About Bill Pinkney
Willie "Bill" Pinkney was an American performer and singer. Pinkney was the last surviving original member of The Drifters, who achieved international fame with numerous hit records. He was chiefly responsible for its early sounds. The Drifters have had a strong influence on soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll music. As an original group member, Bill Pinkney was a 1988 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Drifters. On their first record "Money Honey", Pinkney, a natural bass-baritone with a multi-octave range, sang first tenor. McPhatter proposed that they create a new group to record for Atlantic Records. After Ferbee left, Pinkney switched to the bass part, in which he was heard on "Honey Love", "White Christmas", "Adorable", "Ruby Baby", and many other early Drifters recordings.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.