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The Drifters Girl tells the story behind one of the most successful vocal groups in pop history, through the eyes of the woman who held it all together. Faye Treadwell managed The Drifters for over three decades, fighting legal battles, navigating the music industry, and shepherding more than 60 different members through the group's revolving door. The musical weaves her remarkable story around the songs that defined an era: "Under the Boardwalk", "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Saturday Night at the Movies" and dozens more.
My mother fought off everyone. She fought off the IRS, the thugs, the gangsters, the record companies. She was a force of nature.
Their very first single went straight to number one on the R&B chart.
Clyde McPhatter, fresh from Billy Ward and His Dominoes, assembles a new vocal group in New York City. Managed by George Treadwell, The Drifters sign to Atlantic Records and quickly establish themselves as one of the defining acts of the early R&B era. Their debut single "Money Honey" hits number one on the R&B chart.
Strings on an R&B record was unheard of; "There Goes My Baby" proved the gamble right.
After George Treadwell fires the original lineup and recruits an entirely new group, Ben E. King steps in as lead vocalist. The result is "There Goes My Baby", the first R&B record to feature a string orchestra. It reaches number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and opens the door to a golden run of hits including "Save the Last Dance for Me", which tops the chart in 1960.
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It's a story about a woman in a man's world, and a Black woman in a white man's world. That's what drew me to it.
Four at number four; "Under the Boardwalk" lodged itself in the American songbook and never left.
With Johnny Moore on lead vocals, The Drifters record what becomes arguably their most recognisable song. "Under the Boardwalk" reaches number four on the Hot 100 and becomes a permanent fixture of the American songbook. The same year, "Saturday Night at the Movies" continues their chart success. By now, the group has cycled through dozens of members, but the hits keep coming.
She inherited a name, not just a group; and built an empire from it across three decades.
When George Treadwell dies, his wife Faye inherits the management of The Drifters and, crucially, the rights to the group's name. She becomes one of the first African-American women to manage a major music act. Over the next three decades, she steers the group through changing musical tastes, legal disputes over the name, and an ever-shifting roster of performers.
Britain gave The Drifters a second home when America had moved on.
While their American chart presence had faded, The Drifters find a second life in Britain. "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" reaches number two in the UK, and "Down on the Beach Tonight" follows it into the top ten. The group becomes a fixture on the British touring circuit, a love affair between The Drifters and UK audiences that endures to this day.
Inducted in just their third year of eligibility; few acts have shaped the sound of popular music so swiftly or so completely.
The Drifters receive the ultimate recognition when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their third year of eligibility. The honour acknowledges the group's extraordinary influence on popular music, from pioneering the use of orchestral arrangements in R&B to producing a catalogue of songs that shaped the sound of the 1960s and beyond.
The musical was Tina's idea; a story told not from the stage, but from the wings.
Faye Treadwell passes away on 22 May 2011, aged 84. Her daughter Tina inherits the management of The Drifters and begins developing the idea for a stage musical that would tell her mother's extraordinary story. It is Tina's concept that becomes the foundation for The Drifters Girl, a show built not around the famous men who sang the songs, but the woman who made it all possible.
Beverley Knight brought thirty-plus Drifters classics to life in Newcastle before the West End came calling just weeks later.
With a book by Ed Curtis and Beverley Knight in the lead role as Faye Treadwell, The Drifters Girl has its world premiere at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle on 9 October 2021. Knight's powerhouse performance anchors a show packed with over 30 Drifters hits. The production transfers to the Garrick Theatre in London's West End in November 2021, earning strong reviews and enthusiastic audiences.
The West End was just the rehearsal; the real show belongs to the whole country.
Following its West End run, The Drifters Girl embarks on a major UK and Ireland tour through 2023 and 2024, bringing the story of Faye Treadwell and The Drifters to theatres across the country. The touring production proves that the show's appeal extends well beyond London, with audiences responding to both the irresistible catalogue of songs and the compelling story of the woman behind the music.
