Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame group Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters will be inducted into The Virginia Opry on stage at The Historic Masonic Theatre just before curtain time at 7:00 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 5.
Known for its harmonies and the musical legacy of Bill Pinkney who was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters have performed for Appalfolks of America on three previous occasions in the Alleghany Highlands.
Bill Pinkney performed with his group during the first two shows held in the Alleghany Highlands. After Pinkney passed away in 2007, Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters returned to headline the entertainment for Appalfolks of America’s 25th Anniversary Celebration held in the Town of Clifton Forge in July of 2010.
Pinkney had been preparing for a performance at Daytona Beach in 2007 when he was found dead at 81 in his hotel room in Daytona Beach, apparently of natural causes. Maxine Porter, his agent, reported that he had been dealing with some health issues.
An original member of The Drifters that recorded the group’s first hit in 1953, Pinkney was one of the Drifters when “Money Honey” rose to No 1 on the U.S. R&B charts.
Pinkney became known for his rich bass voice along with the leadership qualities that he had developed on his way to becoming a World War II veteran and a pitcher for the New York Blue Sox in the Negro Baseball League.
He sang as one of the original Drifters from 1953-1956, and his voice can be heard on the holiday classic, “White Christmas,” the rendition used on the soundtrack of “Home Alone,” the movie.
Maxine, Pinkney’s widow, continues to manage the group. Recently, she said that the current group is on par with the original group in terms of the quality of their music and performance.
She holds the copyright to the name, and no other Drifters can perform as Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters, the doo-wop, rhythm and blues and classic rock group.
Based in Las Vegas, Maxine made the trip to Clifton Forge in 2010. It is not clear whether or not she will attend her famous group’s performance at The Historic Masonic Theatre where the group will perform such hits as “Under the Boardwalk,” “Up on the Roof” and “Save the Last Dance for Me,” following the group’s induction into The Virginia Opry that was designated by the Commonwealth of Virginia as Virginia’s official Opry in 2020.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Drifters enjoyed several No. 1 hit on U.S. rhythm and blues charts such as “Money Honey, 1953; “Adorable, 1955; “There Goes My Baby, 1959; Save the Last Dance for Me,” 1960; and “Under the Boardwalk,” 1964.
In 1999, Bill Pinkney received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, and a highway in South Carolina, his home state, has been named in his honor.
A 1970s revival of the group’s music extended to England, and Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters traveled to London to perform at Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Farewell Party just weeks before Bill’s death in Fla.
Radio Personality Alfred L. “Mustard” Dearing, Sr. who hosts “Precious Memories Gospel Hour” that is aired on WKEY’s 103.5 Big Country, the radio home of The Virginia Opry, each Sunday morning, will be inducted into The Virginia Opry first.
Then he will serve as emcee of the “Be My Valentine Show” and present the members of Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters with their official membership certificates, bringing the number of The Virginia Opry’s membership to 52.
The Virginia Opry, that made its debut in The Historic Masonic Theatre on Oct. 17, 1992, had scheduled Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters to perform in The Historic Masonic Theatre in Aug. of 2020 to celebrate being named as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official Opry, but COVID-19 led to the postponement of the show until 2022.