Who sings drift away?
“Drift Away” (also known erroneously as “Give Me The Beat, Boys”) is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz in 1972. However, Dobie Gray’s cover is the most well known version. It became Gray’s biggest hit in 1973, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. This song is also a famous “goodbye” or ending song for concerts. Its use is often as filler for a last song, usually in preparation for an encore, since it has a catchy beat and a guitar solo can be easily added to the end of the song in order to spice things up before the encore. As such, many live covers have been performed by a multitude of bands and it has become a hit among soft rock fans. Appropriately, it was the final pop hit for Decca Records in the United States. There is a common misheard lyric in the chorus, as many incorrectly claim the first line to the chorus is “Gimme the Beach Boys and free my soul” as opposed to the actual “Gimme the beat, boys, and free my soul”. This
