2 thoughts on “Thursday Music: The Drifters

  1. The Drifters, the Midnighters and the Temptations all played the Rainbow Terrace Room in Memphis in the mid-fifties. They were brought in by the high school sororities and fraternities as there were no night spots in town where you could dance to R&B. Liquor by the drink was illegal. The colleges and the Peabody Roof were still booking the Glen Miller shadow bands. The kids in Memphis were all about listening to R&B and rockabilly while dancing a style called bop, and the Rainbow gigs were sold out. You didn’t see a person in the place over 20 years old. Some of the kids got tanked (BYOB) and there were always fights, but nobody ever called the police.

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