Charlie Thomas (musician)

Charlie Thomas
Thomas performing live
Thomas performing live
Background information
Birth nameCharles Nowlin Thomas[1]
Born(1937-04-07)April 7, 1937
Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
DiedJanuary 31, 2023(2023-01-31) (aged 85)
Bowie, Maryland, U.S.
GenresPop, rock & roll, R&B
InstrumentVocals
Years active1957–2023
LabelsAtlantic Records

Charles Nowlin Thomas (April 7, 1937 – January 31, 2023)[1] was an American singer best known for his work with The Drifters. Thomas was performing with The Five Crowns at the Apollo Theater in 1958 when George Treadwell fired his group, called The Drifters. Treadwell recruited the Five Crowns[2] to become the new Drifters.

The new Drifters' first release was the 1959 hit "There Goes My Baby". Charlie was lead singer on two of the group's top 40 hits, "Sweets for My Sweet" and "When My Little Girl Is Smiling".[3][4]

  1. ^ a b Sandomir, Richard (February 6, 2023). "Charlie Thomas, a Drifter Nearly All His Life in Song, Dies at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Five Crowns - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Cylist. "Billboard Top 40 Hits (1962) at cyList". www.cylist.com.
  4. ^ "Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - THE LATER DRIFTERS". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2010-01-04.