Sweet
Little Rock n' Roller" won the European Pop Jury. In 1979, the song would be
covered by English group, Showaddywaddy and would become one of
their most famous songs and their last top twenty hit.
In 1975,
long time drummer Maurice Walsh left the band to study music and was replaced
by
Jimmy Walsh, who would in turn be replaced by Tony Newman. In December,
1977,
the band was changing again. Patrick Hoye had returned
from the States and Ben asked him to join the band for an eight week
tour of South Africa. He ended up staying with the band for the next
eight years. A few months later, in 1978, Joe and the band
became the first Western based band to play in Russia. [Tony Newman, who would go on to play with Joe
for many years, sadly passed away in 2000.]
The early
eighties were a time of growth and transition for the band. Joe's
fame was growing so quickly that it started to overshadow the
importance of "The Drifters" as a separate entity. The band was
touring constantly: Las Vegas, Russia, South Africa, Canada,
Germany, etc. They even abandoned a tour of the Middle East
(Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt) because the Ayatollah came back to
Iran and changed everything.
Joe Dolan's
son, Ray, joined the band around this time and was added on
percussion. Gerry Kelly, who had replaced Gordon Coleman on lead
guitar headed off to the United States in the early 1980's and was
replaced by Joe Meehan. By the time the mid 1980's rolled around the
"Drifters" had more or less ceased to exist. What had started as The
Drifters Showband, and then became "Joe Dolan and the Drifters,"
ended up as Joe Dolan (and his band). Pat Hoye left in 1985 to
return to Boston.
click on thumbnails for full image
Discography (partial list)
The Answer To Everything -
#4 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.15681 - August, 1964
I Love You More And More Everyday
- #3 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.????? - February, 1965
My Own Peculiar Way
- #2 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.????? - July, 1965
Aching Breaking Heart
- #2 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.17003 - November, 1965
Two of a Kind
- #10 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.17??? - May, 1966
Pretty Brown Eyes
- #1 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.17152 - July, 1966
I'll Sit On Your Doorstep / The Jolly Tinker
Pye Records - 7N.????? - August, 1966
The House With The Whitewashed Gable / Work Day Blues
- #1 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.????? - January, 1967
Tar And Cement
- #3 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.????? - July, 1967
Love Of The Common People
/ The World Is Going Mad
- #8 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.17484 - February 24, 1968
The Westmeath Bachelor
Pye Records - 7N.????? - October, 1968
Make Me An Island / If You Care A Little About Me
- #2 Irish Charts [#3
UK Charts]
Pye Records - 7N.17738 - April, 1969
Teresa / My First Love
- #1 Irish Charts
[#20 UK Charts]
Pye Records - 7N.17833 - September, 1969
You're Such A Good Looking Woman / Something Happens
- #4 Irish Charts
[#17 UK Charts]
Pye Records - 7N.17891 - January, 1970
It Makes No Difference
- #11 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.17978 - August, 1970
The Boola Boola / Make Me Smile
Pye Records - 7N.????? - December, 1970
Sometimes A Man Just Has To Cry / Friend In A Bottle
Pye Records - 7N.45060 - 1971
Take The Money and Run
- #19 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.45145 - June, 1972
Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller
- #14 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.45330 - December, 1973
16 Brothers
Pye Records - 7N.45412 - 1974
The Most Wanted Man In The U.S.A.
- #12 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.45451 - November, 1974
Lady In Blue / My Darling Michelle
Pye Records - 7N.45??? - June, 1975
Crazy Woman
Pye Records - 7N.45??? - September, 1975
Sister Mary
- #2 Irish Charts
Release Records - May, 1976
You Belong To Me Baby
Pye Records - 7N.45??? - November, 1976
I
Need You / Caterina Ballerina
- #1 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.45702 - May, 1977
Don't Ever Change Your Mind / Bonjour Madamoiselle
Pye Records - 7N.46111 - June, 1978
My Love
- #27 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.46??? - May, 1979
More And More
- #1 Irish Charts
Ritz Records - RITZ 19 - 1979
Silent Night
- #2 Irish Charts
Release Records - December, 1979
It's You, It's You, It's You
- #3 Irish Charts
Release Records - August, 1981
It's Only Make Believe
- #13 Irish Charts
Ritz Records - March, 1982
Deeper and Deeper
- #10 Irish Charts
Ritz Records - October, 1983
Audio Clips
