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The Drifters

The Drifters are an American pop and R&B/soul vocal group. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1959 and led by Ben E. King, were originally an up-and-coming group named The Five Crowns. After 1965 members drifted in and out of both groups and many of these formed other groups of Drifters as well. Over the succeeding decades, several different bands, all called the Drifters, can trace roots back to these original groups, but contain few—if any—original members.

According to Rolling Stone, the Drifters were the least stable of the great vocal groups, as they were low-paid musicians hired by George Treadwell, who owned the Drifters' name from 1955, after McPhatter left. The Treadwell Drifters line has had 60 musicians, including several splinter groups by former Drifters members (not under Treadwell's management). These groups are usually identified with a possessive credit such as "Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters", "Charlie Thomas' Drifters".

The three golden eras of the Drifters were the early 1950s, the 1960s, and the early 1970s (post-Atlantic period). From these, the first Drifters, formed by Clyde McPhatter, were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as "The Drifters". The second Drifters, featuring Ben E. King, were separately inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as "Ben E. King and the Drifters". In their induction, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selected four members from the first Drifters, two from the second Drifters, and one from the post-Atlantic Drifters. There were other lead singers too, but the group was less successful during those times.

According to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame: "Through turmoil and changes, the (original) Drifters managed to set musical trends and give the public 13 chart hits, most of which are legendary recordings today." Matching that feat, subsequent formations of the Drifters recorded 13 Billboard Hot 100 top-30 chart hits. The 1950s and '60s incarnations of the group were also a force on the US R&B charts, notching six number-one R&B hits: "Money Honey" (1953), "Honey Love" (1954), "Adorable" (1955), "There Goes My Baby" (1959), "Save The Last Dance For Me" (1960), and "Under The Boardwalk" (1964). A 1970s revival in Britain, with both old and new material, was not matched in the United States, although they had their biggest successes on the UK singles chart, peaking with the number-two hit "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies".

Classic first Drifters and Clyde McPhatter
To historians and many fans, "The Drifters" means Clyde McPhatter, although he was with the group for only one year. McPhatter was lead tenor for Billy Ward and His Dominoes for three years, starting in 1950. McPhatter's high-pitched tenor was mostly responsible for the Dominoes' success. In 1953, Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records attended a Dominoes performance at Birdland, and noticed McPhatter was absent. Jerry Wexler recalled,

"Ahmet exited Birdland like a shot and headed directly uptown. He raced from bar to bar looking for Clyde and finally found him in a furnished room. That very night, Ahmet reached an agreement with McPhatter under which Clyde would assemble a group of his own. They became known as the Drifters."

Wanting to blend gospel and secular sounds, McPhatter's first effort was to get members of his church group, the Mount Lebanon Singers: William "Chick" Anderson, Charlie White, and David "Little Dave" Baughan (tenors); David Baldwin (baritone, and author James Baldwin's brother); and James "Wrinkle" Johnson (bass). After a recording session of four songs on June 29, 1953, Ertegun realized that this combination did not work, and had McPhatter recruit another lineup. The second group included first tenor Bill Pinkney (of the Jerusalem Stars), second tenor Andrew Thrasher, and baritone Gerhart Thrasher (both of the gospel group "The Thrasher Wonders"), Willie Ferbee as bass vocal, and Walter Adams on guitar.

This is the group on the second session that produced their first major hit, "Money Honey", released September 1953, with the record label displaying the group name "Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters". McPhatter was barely known during his time with the Dominoes, and he was sometimes passed off as "Clyde Ward, Billy's little brother". In other instances, people assumed Billy Ward was doing the singing.

"Lucille", written by McPhatter, from the first recording session, was put on the B-side of "Money Honey", making a recording industry rarity; a single released with two songs by two essentially different groups of the same name. "Money Honey" was a huge success, and propelled the Drifters to immediate fame.

More lineup changes followed after Ferbee was involved in an accident and left the group. After Adams died, he was replaced by Jimmy Oliver. Ferbee was not replaced; instead, the voice parts were shifted around. Gerhart Thrasher moved up to first tenor, Andrew Thrasher shifted down to baritone, and Bill Pinkney dropped to bass. This group released several more hits, including "Such A Night" in November 1953, "Honey Love" June 1954, "Bip Bam" October 1954, "White Christmas" November 1954, and "What'cha Gonna Do" in February 1955. McPhatter received his draft letter in March 1954, but as he was initially stationed in Buffalo, New York, he was able to continue with the group for a time. "What'cha Gonna Do", recorded a year before its release, was McPhatter's last official record as a member of the Drifters, although his first solo release ("Everyone's Laughing" b/w "Hot Ziggety") was from his final Drifters session in October 1954. After completing his military service, McPhatter pursued a successful but relatively short-lived solo career with 16 R&B and 21 pop hits.

McPhatter demanded a large share of the group's profits, which he had been denied in the Dominoes; on his departure, though, he did not ensure that this would continue for his successor. He sold his share of the group to George Treadwell, manager, former jazz trumpeter, and husband of singer Sarah Vaughan. As a result, the Drifters recycled many members, none of whom made much money and got paid a mere $100 a week (US$0 in dollars). McPhatter later expressed regret at this action, recognizing that it doomed his fellow musicians to unprofitability.

McPhatter was first replaced by original member David Baughan, who had been singing lead in concert while McPhatter was in the service. Baughan's voice was similar to McPhatter's, but his erratic behavior made him difficult to work with and unsuitable in the eyes of Atlantic Records executives. Baughan soon left the group to form the Harps (1955) (finding his way back into Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters in 1958), and was replaced by Johnny Moore (formerly of The Hornets). During September 1955, this lineup recorded an R&B hit with the A side "Adorable" reaching number one and the B side "Steamboat" going to number five. These were followed by "Ruby Baby" in February 1956, and "I Gotta Get Myself a Woman".

Low salaries contributed to burnout among the members. Bill Pinkney was fired after asking Treadwell for more money. In protest, Andrew Thrasher left, as well. Pinkney formed The Flyers with lead singer Bobby Hendricks, who would leave to join the Drifters the next year. Pinkney was replaced by Tommy Evans (who had replaced Jimmy Ricks in The Ravens). Charlie Hughes, a baritone, replaced Andrew Thrasher. Moore, Evans, Gerhart Thrasher, and Charlie Hughes got a top-10 hit in 1957 with "Fools Fall In Love" (number 69 Pop and number 10 R&B).

Moore and Hughes were drafted in 1957 and replaced by Bobby Hendricks and Jimmy Milner. By early 1958, the lineup was Bobby Hendricks (lead tenor), Gerhart Thrasher (first tenor), Jimmy Milner (baritone), Tommy Evans (bass), and Jimmy Oliver (guitar). This lineup had one moderate hit, "Drip Drop" (number 58 Pop), released in April 1958.

With declining popularity, the last of the original Drifters were reduced to working the club scene and doing double duty with gigs under the Coasters and the Ravens names. By May 1958, both Hendricks and Oliver had quit, returning only for a week's appearance at the Apollo Theater. During that week, one of the members got into a fight with the master of ceremonies for the Apollo Theatre's Amateur Night, Ralph Cooper. This was considered the last straw for Treadwell, who fired the entire group. After the argument with Cooper, Treadwell hired a group called the Five Crowns and renamed them "The Drifters".

Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters
Although Treadwell owned the Drifters brand, original members felt they were the real Drifters and were determined to keep the group alive. Bill Pinkney left first. After receiving exclusive and irrevocable ownership of the name/mark "The Original Drifters" in a binding arbitration, he joined with the Thrashers and David Baughan to begin touring as "The Original Drifters". Several original Drifters came in and out of this group over time, as well as other new artists, but these Drifters never replicated the success of the earlier Drifters group.

Baughan left after a short time. Bobby Lee Hollis joined in 1964 and took over the lead spot. Later that year, Andrew Thrasher left and Jimmy Lewis joined the group. Bobby Hendricks returned, making the group a quintet for a short time, before Lewis' departure. Andrew Thrasher returned, replacing Hollis. Hollis and Baughan were periodically with the group through the 1960s. In 1968, the group consisted of Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher, Hollis, and Hendricks.

Pinkney hired the Tears to perform as part of his group on a short tour. The Tears were Benny Andersson, George Wallace, Albert Fortson, and Mark Williams. After the tour, the Tears—without Pinkney—continued to tour as the Original Drifters, but Pinkney successfully sued to stop them from using the name.

Pinkney added Bruce Caesar, Clarence Tex Walker, and Duke Richardson, but the lineup changed rapidly. In 1979, the group was Pinkney, Andrew Lawyer, Chuck Cockerham, Harriel Jackson, and Tony Cook. Their 1995 album Peace in the Valley on Blackberry Records credited vocals to Pinkney, Cockerham, Richard Knight Dunbar, (Vernon Young), and Greg Johnson. They appeared on the 2001 PBS special Doo Wop 51 with Pinkney, Dunbar, Johnson, and Bobby Hendricks. The lineup in the early 2000s was Pinkney, Cockerham, Dunbar, Young, and Ronald Jackson, the son of singer Ruth Brown and Clyde McPhatter.

Pinkney died on July 4, 2007, and his legacy continues via the successfully defended registered federal service mark "Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters". The present Original Drifters lineup is Russell Henry, Chuck Cockerham, Richard Knight Dunbar, and Roger Whitehead.

The New Drifters
Treadwell owned the rights to the name "Drifters" and still had a year's worth of bookings for the Apollo when he fired the group. In summer 1958, he approached Lover Patterson, the manager of the Five Crowns featuring lead singer Benjamin Earl Nelson—better known by his stage name of Ben E. King—and arranged for them to become the Drifters. The new line-up consisted of King (lead tenor), Charlie Thomas (tenor), Dock Green (baritone), and Elsbeary Hobbs (bass). James "Poppa" Clark was the fifth "Crown"; he was not included due to an alcohol problem, which Treadwell had considered to be a problem with the first group. The group went out on the road to tour for almost a year. Since this new group had no connection to the previous Drifters, they often played to hostile audiences.

When Atlantic decided to send the new Drifters into the studio, Ertegun and Wexler were too busy to produce the sessions, so they hired Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had been successful producing the Coasters. With Leiber and Stoller producing, this new lineup—widely considered the "true" golden age of the group—released several singles with King on lead that became chart hits. "There Goes My Baby", the first commercial rock-and-roll recording to include a string orchestra, was a top-10 hit, and number 193 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. "Dance with Me" followed and then "This Magic Moment" (number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960). "Save the Last Dance for Me" reached number one on the U.S. pop charts and number two in the UK. It was followed by "I Count the Tears". This version of the Drifters was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000 as Ben E. King and the Drifters. The write-up indicates an award primarily as a tribute to Ben E. King with a nod to his time in the Drifters, only one of five paragraphs being exclusively devoted to the Drifters, although Charlie Thomas was also cited by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame's induction of the original Drifters, which technically was only through 1958).

With this brief golden age lasting two years, personnel changes followed. Lover Patterson (the Drifters' road manager) got into an argument with George Treadwell. Since Patterson had King under contract, he refused to let him tour with the group. King was only able to record with the group for about a year. Johnny Lee Williams, who sang lead on "(If You Cry) True Love, True Love", the B-side of "Dance with Me", handled the vocals on tour along with Charlie Thomas. When the group passed through Williams' hometown of Mobile, Alabama, Williams left the group. Williams died on December 19, 2004, at the age of 64.

When King asked Treadwell for a raise and a share of royalties, a request that was not honored, he left and began a successful solo career. Williams left at the same time, and a new lead, Rudy Lewis, (of The Clara Ward Singers), was hired. Lewis led the Drifters on hits such as "Some Kind of Wonderful", "Please Stay", "Up on the Roof" (which reached number five on the U.S. pop singles chart and number four on the U.S. R&B singles chart in 1963), and "On Broadway" (which reached number 9 on the U.S. pop singles chart and number seven on the U.S. R&B singles chart in 1963). Lewis was also named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Drifters induction. Ben E. King died on April 30, 2015, at the age of 76.

Hobbs was drafted for military service and replaced by the returning Tommy Evans (from the first group). Green left in 1962 and was replaced by Eugene Pearson (of The Rivileers and The Cleftones). Evans left again in 1963 and was replaced by Johnny Terry, who had been an original member of James Brown's singing group, The Famous Flames (and was co-writer of their first hit, "Please Please Please"). After his military service and a failed solo career, Johnny Moore returned in 1964, making the group a quintet of Moore, Thomas, Lewis, Pearson, and Terry.

Later that year, the group was scheduled to record "Under the Boardwalk" on May 21, but Rudy Lewis died on the night before the session, and Johnny Moore took over as the sole lead (Lewis and he had been alternating). "Under The Boardwalk" was a top 10 hit in the US, but the pace of the Drifters' chart career slowed after this, with "Saturday Night At The Movies" being the group's last US top 40 hit in 1964. The Drifters released several minor hits between 1964 and 1967 that made the US top 100, but didn't break through beyond that. By mid-1968, their singles were not charting at all, anywhere -- and they would never have any kind of pop hit in the US again.

Turnover remained frequent. Terry was replaced in 1966 by Dan Dandridge for a few months, then by William Brent, who had been with Johnny Moore in the Hornets in 1954. Gene Pearson was replaced by Rick Sheppard during the same year. By late 1966, baritone/bass Bill Fredericks had replaced William Brent. Charlie Thomas, the group's last member from the Five Crowns, left in mid-1967 and was replaced by Charles Baskerville, a former member of The Limelites. Baskerville stayed only a short time.

In May, 1967, George Treadwell died unexpectedly at age 48. His widow, Faye Treadwell, bought out George Treadwell's partners' ownership stakes in The Drifters and took ownership of the group. In 1972, the Drifters left the Atlantic roster.

Post-Atlantic career
In 1972, as a by-product of the Northern Soul scene, the group had three big chart hits in the UK with reissued material from the mid-1960s: "Saturday Night At The Movies", "At The Club", and "Come On Over To My Place". None were previously hits in the UK (though they had all been hits in the US), and all went top 10.

The Drifters, their career rejuvenated, moved to England and continued with several different vocalists. New material was written and overseen by songwriter/producer (and long-term Drifters fan) Roger Greenaway, usually working in conjunction with other partners. The group issued four albums between 1973 and 1976, and became a major UK chart act, scoring 9 top 40 hits in that same timespan. The hits started with 1973's "Like Sister & Brother" (lead vocal by Fredericks), and included a string of extremely popular numbers sung by Moore, including "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" (a #2 hit in 1974), "There Goes My First Love" (which hit #3), and "You're More Than a Number in My Little Red Book" (which peaked at #5). In America, only "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" made any chart impression, reaching #83 on the R&B charts.

The Drifters had their last hit in 1976, "You're More Than a Number in My Little Red Book". While The Drifters kept recording, they never released another chart hit in the UK or the US.

Personnel turnover remained frequent. Butch Leake and Grant Kitchings of The Ink Spots replaced Sheppard and Thomas in 1973. Fredericks was replaced by Clyde Brown during the next year, and Kitchings by Billy Lewis the year after. Leake was replaced by Joe Blunt in 1976, making the lineup Johnny Moore, Clyde Brown, Joe Blunt, and Billy Lewis. Faye Treadwell renamed the group's management company Treadwell Drifters Inc.

Moore left in 1978 and was replaced by Ray Lewis. Blunt and Billy Lewis left in 1979 and were replaced by the returning Johnny Moore and former Temptations lead Louis Price. Moore left again in late 1982, along with Clyde Brown. They were replaced by two returning members, Ben E. King and Bill Fredericks.

Fredericks, Lewis, and Price all left in 1983 and were replaced by the returning Johnny Moore, Joe Blunt, and Clyde Brown. In 1986, the group split up, and a new lineup was constructed by Treadwell, consisting of new member Jonah Ellis and former members Ray Lewis, Billy Lewis, and Louis Price. During the next year, more former members came in as replacements, making the group Moore, Billy and Ray Lewis, and Gene Jenkins (replaced shortly after by George Chandler, then John Thurston). Ray Lewis was out in 1988 and was replaced by Joe Cofie. In 1989, Billy Lewis left and was replaced by the returning George Chandler, then Tony Jackson, Keith John, and Peter Lamarr in 1990.

Thurston was out at the end of the year and was replaced by Roy Hemmings. Patrick Alan was in for Peter Lamarr briefly before Lamarr left in 1991 and was permanently replaced by Rohan Delano Turney. Johnny Stewart joined the group in 1963 and left in 1993 in Las Vegas. He joined The Platters and continued his singing career. This lineup lasted until 1996, when Cofie was out and Jason Leigh was in. Leigh was replaced after two years by the returning Lamarr. Leigh returned on the next tour and Lamarr was replaced by the returning Patrick Alan.

On December 30, 1998, the group's longest-serving member, Johnny Moore, died in London. Patrick Alan returned to the group, keeping it a quartet.

In 2001, Faye Treadwell left the United Kingdom and apparently abandoned the Treadwell Drifters franchise, although in January 2000, a US court had overturned a 1999 jury verdict declaring that it was abandoned. Two members of her company, Mark Lundquist and Phil Lunderman, started a new management company, Drifters UK Limited, to run the group. Their new duties included stopping a trademark by a UK group calling themselves American Drifters. Lamarr left again in 2003 and was replaced by Victor Bynoe. Hemmings left in 2004 and was replaced by Peter Lamarr. The group's lineup as of 2007 was Peter Lamarr, Rohan Delano Turney, Patrick Alan, and Victor Bynoe. On June 20, 2007, this lineup performed at Prime Minister Tony Blair's Farewell Party in London. In 2008, Faye Treadwell's daughter, Tina Treadwell, won a case in a UK court establishing her ownership of the Treadwell Drifters franchise, so this lineup lost the right to use the Drifters name.

Litigation
In 1969, magazine editor Larry Marshak planned a series of concerts by the Drifters and other classic vocal groups. He found Dock Green, Charlie Thomas, and Elsbeary Hobbs, and began to promote them as "the Drifters". This brought swift legal action from Faye Treadwell, wife of George Treadwell, who was managing the Drifters. In an attempt to grant his group the sole rights to the name, Marshak convinced Hobbs, Thomas, and Green to apply for a trademark on the Drifters name in 1976. The trademark was granted, but due to Treadwell's legal action, it was revoked in 2000 in U.S. federal court. The trio of original Drifters split afterward into separate groups. The Truth in Music Advertising laws were legislated in 35 of the 50 US states from 2005 to 2020 to stop promoters such as Marshak from assembling new groups of musicians and marketing them as well-known groups such as the Drifters.

In December 2006, writs were served in the London high court by Tina Treadwell, daughter of George and Faye, against Mark Lundquist and Philip Luderman's Drifters UK Ltd, alleging they are not the rightful controllers of the Drifters.

In July 2008, The Treadwell family and Prism Music Group Ltd won their legal battle. The court order prohibited Phil Luderman, Mark Lundquist, Rohan Delano Turney, Peter Lamarr, Patrick Alan, or Victor Bynoe from using the Drifters name.

Ownership of the Drifters name continues with the Treadwell family in the form of George Treadwell's daughter, Tina, and the UK-based company Prism Music Group Ltd. The line-up features Michael Williams, Pierre Herelle, Ryan King, and Carlton Powell.

The Drifters lineup performed at the London IndigoO2 Arena in 2009 with special guests the Drifter Legends, made up of some of the most prestigious former members of the group. Lifetime achievement awards were presented at this concert to Joe Blunt and Butch Leake by Neil Martin from Sony Music and songwriter Roger Greenway. In 2012, gold discs (100,000 units sold of Up on the Roof, The Very Best Of) were awarded by Sony Music to Butch Leake, Joe Blunt, and Clyde Brown.

This is the only lineup, with the exception of Johnny Moore, to have recorded on both of the group's former labels, having recorded new material on Atlantic/Warner in 2009 and on Sony Music in 2011.

Splinter groups
Dock Green led his group, the Drifters featuring Dock Green, throughout the 1970s and 1980s. That group consisted of Green (lead/baritone), Derek Ventura (lead/tenor), Lloyd Butch Phillips (second tenor), and Bernard Jones (bass/baritone). Green died on March 10, 1989; Phillips died in 2002.

Ray Lewis and Roy Hemmings have led a Drifters group. Bobby Hendricks led a group, as did Billy Lewis. Don Thomas leads a group, Don Thomas and the Drifters Review. In addition, Ronn McPhatter, son of Clyde McPhatter, leads a group called Clyde McPhatter's Drifters.

Aside from the official post-2008 lineup, Treadwell managed a second group, The Drifters Legends, composed of former members Rick Sheppard, Butch Leake, Joe Blunt, and Clyde Brown. Faye Treadwell died of breast cancer at the age of 84 on May 22, 2011.

Awards
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has inducted both "The Original Drifters" (1998) and "Ben E. King and the Drifters" (2000). In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Drifters number 81 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 1988, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the Drifters; naming members Clyde McPhatter, Bill Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher, Johnny Moore, Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, and Rudy Lewis. Bill Pinkney, Charlie Thomas, and Johnny Moore (posthumously) received Pioneer Awards from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 1999. The Songwriters Hall of Fame include The Drifters among their Songwriters Friends, the artists who popularized the songs written by inductees. Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame 2018.

Members

 * Clyde McPhatter (1953–55; died 1972)
 * David “Little Dave” Baughan (1953, 1954–55; died 1970)
 * William “Chick” Anderson (1953)
 * David Baldwin (1953)
 * James ‘Wrinkle’ Johnson (1953; died 2001)
 * Bill Pinkney (1953–56; died 2007)
 * Gerhart Thrasher (1953–58; died 1977)
 * Andrew Thrasher (1953–56; died 1978)
 * Willie Ferbee (1953)
 * Walter Adams (1953; died 1953)
 * Jimmy Oliver (1953–58)
 * Johnny Moore (1954–57, 1963–78, 1980, 1983, 1987–98; died 1998)
 * Tommy Evans (1956–58, 1960–62; died 1984)
 * Charles “Charlie Carnation” Hughes (1956, died 1998)
 * Bobby Hendricks (1957–58; died 2022)
 * Jimmy Milner (1957–58; died 2008)
 * Ben E. King (1958–60, 1981–85; died 2015)
 * Charlie Thomas (1958–67, 1988–2023; died 2023)
 * Dock Green (1958–62; died 1989)
 * Elsbeary "Beary" Hobbs (1958–60; died 1996)
 * James Clark (1958–59)
 * Johnny Lee Williams (1959–60; died 2004)
 * Reggie Kimber (1959–60)
 * James Poindexter (1960)
 * Rudy Lewis (1960–64; died 1964)
 * Eugene "Gene" Pearson (1962–66; died 2000)
 * John Winford "Johnny" Terry (1963–65; died 2005)
 * Jimmy Lewis (1963–65; died 2004)
 * Dan Dandridge (1966)
 * Clarence Tex Walker (1966–1973; died 2007 Woodstock, Oxford UK)
 * William Brent (1966)
 * Rick Sheppard (1966–1967)
 * Bill Fredericks (1966–??, 1982–83; died 1999)
 * Charles Baskerville (1967)
 * Luddy Samms
 * Butch Leake (1970–1976)
 * Derek Ventura (1972–84)
 * Bernard Jones (1972–84)
 * Lloyd Butch Phillips (1972–84; died 2002)
 * Joe Blunt (1976–1980, 1983–1986)
 * Ray Lewis (1978–83, 1986–present)
 * Terry King (1978–Retired 1989)
 * Rudy Ivan (19??–82)
 * Louis Price (1980–83, 1986)
 * Hollywood Lee Logan (1983–Present)
 * Peter Lamarr (1990, 1991, 1998–2001, 2004–??)
 * Roy Hemmings (1990–2003)
 * Rohan Delano Turney (1991–????)
 * Patrick Alan (1990, 1998–????)
 * Jason Leigh (1995–2001)
 * Vernon K. Taylor (1995–present)
 * Victor Bynoe (2002–??)
 * Steve V. King (2008–10)
 * Maurice Cannon (2008–11)
 * Damion Charles (2008–12)
 * Michael Williams (2008–present)
 * Ryan King (2010–present)
 * Carlton Powell (2011–14)
 * Pierre Herelle (2012–14)
 * Daniel Bowen-Smith (2014–2016)
 * Damien Charles (2014–present)
 * Bobby Charles Taylor August 13, 1940 – (died on October 14, 2018, in Moreno Valley, California).
 * Gil Hamilton aka. Johnny Thunder
 * Emmanuel Dadey (2015)
 * Jerome Bucknor (2015)
 * Lee Anderson (2015)
 * Edward Stenlund (2023)

Lineups
The Atlantic Years 1953–1972 (does not include Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters (1959– ), Charlie Thomas's Drifters (1971– ) or the Drifters in the UK (1972– ) which for many years featured Johnny Moore.); nor does it include the various later Drifters groups that used the name but have no connection with the Treadwell Drifters,

title: The Drifters


text:
Pest

Pest or The Pest may refer to:

Science and medicine

 * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns
 * Weed, a plant considered undesirable
 * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection
 * Plague (disease), an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis
 * Black Death (the Plague), the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history

Film

 * The Pest (1914 film), an American short film starring Charlie Chaplin
 * The Pest (1917 film), an American film starring Oliver Hardy
 * The Pest (1919 film), an American film starring Mabel Normand
 * The Pest (1922 film), an American film starring Stan Laurel
 * The Pest (1997 film), an American film starring John Leguizamo

Music

 * Pest (band), a British music group
 * Pest (musician) (born 1975), Norwegian black metal vocalist

Places

 * Pest, Hungary, the geographic region of Budapest
 * Royal University of Pest
 * Pest County, an administrative division of Hungary, surrounding Budapest

Other uses

 * PESTS, an anonymous activist arts group
 * Pest (ice hockey), an ice hockey player specialising in aggravating opponents

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Pest


text:
Chesty Puller

Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller (June 26, 1898 – October 11, 1971) was a United States Marine Corps officer. Beginning his career fighting guerillas in Haiti and Nicaragua as part of the Banana Wars, he later served with distinction in World War II and the Korean War as a senior officer. By the time of his retirement in 1955, he had reached the rank of lieutenant general.

Puller is the most decorated Marine in American history. He was awarded five Navy Crosses and one Distinguished Service Cross. With six crosses, Puller is second behind Eddie Rickenbacker for citations of the nation's second-highest military award for valor. Puller retired from the Marine Corps in 1955, after 37 years of service. He lived in Virginia and died in 1971 at age 73. Puller was a distant cousin to U.S. Army General George S. Patton.

Early life
Puller was born in West Point, Virginia, to Matthew and Martha Puller. Puller was of English ancestry; his ancestors who came to America emigrated to the colony of Virginia from Bedfordshire, England in 1621. His father was a grocer who died when Puller was 10 years old. Puller grew up listening to old veterans' tales of the American Civil War and idolizing Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. He wanted to enlist in the United States Army to fight in the Border War with Mexico in 1916, but he was too young and could not get parental consent from his mother.

The following year, Puller attended the Virginia Military Institute but left in August 1918 as World War I was still ongoing, saying that he wanted to "go where the guns are!" Inspired by the 5th Marines at Belleau Wood, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a private and attended boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. Although he never saw action in that war, the Marine Corps was expanding, and soon after graduating he attended its non-commissioned officer school and Officer Candidates School (OCS) at Quantico, Virginia. Graduating from OCS on June 16, 1919, Puller was appointed second lieutenant in the reserves, but the reduction in force from 73,000 to 1,100 officers and 27,400 men following the war led to his being put on inactive status 10 days later and given the rank of corporal.

United States occupation of Haiti
Corporal Puller received orders to serve in the Gendarmerie d'Haiti as a lieutenant, seeing action in Haiti. While the United States was working under a treaty with Haiti, he participated in over forty engagements during the ensuing five years against the Caco rebels and attempted to regain his commission as an officer twice. In 1922, he served as an adjutant to Major Alexander Vandegrift, a future Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Supply run
Puller received orders to deliver supplies to Mirebalais and Lascahobas. These two small towns were located in a region where there was a significant presence of Caco guerrillas under the command of Benoît Batraville, who was a high ranking insurgent leader. Puller's supply party consisted of twenty-five mounted Haitian Gendarmes along with the pack animals. Puller kept his force moving rapidly to avoid risking an ambush or night attack by the Caco.

Later on, the small force of Gendarmes led by Puller ran into an equally surprised column of about one hundred Cacos coming from the opposite direction around a bend in the road. Puller ordered a charge and spurred his horse forward to attack the Cacos. The Gendarmes charged beside him and scattered the Cacos, who used guerilla tactics and therefore seldom stood their ground if attacked by a significant force. The Cacos fired a handful of shots at the onrushing American-led Gendarmes and then dispersed to make pursuit more difficult. With the burden of the pack mules, Puller could not pursue the evasive Cacos. After the clash ended, one dead Caco bandit was found.

This skirmish was Puller's first engagement in the occupation and showed his adeptness at aggressive action and effective leadership from the front. Puller and his force of Gendarmes reached Mirebalais and delivered the supplies needed by the town. The next day, Puller made a 34-hour round trip to Lascahobas to deliver the final supplies and then returned to Port-au-Prince completing his supply run.

Ambushing the Cacos
Puller was assigned a new duty to begin offensive operations against the Cacos. Puller inherited a force of one hundred Gendarmes who were supported unofficially by about the same number of female camp followers. Puller's assigned chief assistant was acting Second Lieutenant Augustin B. Brunot, a Haitian who was fluent in English. Other pro-American Haitians added to Puller's force were newly commissioned lieutenants Lyautey and Brunot, and a Haitian private named Jean Louis Cermontout, who Puller recruited with the promise of promotion after seeing him return from a successful patrol with the severed heads of two Cacos bandits.

Brunot and Lyautey advised Puller on how to combat the Cacos insurgents. They advised him that daylight patrols had little chance of encountering the Cacos, as they hid during the day, only emerging from hiding to ambush government patrols if they had superior numbers. Chance encounters such as Puller's supply run were rare because the Cacos knew the terrain and had good intelligence of constabulary activities. They advised him that the Cacos encamped at night and that night patrols would have a better chance of surprising them. When Puller and his unit, following this advice, patrolled along a ridge-top trail one night, he observed campfires and heard drums nearby. Puller with Lyautey and some Gendarmes went to scout, while Brunot remained with the rest of the Gendarmes. The noise turned out to be a celebration at a Cacos guerrilla encampment. After returning, Puller came up with a plan to ambush the Cacos at dawn.

Puller placed the main body of men in a line facing the bandit camp and sent the smaller crews with three Lewis machine guns to the flank in a position where they covered the enemy rear, setting an L-shaped ambush. After Puller's force of Gendarmes got into position, Puller executed the ambush. As Puller had predicted, when the main body of men opened fire at first light, the surprised Cacos bandits fled from the source of immediate danger into the fields of fire of the machine guns, where all seventeen were killed. Dozens of machetes and a large flock of gamecocks were found. Puller and his Gendarmes celebrated their victory and feasted on abandoned supplies while using the game cocks for cockfighting. Puller later participated in more patrols as he gained experience and learned the peculiarities of small wars.

Further operations against the Cacos, October–November 1919
Puller would conduct more offensive operations to suppress the Cacos. On October 28, 1919, Puller went on a patrol with Brunot and a mixed force of fifteen American Marines and Gendarmes. They would stay out ten days, at which time another group would relieve them. The unit, using night movements, made contact on October 31 with a small band, killing two of the enemy and capturing four rifles, several machetes, and some swords. On November 1, they arrested three suspected bandits.

Infiltrating and raiding a Cacos camp, November 4, 1919
On the afternoon of November 4, 1919, Puller and his men entered a small village of grass shacks ten miles west of Mirebalais. A priest told Brunot that a high ranking Cacos insurgent leader named Dominique Georges had a camp about fifteen miles away. He and his men decided to take this opportunity to kill or capture Dominique Georges. Despite heavy rain, Puller took a small patrol of Marines and Gendarmes out immediately. Puller, Brunot, and Private Cermontout Jean Louis scouted out ahead of the small column during the night when they came upon the remains of a bonfire, indicating a bandit guard post. A Cacos sentry armed with a rifle challenged Puller's group. The sentry could not see them clearly as it was very dark and his bonfire had been put out by the rain. Brunot replied in his Haitain accent "Cacos", at which the guard let them through. Puller, Brunot, and Jean Louis were able to infiltrate the Cacos camp and came upon a clearing with many huts and lean-tos. Puller and Jean Louis took firing positions on the ground after Puller sent Brunot to gather the rest of the patrol to assault the camp. Puller aimed his rifle at a man he later believed was Georges, but waited for the main attack instead of firing. A Caco challenged the two prone figures, so that Puller had to shoot the Caco, starting the battle. The marines and gendarmes rushed forward, but the estimated two hundred Cacos scattered, with Puller and Jean Louis firing as fast as they could at fleeing figures. After the government forces had possession of the camp, they found one dead Caco. Puller's patrol took twenty seven rifles, swords, and machetes, and several dozen gamecocks. Among the booty was Georges' personal rifle, identified by his initials in the stock. Puller and his patrol spent the night at the camp and then withdrew safely to their base at Mirebalais.

Patrol and raid, November 9, 1919
On November 9, Puller and Brunot led a patrol of thirty-three Gendarmes. Just before dawn they found a camp and attacked it. This time Puller and his fellow Gendarmes killed ten Cacos and captured two rifles. After the raid of the Cacos camp, they safely withdrew to Mirebalais by a circuitous route and fell into garrison routine for a few days.

Further patrol operations
After the successful assassination of Charlemagne Péralte by Herman H. Hanneken in a raid, Benoît Batraville became the next leader of the Cacos. Puller and Brunot each took a part of the company out on a patrol. Brunot spotted a Caco force that turned out to be Batraville's, but before Brunot could get his force into position for an attack, the Cacos broke camp and melted away. Puller had better luck, with two Cacos killed and sixteen captured.

Ending of the fighting in Haiti
The Cacos rebellion collapsed altogether when a Marine patrol killed Batraville on May 19, 1920. A month later, the last significant Caco leader surrendered. More patrols by the Gendarmes and American Marines in the following year killed a further eighty-five Cacos. Later on in September 1920, Herman H. Hanneken penetrated a Caco camp in disguise, arresting five chiefs while killing another. By June 1921, a government military commander declared the country to be "completely tranquil."

Return to the United States
Puller returned stateside and was finally recommissioned as a second lieutenant on March 6, 1924 (Service No. 03158). After completing assignments at the Marine barracks in Norfolk, Virginia; The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia; and with the 10th Marine Artillery Regiment in Quantico, Virginia, he was assigned to the Marine barracks at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in July 1926 and in San Diego, California, in 1928.

United States occupation of Nicaragua
In December 1928, Puller was assigned to the Nicaraguan National Guard detachment, where he was awarded his first Navy Cross for his actions from February 16 to August 19, 1930, when he led "five successive engagements against superior numbers of armed bandit forces." He returned stateside in July 1931 and completed the year-long Company Officers Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, thereafter returning to Nicaragua from September 20 to October 1, 1932, and was awarded a second Navy Cross. Puller led American Marines and Nicaraguan National Guardsmen into battle against Sandinista rebels in the last major engagement of the Sandino Rebellion near El Sauce on December 26, 1932.

Patrolling, June 4–6, 1930
After Puller inherited command of Nicaraguan Guardia Nacional called Company M, he was prepared to conduct operations against the Sandinista rebels, and immediately departed on a patrol. Puller moved eastward for a five-day sweep, but soon received orders to head northeast. The patrol moved by day and camped each night in a village. In the afternoon of June 4, the company was at San Antonio cooking a steer in preparation for a trek into the uninhabited area around Mt. Kilande. After hearing some gunshots to the north, Puller sent thirteen men of the Guardia to investigate a thousand yards beyond the town. The Guardia encountered six rebels who may have been Sandinistas and a firefight occurred. The Guardia killed one rebel while the other five fled. The rebel bandit was armed with a Springfield rifle and Colt revolver. On June 6, the patrol moved toward the village of Los Cedros when it encountered an equally surprised force of Sandinistas who were on top of a brush covered hill that sloped about 175 yards down to the trail. The Sandinistas opened fire on the patrol and the patrol returned fire. Without hesitation, Puller dashed up the rise while yelling for his men to charge. Puller's men joined in the attack and fired their weapons while charging the enemy position. Puller and his Guardia were able to avoid being hit by small arms fire and crude improvised grenades thrown by the rebels. The rebels were routed and fled. Puller and his men realized they stumbled onto an insurgent camp. Seven dead rebel bodies were found and Puller's force suffered no casualties. Puller's patrol found two rifles, one pistol, and ten machetes. They also found rosters and papers in the rebel camp, which revealed that two of the seven dead rebels were leaders of the group. After that, Puller's company returned to Jinotega.

Further operations, June 12 – July 12, 1930
Puller departed on a new patrol on June 12. Puller's patrol searched fruitlessly and found nothing. Puller and his men arrived back at their base at June 20. At June 24, Puller, William "Ironman" Lee, and their men joined forces with another government patrol of thirty men under the command of Lieutenant M.K. Chenoweth. Together the combined American-Nicaraguan force left Jinotega. At Santa Fe, Puller picked up an additional fifteen Guardias. After patrolling, Puller's men had encountered lone bandits on two occasions and killed them both. Puller's large group operated for nearly two more weeks, often split into two patrols with one following the other at a distance. The reinforced unit finally returned to base on July 12.

Attempted ambush against the rebels, further pursuit, and raiding a rebel camp, November 6–27, 1930
Puller and his Company M went out on a patrol again on November 6, 1930. Puller, Lee, and twenty-one men left Jinetoga to search for the enemy. The patrol picked up a trail of about thirty bandits who were pillaging small ranches near Santa Isabel. Puller's patrol caught sight of the enemy at 9:00 a.m. on November 19 pursuing them for three miles, and wounding at least one of them. Puller's patrol decided to surprise the bandits. The patrol set up an ambush hiding themselves along a trail when a manager of a local finca spotted them and walked up to them to provide them information on a rebel band. With the ambush compromised by the finca manager, the patrol moved on. Puller's patrol reported into Corinto Finca on November 20 for supplies and pack animals, then left on the same day to check out a report of a rebel concentration near Mt. Guapinol. Puller and his patrol struggled through heavy rains, muddy trails, and flooded rivers. On the morning of November 25, the patrol came across a bandit trail. The Guardia under Puller followed this trail and at 10:30 a.m., the point sighted about ten rebels amongst some fallen trees. Puller's men opened fire and the enemy fled. Further along the trail, the pursuers came upon the rebel camp which had four buildings with log barricades in front and a hundred-foot cliff in the rear. There were at least forty or so rebels who fought briefly. Then the rebels threw their belongings and three wounded men into the ravine and then clambered down on ropes and ladders, which they pulled down after themselves. By the time some of the Guardia worked their way down into the draw the enemy had disappeared. Puller's patrol found two dead bandits and some supplies. Puller was certain that the three wounded bandits who had gone over the cliff had died. Puller's force captured documents which showed that one of their previous operations on August 19, 1930, wounded a minor chief of the rebels. After raiding this rebel camp, Puller's unit withdrew and returned to Jinotega on November 27 after three weeks of hard patrolling.

Patrol and raid against the rebels September 20–26, 1932
Puller discovered a trail which seemed to be used by rebels. Puller, along with Lee, gathered 40 Guardia Nacional members for a raid like patrol against the rebels. Puller, Lee, and the Guardia left on September 20. After traveling a long distance, the patrol came by the northwest from the bank of Auyabal river. On September 26, Puller's patrol was ambushed by the rebels. Lee used a Lewis machine gun to keep the enemy pinned down while the Guardia Nacional worked their way up the slope opposite the rebel ambush party. When they gained the crest, they were able to fire directly into the rebel emplacements. Puller's men penetrated the center of a rebel encampment, killing at least 16 rebels. Of Puller's force, two men were killed and four wounded. In order to obtain medical care for the wounded, Puller immediately withdrew back to Jinotega. During Puller's withdrawal, his patrol was ambushed twice, but suffered no more casualties and fought off the ambushers. Puller's Guardia killed at least eight more rebels. Puller's force arrived back at Jinotega on September 30 after their raid on the rebel encampment.

Final battle in Nicaragua December 26, 1932
There were rumors that Sandinista rebels were planning an attack on a ceremony that was going to commemorate the completion of the León–El Sauce railway. An expedition of eight American marines and 64 Nicaraguan National Guardsmen led by Puller were sent to El Sauce on the December 26, 1932. As Puller's force of American marines and Nicaraguan national guard were traveling some distance in their train to their destination, they were ambushed by the rebels from both sides of the tracks. Puller and William A. Lee quickly with their troops immediately engaged the rebel ambushers. After a firefight of one hour and ten minutes, the Marines and Guardia Nacional were able to drive off the rebels. Puller's victorious force had suffered three dead and three wounded for the Guardia Nacional. The rebels suffered thirty one killed and lost 63 live horses to capture by Puller's force. The ceremony went on as planned two days later, while Puller and Lee got promoted.

Aftermath
After his service in Nicaragua, Puller was assigned to the Marine detachment at the American Legation in Beijing, China, commanding a unit of China Marines. He then went on to serve aboard USS Augusta (CA-31), a cruiser in the Asiatic Fleet, which was commanded by then-Captain Chester W. Nimitz. Puller returned to the States in June 1936 as an instructor at The Basic School in Philadelphia, where he trained Ben Robertshaw, Pappy Boyington, and Lew Walt.

In May 1939, he returned to the Augusta as commander of the on-board Marine detachment, and then back to China, disembarking in Shanghai in May 1940 to serve as the executive officer and commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines (2/4) until August 1941. Major Puller returned to the U.S. on August 28, 1941. After a short leave, he was given command of 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (1/7) of the 1st Marine Division, stationed at New River, North Carolina (later Camp Lejeune).

World War II
Early in the Pacific theater, the 7th Marines formed the nucleus of the newly created 3rd Marine Brigade and arrived to defend Samoa on May 8, 1942. Later they were redeployed from the brigade and on September 4, 1942, they left Samoa and rejoined the 1st Marine Division at Guadalcanal on September 18, 1942.

Soon after arriving on Guadalcanal, Lt. Col. Puller led his battalion in a fierce action along the Matanikau, in which Puller's quick thinking saved three of his companies from annihilation. In the action, these companies were surrounded and cut off by a larger Japanese force. Puller ran to the shore, signaled a United States Navy destroyer, the USS Monssen (DD-436), and then directed the destroyer to provide fire support while landing craft rescued his Marines from their precarious position. U.S. Coast Guard Signalman First Class Douglas Albert Munro—Officer-in-Charge of the group of landing craft, was killed while providing covering fire from his landing craft for the Marines as they evacuated the beach and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for the action, to date the only Coast Guardsman to receive the decoration. Puller, for his actions, was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V".

Later on Guadalcanal, Puller was awarded his third Navy Cross, in what was later known as the "Battle for Henderson Field". Puller commanded 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (1/7), one of two American infantry units defending the airfield against a regiment-strength Japanese force. The 3rd Battalion of the U.S. Army's 164th Infantry Regiment (3/164) fought alongside the Marines. In a firefight on the night of October 24–25, 1942, lasting about three hours, 1/7 and 3/164 sustained 70 casualties; the Japanese force suffered over 1,400 killed in action, and the Americans held the airfield. He nominated two of his men (one being Sgt. John Basilone) for Medals of Honor. Puller was wounded himself on November 8, 1942, suffering arm and leg wounds during a Japanese attack on his command post. His injuries were serious, requiring surgery, and command of 1/7 was temporarily assigned to Major John E. Weber of 3/7. Puller was released from the hospital and resumed command of his battalion on November 18.

Puller was then made executive officer of the 7th Marine Regiment. While serving in this capacity at the Battle of Cape Gloucester, Puller was awarded his fourth Navy Cross for overall performance of duty between December 26, 1943, and January 19, 1944. During this time, when the battalion commanders of 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (3/7) and later, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5), were under heavy machine gun and mortar fire, he expertly reorganized the battalion and led the successful attack against heavily fortified Japanese defensive positions. He was promoted to colonel effective February 1, 1944, and by the end of the month had been named commander of the 1st Marine Regiment. In the summer of 1944, Puller's younger brother, Samuel D. Puller, the executive officer of the 4th Marine Regiment, would be killed by an enemy sniper on Guam.

Battle of Peleliu
In September and October 1944, Puller led the 1st Marine Regiment into the protracted battle on Peleliu, one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history, and received his first of two Legion of Merit awards. The 1st Marines under Puller's command lost 1,749 killed and wounded out of approximately 3,000 men, but these losses did not stop Puller from ordering frontal assaults against the well-entrenched enemy. He would come under significant criticism for not asking for reinforcements when both he and his regiment were at the point of exhaustion. When the Corps commander, General Roy Geiger visited Puller's command post, he found Puller, shirtless, with a corncob pipe in his mouth and a badly swollen leg that had originally been injured on Guadalcanal but swollen to twice its size. Colonel William Coleman, a member of the corps staff, had the impression that Puller was completely exhausted both mentally and physically. “He was unable to give a very clear picture of what his situation was.” When Geiger asked him if he needed reinforcements and Puller “stated that he was doing alright with what he had.” This was a crucial moment when Puller could have asked for the help that he so badly needed. But like the division commander, General Rupertus, Puller could not bring himself ask for help from US Army units held in reserve. General Robert Cushman, who believed that while Puller was a great combat leader, his aggressive nature limited his understanding of combat to launching constant attacks, regardless of the circumstances. As a result of the strain on both Puller and his regiment, Geiger ordered Rupertus to pull the all but annihilated 1st Marine Regiment out of the line as they were no longer combat-effective. Within days, the other two regiments would also be withdrawn from the island and replaced by three Army regiments who would also be eventually pulled out.

Return to the US
Puller returned to the United States in November 1944, was named executive officer of the Infantry Training Regiment at Camp Lejeune and, two weeks later, commanding officer. After the war, he was made director of the 8th Reserve District at New Orleans, and later commanded the Marine barracks at Pearl Harbor.

Korean War

At the outbreak of the Korean War, Puller was once again assigned as commander of the 1st Marine Regiment. He participated in the landing at Inchon on September 15, 1950, and was awarded the Silver Star Medal. For leadership from September 15 through November 2, he was awarded his second Legion of Merit. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross from the U.S. Army for heroism in action from November 29 to December 4, and his fifth Navy Cross for heroism during December 5–10, 1950, at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. It was during that battle that he said the famous line, "We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things."

In January 1951, Puller was promoted to brigadier general and was assigned duty as assistant division commander (ADC) of the 1st Marine Division. On February 24, however, his immediate superior, Major General Oliver Prince Smith, was hastily transferred to command IX Corps when its Army commander, Major General Bryant Moore, died. Smith's transfer left Puller temporarily in command of the 1st Marine Division until sometime in March. He completed his tour of duty as assistant commander and left for the United States on May 20, 1951. He took command of the 3rd Marine Division at Camp Pendleton in California until January 1952, and then was assistant commander of the division until June 1952. He then took over Troop Training Unit Pacific at Coronado, California. In September 1953, he was promoted to major general.

Post-Korean War life
In July 1954, Puller took command of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina until February 1955 when he became Deputy Camp Commander. He suffered a stroke, and was retired by the Marine Corps on November 1, 1955, with a promotion to lieutenant general.

His nickname was related to the way his barrel chest stood out due to his aggressive stance, with legends claiming that a steel plate had been inserted by surgeons to treat a battle wound. In a handwritten addition to a typed November 22, 1954, letter to Major Frank C. Sheppard, Puller wrote, "I agree with you 100%. I had done a little soldiering previous to Guadalcanal and had been called a lot of names, but why 'Chesty'? Especially the steel part??"

Relations
Puller's son, Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr. (generally known as Lewis Puller), served as a Marine lieutenant in the Vietnam War. While serving with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (2/1), Lewis Jr. was severely wounded by a mine explosion, losing both legs and parts of his hands. Lieutenant General Puller broke down sobbing at seeing his son for the first time in the hospital. Lewis Jr. won a 1992 Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography, Fortunate Son: The Healing of a Vietnam Vet. He committed suicide in 1994.

Puller was father-in-law to Colonel William H. Dabney, USMC (retired), a Virginia Military Institute (VMI) graduate, who was the commanding officer (then Captain) of two heavily reinforced rifle companies of the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines (3/26) from January 21 to April 14, 1968, in Vietnam. During the entire period, Dabney's force stubbornly defended Hill 881 South, a regional outpost vital to the defense of the Khe Sanh Combat Base during the 77-day siege at the Battle of Khe Sanh. Dabney was recommended for the Navy Cross for his actions on Hill 881 South, but his battalion executive officer's helicopter carrying the recommendation papers crashed and the papers were lost. It was not until April 15, 2005, that Colonel Dabney received the Navy Cross during an award ceremony at Virginia Military Institute.

Puller was a distant cousin to U.S. Army General George S. Patton.

He was an Episcopalian and parishioner of Christ Church Parish in Saluda and is buried in the historic cemetery there next to his wife, Virginia Montague Evans.

Decorations and awards
Puller received the second-highest U.S. military award six times (one of only two persons so honored): five Navy Crosses and one U.S. Army Distinguished Service Cross. He was the second of two U.S. servicemen (after U.S. Navy submarine commander Roy Milton Davenport) to ever receive five Navy Crosses.

Puller's military awards include:

First Navy Cross citation
Citation: "For distinguished service in the line of his profession while commanding a Nicaraguan National Guard patrol. First Lieutenant Lewis B. Puller, United States Marine Corps, successfully led his forces into five successful engagements against superior numbers of armed bandit forces; namely, at LaVirgen on 16 February 1930, at Los Cedros on 6 June 1930, at Moncotal on 22 July 1930, at Guapinol on 25 July 1930, and at Malacate on 19 August 1930, with the result that the bandits were in each engagement completely routed with losses of nine killed and many wounded. By his intelligent and forceful leadership without thought of his own personal safety, by great physical exertion and by suffering many hardships, Lieutenant Puller surmounted all obstacles and dealt five successive and severe blows against organized banditry in the Republic of Nicaragua."

Second Navy Cross citation
Citation:

"First Lieutenant Lewis B. Puller, United States Marine Corps (Captain, Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua) performed exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility while in command of a Guardia Patrol from 20 September to 1 October 1932. Lieutenant Puller and his command of forty Guardia and Gunnery Sergeant William A. Lee, United States Marine Corps, serving as a First Lieutenant in the Guardia, penetrated the isolated mountainous bandit territory for a distance of from eighty to one hundred miles north of Jinotega, his nearest base. This patrol was ambushed on 26 September 1932, at a point northeast of Mount Kilambe by an insurgent force of one hundred fifty in a well-prepared position armed with not less than seven automatic weapons and various classes of small arms and well-supplied with ammunition. Early in the combat, Gunnery Sergeant Lee, the Second in Command, was seriously wounded and reported as dead. The Guardia immediately behind Lieutenant Puller in the point was killed by the first burst of fire, Lieutenant Puller, with great courage, coolness and display of military judgment, so directed the fire and movement of his men that the enemy were driven first from the high ground on the right of his position, and then by a flanking movement forced from the high ground to the left and finally were scattered in confusion with a loss of ten killed and many wounded by the persistent and well-directed attack of the patrol. The numerous casualties suffered by the enemy and the Guardia losses of two killed and four wounded are indicative of the severity of the enemy resistance. This signal victory in jungle country, with no lines of communication and a hundred miles from any supporting force, was largely due to the indomitable courage and persistence of the patrol commander. Returning with the wounded to Jinotega, the patrol was ambushed twice by superior forces on 30 September. On both of the occasions the enemy was dispersed with severe losses."

Third Navy Cross citation
Citation:

"For extraordinary heroism as Commanding Officer of the First Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, during the action against enemy Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on the night of 24 to 25 October 1942. While Lieutenant Colonel Puller's battalion was holding a mile-long front in a heavy downpour of rain, a Japanese force, superior in number, launched a vigorous assault against that position of the line which passed through a dense jungle. Courageously withstanding the enemy's desperate and determined attacks, Lieutenant Colonel Puller not only held his battalion to its position until reinforcements arrived three hours later, but also effectively commanded the augmented force until late in the afternoon of the next day. By his tireless devotion to duty and cool judgment under fire, he prevented a hostile penetration of our lines and was largely responsible for the successful defense of the sector assigned to his troops."

Fourth Navy Cross citation
Citation:

"For extraordinary heroism as Executive Officer of the Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, serving with the Sixth United States Army, in combat against enemy Japanese forces at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, from 26 December 1943 to 19 January 1944. Assigned temporary command of the Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, from 4 to 9 January, Lieutenant Colonel Puller quickly reorganized and advanced his unit, effecting the seizure of the objective without delay. Assuming additional duty in command of the Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, from 7 to 8 January, after the commanding officer and executive officer had been wounded, Lieutenant Colonel Puller unhesitatingly exposed himself to rifle, machine-gun and mortar fire from strongly entrenched Japanese positions to move from company to company in his front lines, reorganizing and maintaining a critical position along a fire-swept ridge. His forceful leadership and gallant fighting spirit under the most hazardous conditions were contributing factors in the defeat of the enemy during this campaign and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

Fifth Navy Cross citation
Citation

"For extraordinary heroism as Commanding Officer of the First Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against aggressor forces in the vicinity of Koto-ri, Korea, from 5 to 10 December 1950. Fighting continuously in sub-zero weather against a vastly outnumbering hostile force, Colonel Puller drove off repeated and fanatical enemy attacks upon his Regimental defense sector and supply points. Although the area was frequently covered by grazing machine-gun fire and intense artillery and mortar fire, he coolly moved along his troops to insure their correct tactical employment, reinforced the lines as the situation demanded, and successfully defended the perimeter, keeping open the main supply routes for the movement of the Division. During the attack from Koto-ri to Hungnam, he expertly utilized his Regiment as the Division rear guard, repelling two fierce enemy assaults which severely threatened the security of the unit, and personally supervised the care and prompt evacuation of all casualties. By his unflagging determination, he served to inspire his men to heroic efforts in defense of their positions and assured the safety of much valuable equipment which would otherwise have been lost to the enemy. His skilled leadership, superb courage and valiant devotion to duty in the face of overwhelming odds reflect the highest credit upon Colonel Puller and the United States Naval Service."

Distinguished Service Cross citation
Citation:

"The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Colonel Lewis B. 'Chesty' Puller (MCSN: 0-3158), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as Commanding Officer, First Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir, Korea, during the period 29 November to 4 December 1950. Colonel Puller's actions contributed materially to the breakthrough of the First Marine Regiment in the Chosin Reservoir area and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service."

Silver Star citation
Citation:

"The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star (Army Award) to Colonel Lewis B. 'Chesty' Puller (MCSN: 0-3158), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while Commanding the First Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces during the amphibious landing resulting in the capture of Inchon, Korea, on 15 September 1950 in the Inchon-Seoul Operation. His actions contributed materially to the success of this operation and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Military Service."

Namesakes and honors
In addition to his military awards Puller has received numerous honors due to his Marine Corps service:
 * On October 26, 2017, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Puller Veterans Care Center located in Vint Hill, Fauquier County, Virginia. The facility was named in honor of Puller and his wife.
 * The frigate USS Lewis B. Puller (FFG-23) was named after him.
 * The headquarters building for 2nd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team on Yorktown Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown, Virginia, is named Puller Hall in his honor.
 * Route 33 in Middlesex County, Virginia, is named General Puller Highway. It is the county in which Puller is buried.
 * On November 10, 2005, the United States Postal Service issued its Distinguished Marines stamps in which Puller was honored.
 * The Marine Corps' mascot is perpetually named "Chesty Pullerton." (e.g. Chesty XIII). He is always a purebred English Bulldog.
 * In 2012, Military Sealift Command announced that a Mobile Landing Platform will be named after Puller, USNS Lewis B. Puller (T-MLP-3/T-AFSB-1).

Death and legacy
Following his retirement Puller lived in Saluda, Virginia, where he was later buried after his death on October 11, 1971, at Christ Church Cemetery next to his wife.

Puller remains a well-known figure in U.S. Marine Corps folklore, with both true and exaggerated tales of his experiences being constantly recounted among U.S. Marines.

A common practice in U.S. Marine Corps boot camp is to end one's day with the declaration, "Good night, Chesty, wherever you are!" Another common encouragement is "Chesty Puller never quit!"

In U.S. Marine Corps recruit training and OCS cadences, Marines chant "It was good for Chesty Puller/And it's good enough for me" as well as "Tell Chesty Puller I did my best."—Chesty is symbolic of the esprit de corps of the Marines. Also, the recruits sing "Chesty Puller was a good Marine and a good Marine was he."

U.S. Marines, while doing pull-ups, will tell each other to "do one for Chesty!"

Puller insisted upon good equipment and discipline; once he came upon a second lieutenant who had ordered an enlisted man to salute him 100 times for missing a salute. Puller told the lieutenant, "You were absolutely correct in making him salute you 100 times, Lieutenant, but you know that an officer must return every salute he receives. Now return them all, and I will keep count."

While on duty in Hawaii and inspecting the armory, Puller fined himself $100 for accidentally discharging a .45 caliber pistol indoors, although the charge for his men was only $20.

A section of Virginia Highway 33 running from West Point to the Gloucester County community of Glenns is named Lewis B Puller Memorial Highway.

In popular culture

 * The book Marine!: The Life of Chesty Puller, ISBN 978-0553271829, is about his life as a Marine.
 * The book Chesty Puller's Rules of Success, ISBN 978-1885541079, written by Bill Davis, Col, USMC (ret) explores 20 of Puller's "self-imposed principles of action" he gleaned from numerous meetings with the legendary General.
 * The biography Chesty: The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC, ISBN 978-0375760440, by Col. Jon T. Hoffman, USMCR, won the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's 2001 General Wallace M. Greene Award: Best Marine Corps History Book of the Year.
 * John Ford directed Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend a 1976 film documentary.
 * In the HBO miniseries The Pacific (2010), Puller is played by the American actor William Sadler.
 * In the Sidney J. Furie film The Boys in Company C (1978), a Junior Drill Instructor [Don Bell] puts his Marine Corps recruits to bed with the line 'Good night Chesty, wherever you are' in reference to Chesty Puller.

title: Chesty Puller


text:
Jean-Henri Fabre

Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre (21 December 1823 – 11 October 1915) was a French naturalist, entomologist, and author known for the lively style of his popular books on the lives of insects.

Biography
Fabre was born on 21 December 1823 in Saint-Léons in Aveyron, France. Fabre was largely an autodidact, owing to the poverty of his family. Nevertheless, he acquired a primary teaching certificate at the young age of 19 and began teaching in Carpentras whilst pursuing further studies. In 1849, he was appointed to a teaching post in Ajaccio (Corsica), then in 1853 moved on to the lycée in Avignon.

Fabre was a popular teacher, physicist, chemist and botanist. However, he is probably best known for his findings in the field of entomology, the study of insects, and is considered by many to be the father of modern entomology. Much of his enduring popularity is due to his marvellous teaching ability and his manner of writing about the lives of insects in biographical form, which he preferred to a clinically detached, journalistic mode of recording. In doing so he combined what he called "my passion for scientific truth" with keen observations and an engaging, colloquial style of writing. Fabre (translated) wrote:

"Others again have reproached me with my style, which has not the solemnity, nay, better, the dryness of the schools. They fear lest a page that is read without fatigue should not always be the expression of the truth. Were I to take their word for it, we are profound only on condition of being obscure." His Souvenirs Entomologiques is a series of texts on insects and arachnids. He influenced the later writings of Charles Darwin, who called Fabre "an inimitable observer". Fabre, however, was a Christian who remained sceptical about Darwin's theory of evolution, as he always held back from all theories and systems. His special force was exact and detailed observation, field research, always avoiding general conclusions from his observations, which he considered premature.

In one of Fabre's most famous experiments, he arranged pine processionary caterpillars to form a continuous loop around the edge of a pot. As each caterpillar instinctively followed the silken trail of the caterpillars in front of it, the group moved around in a circle for seven days. He further was able to forecast low atmospheric pressure events by observing the behaviours of the caterpillars.

He died on 11 October 1915. In the English speaking world, he became known through the extensive translations of his work by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, carried out from 1912 to 1922.

Works

 * Scène de la vie des insectes
 * Chimie agricole (textbook) (1862)
 * La Terre (1865)
 * Le Ciel (textbook) (1867) - Scanned text on Gallica
 * Le livre d’histoires, récits scientifiques de l’oncle Paul à ses neveux. Lectures courantes pour toutes les écoles (textbook) (1869) - High definition PDF file
 * Catalogue des « Insectes Coléoptères observés aux environs d'Avignon » (1870)
 * Les Ravageurs (1870)
 * Les Auxiliaires, récits de l’oncle Paul sur les animaux utiles à l’agriculture (1873) High definition PDF file
 * Aurore (textbook) (1874) Scanned text on Gallica
 * Botanique (textbook) (1874)
 * L'Industrie (textbook) (1875)
 * Les Serviteurs (textbook) (1875)
 * Sphériacées du Vaucluse (1878)
 * Souvenirs entomologiques – 1st series (1879) – Scanned text on Gallica
 * Etude sur les moeurs des Halictes (1879)
 * Le Livre des Champs (1879)
 * Lectures sur la Botanique (1881)
 * Nouveaux souvenirs entomologiques – 2nd series (1882) – Scanned text on Gallica
 * Lectures sur la Zoologie (1882)
 * Zoologie (textbook) (1884)
 * Souvenirs entomologiques – 3rd series (1886) – Scanned text on Gallica
 * Histoire naturelles (textbook) (1889)
 * Souvenirs entomologiques – 4th series (1891) – Scanned text on Gallica
 * La plante : leçons à mon fils sur la botanique (livre scolaire) (1892) – Scanned text on Gallica
 * Souvenirs entomologiques – 5th series (1897) – Scanned text on Gallica
 * Souvenirs entomologiques – 6th series (1900) – Scanned text on Gallica
 * Souvenirs entomologiques – 7th series (1901) – Scanned text on Gallica
 * Souvenirs entomologiques – 8th series (1903)
 * Souvenirs entomologiques – 9th series (1905)
 * Souvenirs entomologiques – 10th series (1909)
 * Fabre's Book of Insects retold from Alexander Teixeira de Mattos' translation of Fabre's Souvenirs entomologiques Scanned book
 * Oubreto Provençalo dou Felibre di Tavan (1909) Text on Jean-Henri Fabre, e-museum
 * La Vie des insectes (1910)
 * Mœurs des insectes (1911)
 * Les Merveilles de l'instinct chez les insectes (1913)
 * Le monde merveilleux des insectes (1921)
 * Poésie françaises et provençales (1925) (final edition)
 * La Vie des araignées (1928)
 * Bramble-Bees and Others Scanned book, Project Gutenberg full text
 * The Life of the Grasshopper. Dodd, Mead, and company, 1917. ASIN B00085HYR4
 * Insect Adventures. Dodd, Mead, 1917. Selections from Alexander Teixeira de Mattos' translation of Fabre's Souvenirs entomologiques, retold for young people.
 * The Life of the Caterpillar. Dodd, Mead, 1919. ASIN B00089FB2A
 * Field, Forest, and Farm: Things interesting to young nature lovers, including some matters of moment to gardeners and fruit-growers. The Century Company, 1919. ASIN B00085PDU4 Full text
 * This Earth of Ours: Talks about Mountains and Rivers, Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Geysers & Other Things. Albert & Charles Boni, 1923. ASIN B000EHLE22
 * The Life of The Scorpion. University Press of the Pacific, 2002 (reprinted from the 1923 edition). ISBN 0-89875-842-4
 * The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles. Dodd, Mead, 1919. ASIN B000882F2K
 * The Mason Bees (Translated) Garden City, 1925. ASIN B00086XXU0; Reprinted in 2004 by Kessinger Publishing; ISBN 1-4179-1676-1; ISBN 978-1-4179-1676-4 Scanned book, Project Gutenberg full text
 * Curiosities of Science. The Century Company, 1927. ASIN B00086KVBE
 * The Insect World of J. Henri Fabre. Introduction and Interpretive Comments by Edwin Way Teale; foreword to 1991 edition by Gerald Durrell.  Published by Dodd, Mead in 1949; Reprinted by Beacon Press in 1991; ISBN 0-8070-8513-8
 * The Life of the Spider (1912) (Translated) preface by Maurice Maeterlinck Scanned book, Wikisource full text
 * The Life of the Fly. (Translated) Fredonia Books, 2001. ISBN 1-58963-026-2; ISBN 978-1-58963-026-0 Scanned book
 * The Hunting Wasps. University Press of the Pacific, 2002. ISBN 1-4102-0007-8; ISBN 978-1-4102-0007-5
 * More Hunting Wasps Scanned book Project Gutenberg full text
 * The Wonders of Instinct: Chapters in the Psychology of Insects. University Press of the Pacific, 2002. ISBN 0-89875-768-1; ISBN 978-0-89875-768-2 Scanned book, Project Gutenberg full text
 * Social Life in the Insect World Scanned book, Project Gutenberg full text
 * Insect life Scanned book

Legacy
The site of his birth, at St Léons, near Millau is now the site of Micropolis, a tourist attraction dedicated to popularising entomology and a museum on his life.

His last home and office, the Harmas de Fabre in Provence is similarly a museum devoted to his life and work. His insect collection is preserved in the Musée Requien in Avignon.

The French post office commemorated Fabre in 1956 with a stamp depicting a portrait of him.

The 1951 biographical film Monsieur Fabre is devoted to his life.

Blood of the Mantis, a 2009 fantasy novel by the British author Adrian Tchaikovsky is dedicated to Fabre.

Fabre appears as the only major human character in a Caper story parody set on his property in Matthew Bennardo's short story "The Famous Fabre Fly Caper".

Biographies

 * G.V. Legros, (Bernard Miall, translator), Fabre, Poet of Science. T. Fisher Unwin, 1913. (Reprinted by University Press of the Pacific, 2002, ISBN 0-89875-945-5; ISBN 978-0-89875-945-7) Scanned book
 * E.L. Bouvier, "The Life and Work of J.H. Fabre". Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution, 1916, pages 587–597.
 * Augustin Fabre, The Life of Jean Henri Fabre. Dodd, Mead, 1921. Scanned version on the Internet Archive
 * Percy F. Bicknell, The Human Side of Fabre. The Century Company, 1923.
 * Eleanor Doorly, The Insect Man, William Heinemann, 1936

title: Jean-Henri Fabre


text:
Johnnie Johnson (musician)

Johnnie Clyde Johnson (July 8, 1924 – April 13, 2005) was an American pianist who played jazz, blues, and rock and roll. His work with Chuck Berry led to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for breaking racial barriers in the military as a Montford Point Marine, where he endured racism and inspired social change while integrating the previously all-white Marine Corps during World War II.

Career
Johnson was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, United States. He began playing the piano in 1928. During World War II, he joined the United States Marine Corps and became a member of Bobby Troup's all-serviceman jazz orchestra: the Barracudas. After his service, Johnson moved to Detroit and then Chicago, where he sat in with many notable artists, including Muddy Waters and Little Walter.

Johnson moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1952 and immediately assembled a jazz and blues group called the Sir John Trio with the drummer Ebby Hardy and the saxophonist Alvin Bennett. The three had a regular engagement at the Cosmopolitan Club in East St. Louis. On New Year's Eve 1952, Bennett suffered a stroke and could not perform. While searching for a last-minute replacement, Johnson called a young man named Chuck Berry. Berry was the only musician he knew who, because of his inexperience, would likely not be playing on New Year's Eve. Although Berry was hired as a limited guitarist, he added vocals and showmanship to the group and soon became a permanent member of the trio.

Berry took one of their tunes, a reworking of Bob Wills's version of "Ida Red", to Chess Records in 1955. The Chess brothers liked the song and soon the trio were in Chicago recording "Maybellene" and "Wee Wee Hours" – a song Johnson played as an instrumental for years before Berry wrote some accompanying lyrics. The same year "Maybellene" got Berry and Johnson onto the Billboard charts. Berry was soon signed as a solo act while Johnson and Hardy became part of Berry's band. "I figured we could get better jobs with Chuck running the band." Said Johnson. "He had a car and rubber wheels beat rubber heels any day."

Over the next twenty years, the two collaborated on many of Berry's songs, including "School Days", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Carol", and "Nadine". The song "Johnny B. Goode" was reportedly a tribute to Johnson's behavior when he was drinking.

Berry and Johnson played and toured together on and off, until 1973. Although never on his payroll after 1973, Johnson played occasionally with Berry, until he sued Berry over songwriting credits and royalties.

Johnson was known to have a serious drinking problem. In Berry's autobiography, he wrote that he had declared there would be no drinking in the car while the band was on the road. Johnson and his bandmates complied with the request by putting their heads out the window. Johnson denied the story but said he did drink on the road. Johnson quit drinking in 1991, after nearly suffering a stroke on stage with Eric Clapton.

Aside from songwriting and performing with Berry, Johnson made many significant contributions to blues and rock and roll. Johnson was the leader of Albert King's rhythm section during King's most prolific and musically significant period. Johnson also served as one of the cornerstones of the St. Louis blues scene. In the early and mid 1980s he was a member of The Sounds of The City, with vocalist Larry Thurston, bassist Gus Thornton, and guitarist Tom Maloney. Johnson performed all over St. Louis with Tommy Bankhead, Oliver Sain, and many significant blues artists throughout their lives.

Johnson received little recognition until the Chuck Berry concert documentary, Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll, was released in 1987. The experience forged a permanent bond between him, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Steve Jordan. Although Johnson had been supporting himself as a bus driver in St. Louis, the exposure and experience of the film helped him return to headlining.

He recorded his first solo album, Blue Hand Johnnie, that year. Having worked steadily in St. Louis, Johnson returned to performing all over the world. He performed with the Kentucky Headhunters on occasion and was featured in both the "Dumas Walker" and "Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine" videos. Eric Clapton hired him as a featured artist for his annual Royal Albert Hall blues shows. Keith Richards employed Johnson in the Xpensive Winos, and Johnson played piano on Richards' debut solo album, Talk Is Cheap (1988). Johnson toured worldwide as a solo artist, and released records produced by Keith Richards, Jimmy Vivino, and Al Kooper. He later performed with Richards, Clapton, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, and George Thorogood on Thorogood's 1995 live album, Live: Let's Work Together. In 1996 and 1997, Johnson toured with Bob Weir's band, Ratdog, playing 67 shows. In 1997, Johnson, Raymond Cantrell, and Stevie Lee Dodge composed the St. Charles Blues Trio.

In 1998, Johnson told Doug Donnelly of Monroenews.com that "Johnny B. Goode" was a tribute to Johnson himself. "I played no part in nothing of 'Johnny B. Goode,'" Johnson said. "On other songs, Chuck and I worked together, but not that one. We were playing one night, I think it was Chicago, and he played it. Afterward, he told me it was a tribute to me. He did it on his own. I didn't know nothing about it. It was never discussed."

A biography of Johnson, Father of Rock and Roll: The Story of Johnnie B. Goode Johnson, by Travis Fitzpatrick, was published in 1999. The book was entered into the annual Pulitzer Prize competition by Congressman John Conyers and garnered Johnson more recognition.

Johnson received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 2000.

Johnson's final album, ''Johnnie Be Eighty. And Still Bad!'', was recorded in St. Louis in late 2004, consisting of all original songs written with the producer, Jeff Alexander, which was a first for Johnson. The album was released the same week he died in April 2005, and contains the biographical "Beach Weather" and "Lucky Four".

In 2005, he played piano on Styx's re-recording of "Blue Collar Man", entitled "Blue Collar Man @ 2120", for their album Big Bang Theory. It was recorded at Chess Studios, on the 46th anniversary of the recording of "Johnnie B. Goode" at the same studio.

Johnson died at the age of 80 from a kidney ailment and pneumonia in St. Louis on April 13, 2005. He was interred in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

Legacy
In November 2000, Johnson sued Chuck Berry, alleging he deserved co-composer credits (and royalties) for dozens of songs, including "No Particular Place to Go," "Sweet Little Sixteen", and "Roll Over Beethoven," which credit Berry alone. The case was eventually dismissed, because too many years had passed since the songs in dispute were written.

In 2001, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in the category "Sidemen," after a campaign by the businessman George Turek, Johnson's biographer Travis Fitzpatrick, and the guitarist Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

Johnson has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Johnson was the subject of a Homespun Tapes piano instructional video, The Blues/Rock Piano of Johnnie Johnson: Sessions with a Keyboard Legend. Originally released in 1999 (a DVD was issued in 2005), the video is hosted by David Bennett Cohen, along with Johnson's band, featuring guitarist Jimmy Vivino.

The Johnnie Johnson Blues & Jazz Festival is held annually in Fairmont West Virginia, only a few blocks from where Johnson was born.

Discography

 * 1959: Organ in Hi-Fi [instrumental] (Riviera Records R0044/STR044)
 * 1987: Blue Hand Johnnie (Evidence Music), with Oliver Sain
 * 1991: Johnnie B. Bad (Elektra), with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Bernard Fowler
 * 1991: Rockin' Eighty-Eights (Modern Blues Recordings), with Clayton Love and Jimmy Vaughan (not to be confused with Jimmie Vaughan of the Fabulous Thunderbirds)
 * 1993: That'll Work (Elektra), with the Kentucky Headhunters and Jimmy Hall
 * 1995: Johnnie Be Back (MusicMasters), with Buddy Guy, Al Kooper, John Sebastian and Max Weinberg
 * 1997: Johnnie B. Live (Father of Rock and Roll Music), with Jimmy Vivino and Al Kooper
 * 1999: Father of Rock and Roll (Father of Rock and Roll Music), CD accompanying the book Father of Rock and Roll: The Story of Johnnie B. Goode Johnson, featuring new recordings of Johnson and Berry songs
 * 2005: Johnnie Be Eighty...And Still Bad! (Cousin Moe Music), produced by Jeff Alexander, with Rich McDonough (guitar), Gus Thornton (bass), Joe Pastor (drums), Larry Thurston (vocals) and Victor "Big Daddy" Johnson (vocals)
 * 2015: Meet Me in Bluesland (Alligator), with the Kentucky Headhunters

Singles

 * 1994: "Sunday Blues" (with The Kentucky Headhunters)

title: Johnnie Johnson (musician)