Pop quiz: who originally recorded the 1973 and 2003 hit “Drift Away?”
If you answered Dobie Gray, you are incorrect. Although the late, great singer scored his biggest hit with it (and made a guest appearance on Uncle Kracker’s hit version in 2003 as well), Gray was actually the second artist to record “Drift Away.”
The original version was written by Mentor Williams and recorded a year earlier by actor/singer John Henry Kurtz (himself a Jersey rocker).
But it was Dobie Gray’s soulful cover that captured the spirit of the lyrics and made “Drift Away” one of the biggest hits of 1973.
“Drift Away” is a tribute to the enduring power of rock and roll to carry us through trying times, but when sung by one musician to another, it becomes a tribute to musical brotherhood as well.
That’s what happened one summer night in 1984 on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour. Bruce had just finished the main set of his tenth and final homecoming show at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, when he surprised and overjoyed fans by calling former bandmate Little Steven to the stage. Following a perhaps predictable “Two Hearts” (which almost always has their friendship as its subtext), Bruce promised “something special for you tonight.”
Following an almost mournful introduction by The Miami Horns, Bruce sang Mentor Williams’ instantly recognizable opening lyrics. Bruce’s vocals dripped with emotion and perfectly conveyed the “lost in the wilderness” setup of the song’s first verse; Steve’s response promised lifelong friendship and loyalty beyond the ad-libbed “twenty years you’ve given me.”
The rest of the performance… well, it’s better to just listen. You’ll feel the strength of their bond as if you were there.
(The entire show is available as part of Bruce’s official archive series… get it here.)
Bruce and Steve reprised their duet toward the end of the year in Memphis (without the Miami Horns, though), but after that the song disappeared from Bruce’s repertoire.
It remained a fan favorite, though, based on the bootlegs of that first performance that circulated widely over the years. And that’s probably why when the era of sign requests arrived, fans started bringing signs for it.
On August 18, 2012 (almost 28 years to the day since its first performance), Bruce granted the request late in the encores at his Wrecking Ball show in Foxborough, singing the first verse unaccompanied until the band (and the fans) joined a the chorus to carry the rest of the song.
Bruce played “Drift Away” once more (to date at least), in the spring of 2013 in Hannover, Germany. Even for fans who had been lucky enough to see any of the prior performances, this one was special in its own right. Bruce performed it solo on his acoustic guitar, accompanied only by the band’s backup singers until the band finally joined for the last choruses.
It’s a tender reading, and it’s one of my favorite moments of the 2013 tour.
Drift Away
First performed: August 20, 1984 (East Rutherford, NJ)
Last performed: May 28, 2013 (Hannover, Germany)
