The 27’s – Rudy Lewis 1936-1964

Part 4 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27th year.

One would need a road map to navigate the lineup changes and the various incarnations of the R&B doo-wop group The Drifters.  By some accounts they have had over 60 different vocalists mostly due to members being low-paid hired musicians recruited by the group's management.  It is this within this tangled web that we find Rudy Lewis.

Generally considered to be the golden age of The Drifters are the years from 1958 to 1960 under George Treadwell’s management with Ben E. King was the primary vocalist.  

Lover Patterson, the Drifters' road manager, got into a fight with George Treadwell and as Patterson had King under personal contract, he refused to let him tour and King was only able to record with the group.  Johnny Lee Williams handled the vocals on tour but when the group passed through Williams' hometown of Mobile, Alabama, Williams left the group.  Around that time King asked Treadwell for a raise and a fair share of royalties, Treadwell refused and King left the group as well.

Rudy Lewis had been with the gospel group, The Clara Ward Singers and auditioned for George Treadwell as a replacement for Williams and King at Philadelphia's Uptown Theater.  In 1960 he signed on to the group sharing vocal duties with Johnny Moore.  Lewis was the vocalist on a number of The Drifters major hits including  "Some Kind Of Wonderful,” "Please Stay,” "Up on the Roof,” and "On Broadway.”  Lewis was also named in The Drifters Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. 

The Drifters were scheduled to record "Under the Boardwalk" on May 21, 1964 but the night before the scheduled recording session Lewis was found in his hotel room dead of a heroin overdose with the needle still stuck in his arm.  Initially his death was reported as “asphyxiation after a particularly large supper” by Johnny Moore who wanted to preserve the group’s image.  The next morning Moore went into the studio and recorded “Under the Boardwalk” which had been intended for Rudy. 

Rudy had the bad fortune to join the group after Ben E. King redefined their sound, and he never got the recognition that King did, despite the fact that he ended up singing most of King's repertory in concert. Like King, he had a rich voice that could express passion in a compelling manner.