Charles Thomas, an American vocalist best known for his work with The Drifters, lived from April 7, 1937, to January 31, 2023. When George Treadwell dismissed his band, The Drifters, at the Apollo Theater in 1958, Thomas was there performing with The Five Crowns. The Five Crowns were enlisted by Treadwell to replace the Drifters.
The 1959 smash “There Goes My Baby” served as the new Drifters’ first single. “Sweets for My Sweet” and “When My Little Girl Is Smiling,” two of the group’s top 40 successes, featured Charlie as the lead singer. Thomas received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 while a member of the Drifters.
Drifters’ Charlie Thomas Children: Meet Crystal Thomas Wilson, Victoria Green, Charlie “Happy” Thomas Jr., Michael Sidbury, Brian Godfrey
With his wife, Charlie Thomas had four kids. They are Michael Sidbury, Brian Godfrey, Crystal Thomas Wilson, and Victoria Green Charlie, Jr.
As a member of the Drifters, Thomas was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1999, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation honored him with the Pioneer Award. He appeared with the Drifters on May 21, 2011, at the Vintage New England Theater in Cranston, Rhode Island.