Songs You Might Not Know Were Covers (Round 8): Drift Away (#1)

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The occasional peek at songs that were known as big hits but may not be known as covers comes to a close. With this song, I’ve done 100 covers: 80 that you “might not know,” ten that you “probably knew” were covers, and ten hits that you may not know were later covered again (because the original is still played and the hit cover is not). To close it down, the song that might shock you....or not. #1: Drift Away And another “it’s a generational thing” thing. Younger people know the Uncle Kracker version and think, “That was a cover??” OFs (Old Farts) are going, “Hey, to be politically correct, shouldn’t their name be ‘Uncle Kaucasian?’” Oh, yeah. This is Dobie Gray’s song. When he died in 2011, the headline was “‘Drift Away’ singer Dobie Gray dies.” Never mind that Gray was the first person to record the song “The ‘In’ Crowd,” which was later covered by a number of individuals (heck, I had a version by the Mamas & Papas!). But when it comes to the classic “Drift Away,” Dobie Gray was not first. In fact, he came in third place with this song. A year before Gray’s massive hit a singer/actor named John Henry Kurtz released the song on an album. A number of people credit that as the original. Um....nope. Remember that “dying parent” song, “Patches”? The guy who sang that was R&B great Clarence Carter. On the album that featured “Patches” (1970’s Patches, go figure), Carter also recorded the song “Drift Away.” And man, what a version!!!! So until next time we pull the covers back.....thanks for reading. Drift Away Written by Mentor Williams Originally recorded by Clarence Carter, 1970 Famously covered by Dobie Gray, 1973 Also famously covered by Uncle Kracker (with Dobie Gray), 2003 Clarence Carter and the original “Drift Away”: