The Drifters (1960-1985)

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 generally regarded as the greatest international star produced by the showband era. He 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 1960 with Ben on Sax and Joe as guitarist and lead singer. The original lineup also included Charlie McMorrow (keyboards/sax), Jimmy Horan (bass), Sean Connolly (trumpet) and Eddie Deehy (drums).  

Within a year, the band's first change took place when Sean left and the boys traveled to Cootehill to discover Tommy Swarbrigg (trumpet), who at 16 had already been playing with a band called the Jordanaires for two years. He joined the band and became their main songwriter. A year later, in 1962, Joe and Ben were on the search again, this time for a trombone player which they found in Swanlinbar's Joey Gilheaney. The final pieces to the puzzle came together when Sid Aughey joined on drums, replacing Eddie Deehy and Des Doherty replaced Charlie McMorrow on the keyboards we think around 1963. 

In 1964, the lineup of the band was set: Ben Dolan (sax), Joe Dolan (guitar), Sid Aughey (drums), Jimmy Horan (bass), Tommy Swarbrigg (trumpet), Joey Gilheaney (trombone), and Des Doherty (keyboards). The band's first record was an old Del Shannon song, "The Answer To Everything," which went to No. 4 in the Irish Charts and set the band on their way.

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 July, 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. In an article in Spotlight on the 27th of July, it was noted that the split had been a long time in the making. It became increasingly obvious that the five members who broke away wanted to move in the direction of new bands like the Sands and go strictly pop, while Joe and Ben wished to retain the variety of the showband era.

Tommy contacted his brother, Jimmy, who was living in London, and he returned to front the new pop band. In a July 17, 1968 interview in Spotlight, Ben Dolan was quoted as saying that the success of the Sands break from the Miami "may have precipitated the break in the Drifters." Manager Seamus Casey added that the band had been offered a contract in Las Vegas which Ben, Joe and he were not interested in pursuing.

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. The new band was on the road after less than a month in mid August. New members of the band included Clones man Frankie McDonald who had played trumpet with the Irish Army No. 4 band; Seamus Shannon from Elphin, Co. Roscommon who played trombone, but was also an All-Ireland accordion player; Maurice Walsh, who had previously been the lead singer with the Bye-Laws, but was also an accomplished drummer; Pat Hoye, from Mullingar, who had previously played bass with the Swingtime Aces; Kieran Mc Donnell on keyboards from Strabane and numerous local groups; and finally, Gordon Coleman on guitar from Youghal. 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." Joe appeared on the BBC's Top of The Pops, one of the few showband performers to do so. Around this time, there were strong rumours about Joe possibly going solo which were constantly denied. In a June issue of Spotlight magazine it was reported that Joe had signed a "loose agreement" with Colin Berlin, who was involved with Tom Jones, but Joe never went solo. 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, in July, 1973, 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.

After Christmas, 1974, 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 1977, the band was changing again. David Scott came in on bass along with Gerry Kelly on guitar. In early 1978, 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. 

Sadly, in December, 2007 Joe Dolan passed away at the age of 68 on St. Stephen's Day (December 26th). He had been ill for some time and canceled several Irish tours earlier in the year. However, his story did not end with his passing. In 2008, Ben Dolan revived the Dolan band with Joe featured performing on video with the band playing live. They are still performing regularly and Joe's legacy appears set to go on indefinitely with reunion tours and further disc releases already planned.     

Photo Gallery

click on thumbnails for full image

*from Julie Boyd's column Nov 14th, 1974

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 / The Time Of My Life - #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

Where Are They Now?   (Coming Soon)

Click here to visit Joe's website at www.joedolan.com

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