Fake Drifters, Coasters Sued

12/22/1997 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Bruce Haring

(12/22/97) - Christopher and Delores Wilhelms of New Jersey have filed a class action civil suit December 10th in that state, charging Harrah's Atlantic City Casino and other parties with deceptive advertising based on October shows by bands billed as the Platters, the Drifters and the Coasters.

After viewing ABC-TV's Prime Time Live segment on impostor bands from the '50s and '60s, the Wilhelms learned the Harrah's concert they had seen did not feature a single original member from any of the bands. The suit alleges that during a 13-day run at the casino's Broadway Theater, about 25,000 concertgoers paid $25 each to attend shows advertised as reunions of original and authentic oldies groups.

Typically, early vocal groups do not own the rights to their names, allowing owners of the rights to assemble other players to perform the vintage hits under the original name.