The Legendary Drifters share their rhythm and blues with Team McConnell

  • Published
  • By Airman Justin Shelton
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  The Legendary Drifters serenaded and entertained Team McConnell family members at a concert, March 29, in the Robert J. Dole Community Center ballroom.

The audience included a mixed crowd of enlisted, officers, civilians and retirees. McConnell AFB was one of multiple stops on The Legendary Drifters tour. The group performed at McConnell once before in 2005, however, it was a first for band member Carl Britt, who had never set foot upon an Air Force base.

The Legendary Drifters were opened and introduced by their band, The Truth, comprised of Carl Britt, Joseph Scott, Antonio Bush, Isaac Richardson, and Tony Gentry. The Legendary Drifters consist of three members: Logan Lee, lead singer, Paul Shields, tenor, and Larry McKnight, bass.

The original Drifters started in 1953 and during a chance event in August of 1970 at The Apollo Theater, Mr. Lee got his start singing with the Drifters. He said that he had been singing in the bathroom when Bill Pinkney walked in and heard him. The Drifters needed a tenor to sing that night and asked him to accompany them onstage. The very next day he was invited to audition by Bill Pinkney and has been with the group ever since.

Mr. Lee formed The Legendary Drifters, setting himself apart from the original Drifters formed by George Treadwell and Clyde McPhatter. Mr. Lee invited his younger brother Mr. Shields into the group in 1989. The two of them added Mr. McKnight to their group in 2004.

The group played all of the classic hits of the original band such as "Money Money," "Up On The Roof," and "Under The Boardwalk."

While talking of the original group Mr. Lee said "I made a promise a long time ago that I would never let this music die, and so here I am today continuing the legacy."

The audience danced and cheered throughout the performance. The concert was split into two, one-hour segments with a 30 minute intermission between the two. The Legendary Drifters verbally interacted with the audience during slower paced songs in an attempt to have them reminisce of past days with their spouses.

The trio of singers danced and sang off-stage as well as on, compelling the crowd forward. Near the end of the concert, Mr. McKnight came off stage and paraded the audience around the ballroom in a dance while Mr. Lee and Mr. Shields sang.

Afterwards, the group thanked the audience for allowing them to come out and expressed their desire to once again return to McConnell. They then departed the stage for photos and autographs.

Mr. Lee currently has children deployed to Kuwait and a grand-son that is preparing to leave for Air Force basic training. When asked what he thought about his time in McConnell, both present and past he said "Every time I come here the hospitality is great, and I find myself never wanting to leave."