Faye Treadwell (born Fayrene Lavern Johnson
September 5, 1926 – May 22, 2011
She was the manager of the Motown musical group THE DRIFTERS
Treadwell was one of the first African-American women managers during that era.
Fayrene Johnson was born on 5 September 1926 in Okolona, Arkansas to a schoolteacher and a Baptist minister. She was the eldest of their four children. She graduated from Arkansas Baptist College and went to work in education, for the Los Angeles School Board.
In 1957, she married George Treadwell, a manager whose clients included Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Dinah Washington. He had recently begun managing The Drifters. George died suddenly in 1967. Faye was a formidable businesswoman, she inherited the job of managing the group from her husband and fought numerous legal battles in order to hang on to the rights to a name that became, in effect, a franchise. at which point Faye Treadwell bought out his partners and took control of The Drifters.
Treadwell took The Drifters to London in the 1970s and was based there for 30 years, in addition to having a home in Englewood, New Jersey.
Treadwell fought many legal battles over the rights to The Drifters’ name.
Treadwell retired in 2001 due to ill health.
Treadwell died of complications of breast cancer on 22 May 2011 at the age of 84. Her daughter Tina Treadwell took over managing the legacy of The Drifters.
In November 2021, The Drifters Girl opened at the Garrick Theatre, telling the story of Treadwell’s life via a musical