WHEN Michael Williams was growing up, his parents were huge fans of R&B vocal group The Drifters.

Little did he know that one day, he would become a singer in his parents’ favourite band and travel the globe keeping their feel good music and spirit alive.

The current line-up — Michael, Carlton Powell, Ryan King and Pierre Herelle — will bring the Optimum World Tour to the Albert Halls, Bolton, on Friday, April 25.

Fans of The Drifters, who have sold more than 214 million singles and 114 million albums worldwide, can expect to hear hits including Under the Boardwalk, Up on the Roof and Some Kind of Wonderful.

Michael, aged 39, who started singing gospel music in church as a young boy, said: “My parents were big fans of The Drifters.

“They used to play a lot of Drifters when I was a kid.

“When I got out of high school and college, I started singing Drifters songs and Motown stuff.
“As soon as I could, I left home and went to New York and started my own band.”

In the ‘90s, he toured with UB40 in the Caribbean and the UK and Europe as a solo performer before joining the Drifters in 2006 as an understudy and becoming a lead singer in 2007.

Michael, who plays guitar and bass guitar, said: “I spent a year as an understudy, just learning what it is to be a Drifter.

“It’s a complete history. There’s 60 years worth of history out there.

“You’ve got to learn it all, all the back catalogue. It’s so vast.

“You’ve got to learn all the choreography, all the songs. You kind of become baptised.

“All of a sudden, I’m little old Michael Williams from Alabama in The Drifters. I felt the pressure for the first two years, it was very scary.”

Michael has recorded lead vocals on both of the group’s new tracks, the first recordings in more than 30 years — I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and Do You Dream of Me.

The Drifters were launched in June 1953, by George Treadwell, who owned the Drifters name, and Ahmet Ertegun — founder of Atlantic Records.

Since their creation, the band has featured about 65 vocalists, including icons such as Clyde McPhatter, Ben E King and Johnny Moore.

Michael said: “Clyde McPhatter was the first Drifter but he only stayed for a year before he was drafted in for military service.”

After his tour of duty was up, he left the group and launched a solo career but The Drifters brand, still owned by the Treadwell family, continued and the legacy lives on almost 61 years later.

Michael added: “It’s going to a fantastic show and I can’t wait to get to Bolton and sing and dance and have a good time with the fans.”

The Drifters: The Optimum Tour will be at The Albert Halls at 7.30pm on Friday, April 25, with a special offer of two tickets for £40 before Saturday (March 29).