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EspañolTHE PLATTERS
'The Platters' were a successful vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition, and the burgeoning new genre. The act went through many personnel changes, with the most successful incarnation comprising lead tenor Tony Williams, David Lynch, Paul Robi, Herb Reed, and Zola Taylor.
The Platters formed in Los Angeles in 1953 and were initially managed by Ralph Bass. The group had a contract with Federal Records but had found little success before meeting music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram. Ram made some changes to the lineup, most notably the addition of lead vocalist Tony Williams and female vocalist Zola Taylor. Under Ram's guidance, the Platters recorded seven singles for Federal in the R&B/gospel style, scoring a few minor regional hits on the West Coast. One song recorded during their Federal tenure, ''Only You (And You Alone),'' originally written by Ram for the Ink Spots was deemed unreleasable by the label.[1]
Despite their lack of chart success, the Platters were a profitable touring group--successful enough that The Penguins, coming off their #2 ''Earth Angel'' single, asked Ram to manage them as well. With the Penguins in hand, Ram was able to parlay Mercury Records' interest into a 2-for-1 deal. In order to sign the Penguins, Ram insisted, Mercury also had to take the Platters. Ironically, the Penguins would never have a hit for the label.
Convinced by his business partner Jean Bennett and Tony Williams that "Only You" had potential, Ram had the Platters re-record the song during their first session for Mercury. Released in the summer of 1955, it became the group's first Top Ten hit on the pop charts, and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The follow-up, ''The Great Pretender,'' with lyrics written in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, exceeded the success of their debut. It became the Platters' first national #1 hit. ''The Great Pretender'' was also the act's biggest R&B hit, with an eleven-week run atop that chart. In 1956, The Platters appeared in the first major motion picture based around rock and roll, ''Rock Around the Clock'', and performed both "Only You" and "The Great Pretender".
The Platters' unique vocal style had touched a nerve in the music-buying public, and a string of hit singles followed, including three further Hot 100 number one hits. The Platters soon hit upon the successful formula of updating older standards, such as ''My Prayer'', ''Twilight Time'', ''Harbor Lights'', ''To Each His Own'', ''If I Didn't Care'' and Jerome Kern's ''Smoke Gets In Your Eyes''. This latter release caused a small controversy after Kern's widow expressed concern that her late husband's composition would be turned into a "rock and roll" record. It topped both the American and British charts in a tasteful Platters-style arrangement. The Platters were also the first rock and roll group to have a Top Ten album in America.
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998. The Platters were the only act to have three songs included on the "American Graffiti" soundtrack: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Great Pretender" and "Only You (and You Alone)".
The group's lineup has changed many times. The original lineup in 1953 included lead vocalist Cornell Gunter, Herb Reed, Alex Hodge, Joe Jefferson, and David Lynch. This lineup changed when the group signed with Ram, who built the group around Tony Williams' voice and his ability to bring life to Ram's songs. Within a year, Hodge, Jefferson, and Gunter were out, and Paul Robi, Zola Taylor, and new lead Tony Williams were in. This lineup lasted until 1960. At that time Williams left for a solo career, and was replaced by Sonny Turner. Mercury refused to issue further Platters releases without Williams on lead vocals, provoking a lawsuit between the label and manager Ram. The label spent two years releasing old Williams-era material until the group's contract elapsed.
As the group's lineup splintered further, endless wrangling over the lucrative "Platters" name began, with injunctions, non-compete clauses and multiple versions of the act touring at the same time. Williams would lead his own Platters group, as would Zola Taylor (who left in 1964) and Paul Robi (who departed in 1965). The Buck Ram Platters had the strongest contractual claim to the name, despite having only one original member (Herb Reed). Despite the confusion, "The Platters" lineup with lead vocalist Sonny Turner, Nate Nelson, David Lynch, Herb Reed and Sandra Dawn signed to Musicor Records and enjoyed a short chart renaissance in 1966-67, with the comeback singles ''I Love You 1000 Times'' ,''With This Ring'', and the Motown-influenced "Washed Ashore".
Herb Reed, the final Platter, left in 1969. He would eventually lead an "official" Platters group under license from The Five Platters, Inc. Nelson filled Robi's vacancy in 1967 and stayed until suffering a fatal heart attack in 1984. Sonny Turner left in 1970 and was replaced by Monroe Powell. (Turner led his own Platters group starting in
| Contents |
| Band formation and early years |
| Charting hits |
| Changing lineup |
| Recent history and consolidation |
| Hit singles |
| External links |
Band formation and early years
The Platters formed in Los Angeles in 1953 and were initially managed by Ralph Bass. The group had a contract with Federal Records but had found little success before meeting music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram. Ram made some changes to the lineup, most notably the addition of lead vocalist Tony Williams and female vocalist Zola Taylor. Under Ram's guidance, the Platters recorded seven singles for Federal in the R&B/gospel style, scoring a few minor regional hits on the West Coast. One song recorded during their Federal tenure, ''Only You (And You Alone),'' originally written by Ram for the Ink Spots was deemed unreleasable by the label.[1]
Despite their lack of chart success, the Platters were a profitable touring group--successful enough that The Penguins, coming off their #2 ''Earth Angel'' single, asked Ram to manage them as well. With the Penguins in hand, Ram was able to parlay Mercury Records' interest into a 2-for-1 deal. In order to sign the Penguins, Ram insisted, Mercury also had to take the Platters. Ironically, the Penguins would never have a hit for the label.
Charting hits
Convinced by his business partner Jean Bennett and Tony Williams that "Only You" had potential, Ram had the Platters re-record the song during their first session for Mercury. Released in the summer of 1955, it became the group's first Top Ten hit on the pop charts, and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The follow-up, ''The Great Pretender,'' with lyrics written in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, exceeded the success of their debut. It became the Platters' first national #1 hit. ''The Great Pretender'' was also the act's biggest R&B hit, with an eleven-week run atop that chart. In 1956, The Platters appeared in the first major motion picture based around rock and roll, ''Rock Around the Clock'', and performed both "Only You" and "The Great Pretender".
The Platters' unique vocal style had touched a nerve in the music-buying public, and a string of hit singles followed, including three further Hot 100 number one hits. The Platters soon hit upon the successful formula of updating older standards, such as ''My Prayer'', ''Twilight Time'', ''Harbor Lights'', ''To Each His Own'', ''If I Didn't Care'' and Jerome Kern's ''Smoke Gets In Your Eyes''. This latter release caused a small controversy after Kern's widow expressed concern that her late husband's composition would be turned into a "rock and roll" record. It topped both the American and British charts in a tasteful Platters-style arrangement. The Platters were also the first rock and roll group to have a Top Ten album in America.
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998. The Platters were the only act to have three songs included on the "American Graffiti" soundtrack: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Great Pretender" and "Only You (and You Alone)".
Changing lineup
The group's lineup has changed many times. The original lineup in 1953 included lead vocalist Cornell Gunter, Herb Reed, Alex Hodge, Joe Jefferson, and David Lynch. This lineup changed when the group signed with Ram, who built the group around Tony Williams' voice and his ability to bring life to Ram's songs. Within a year, Hodge, Jefferson, and Gunter were out, and Paul Robi, Zola Taylor, and new lead Tony Williams were in. This lineup lasted until 1960. At that time Williams left for a solo career, and was replaced by Sonny Turner. Mercury refused to issue further Platters releases without Williams on lead vocals, provoking a lawsuit between the label and manager Ram. The label spent two years releasing old Williams-era material until the group's contract elapsed.
As the group's lineup splintered further, endless wrangling over the lucrative "Platters" name began, with injunctions, non-compete clauses and multiple versions of the act touring at the same time. Williams would lead his own Platters group, as would Zola Taylor (who left in 1964) and Paul Robi (who departed in 1965). The Buck Ram Platters had the strongest contractual claim to the name, despite having only one original member (Herb Reed). Despite the confusion, "The Platters" lineup with lead vocalist Sonny Turner, Nate Nelson, David Lynch, Herb Reed and Sandra Dawn signed to Musicor Records and enjoyed a short chart renaissance in 1966-67, with the comeback singles ''I Love You 1000 Times'' ,''With This Ring'', and the Motown-influenced "Washed Ashore".
Herb Reed, the final Platter, left in 1969. He would eventually lead an "official" Platters group under license from The Five Platters, Inc. Nelson filled Robi's vacancy in 1967 and stayed until suffering a fatal heart attack in 1984. Sonny Turner left in 1970 and was replaced by Monroe Powell. (Turner led his own Platters group starting in
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