At the Hop!

The Platters!

With classics such as "The Great Pretender," "Only You," and their rendition of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," the Platters were one of the preeminent doo-wop groups of the rock & roll era. Under the guidance of manager and producer Buck Ram, the Platters churned out hit after hit during the 1950s, bridging the gap between more traditional vocal-group stylings and the popular R&B grooves of the early '50s. Their sound was unique, marked by lead singer Tony Williams' powerful vocals and the feminine touch of singer Zola Taylor. Although competing versions of the Platters confused the public for many years, original founding member Herb Reed eventually solidified his rights to the name and the group continued recording and performing in the 2010s.

The Platters started out in 1952 as a Los Angeles-based doo wop group who made a few records for Federal, a subsidiary of Cincinnati's King Records. What changed their fortunes boils down to one very important name: their mentor, manager, producer, songwriter, and vocal coach, Buck Ram. Ram took a standard doo wop vocal group and turned them into stars -- one of the most enduring and lucrative groups of all time. By 1954, Ram was already running a talent agency in Los Angeles, writing and arranging for publisher Mills Music, managing the Three Suns -- a pop group with some success -- and working with his protégés, the Penguins. The Platters seemed like a good addition to his stable.

After getting them out of their Federal contract, Ram placed them with the burgeoning national independent label Mercury Records (at the same time he brought over the Penguins following their success with "Earth Angel"), automatically getting them into pop markets through the label's distribution contacts alone. Then Ram started honing in on the group's strengths and weaknesses. The first thing he did was put the lead-vocal status squarely on the shoulders of lead tenor Tony Williams. Williams' emoting power was turned up full blast with the group (now augmented with Zola Taylor from Shirley Gunter & the Queens) working as very well-structured vocal support framing his every note. With Ram's pop songwriting classics as their musical palette, the group quickly became a pop and R&B success, eventually earning the distinction of being the first black act of the era to top the pop charts. Considered the most romantic of all the doo wop groups (that is, the ultimate in "make out music"), hit after hit came tumbling forth in a seemingly effortless manner: "Only You," "The Great Pretender," "My Prayer," "Twilight Time," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Harbor Lights," all of them establishing the Platters as the classiest of all.

In 1961, Williams struck out on his own. By the decade's end, the group had disbanded, with various members starting up their own version of the Platters. Decades of competing versions ensued, until original member Herb Reed finally won a series of court cases. Reed, who died in 2012, restarted the group and patterned them on the original, with members including Wayne Miller, Valerie Victoria, Frank Pizarro, and Cheo Bourne, plus music director Michael Larson. In 2015, the only group authorized to perform as the Platters released Back to Basics Live! on the You Dig It label. The album included a pair of Grammy Hall of Fame songs "Only You (And You Alone)" and "The Great Pretender." Also included was a bonus track, the new Platters' recording of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" (lead singer Pizarro was a first responder at the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001).

The Platters were one of the top vocal groups of the Fifties, delivering smooth, stylized renditions of pop standards. Like the Ink Spots a decade earlier, they were the most popular black group of their time, achieving success in a crooning, middle-of-the-road style that put a soulful coat of uptown polish on pop-oriented, harmony-rich material. Their lengthy string of hits began in 1955 with “Only You” and continued until the end of the decade, including four singles that reached Number One : “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” The secret of the Platters’ success had to do with their choice of material: adult ballads and standards that predated the rock and roll era and delivered with crisp, impeccable harmonies framed by string-laden arrangements. Much of the credit is due to Buck Ram, the group’s producer, manager and guiding light, who had worked with acts like the Ink Spots in the Forties.
The group got its start in Los Angeles in 1952. The original lineup included Alex Hodge, Cornell Gunter, David Lynch, Joe Jefferson, Gaynel Hodge and Herb Reed. Reed is credited with creating the group’s name. In June 1953, Gunter was replaced by Tony Williams, and Jefferson was no longer in the group. The Platters then signed with Federal Records. They released two singles, but had little success. More changes came, as they added female singer Zola Taylor to the lineup, and Hodge was replaced by Paul Robi. They recorded more songs for Federal and managed to score some regional hits on the West Coast.  They also became a profitable touring group.
Then, in 1954, the Platters moved to Mercury Records, where they remained until the mid-Sixties. “Only You,” a remake of a song they had released on Federal, took nearly five months to reach the charts, but it finally peaked at Number Five. Then came four Number One hits: “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”  Another single, “The Magic Touch,” made it to Number Four. The group’s popularity extended to England and Australia, where virtually all of these songs were hits.
The Platters’ sound was crisp and clear and, above all, understandable. They specialized in adult ballads and soulful renditions of pre-rock standards. During the latter half of the Fifties, the Platters were a global sensation, touring the world as “international ambassadors of musical goodwill” (per their record label). They also appeared in numerous rock-and-roll-themed movies, including Rock Around the Clock, The Girl Can’t Help It, Carnival Rock and Girl’s Town.
In 1960, lead vocalist Williams left to pursue a solo career. But the group continued to enjoy chart success. “Harbor Lights” made it to the Top 10, and several other singles, including “If I Didn’t Care” reached the Top 40. Taylor left the group in 1964, while Lynch and Robi left the following year. Still, in 1966, the group scored its biggest hit of the decade, “With This Ring.”
Even after their high profile waned on the national scene, the Platters remained popular along the Southeast coast, where they rank among the foremost exemplars of the “beach music” sound. Elsewhere, they’re fondly remembered as a throwback to a golden era when pop, rhythm & blues and rock and roll flowed together in perfect harmony. The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Herb Reed, the only member of the group to have appeared on all of its recordings, died on June 4, 2012, after a period of declining health.
- See more at: http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-platters/bio/#sthash.C7BHhzng.dpuf

The Platters were one of the top vocal groups of the Fifties, delivering smooth, stylized renditions of pop standards. Like the Ink Spots a decade earlier, they were the most popular black group of their time, achieving success in a crooning, middle-of-the-road style that put a soulful coat of uptown polish on pop-oriented, harmony-rich material. Their lengthy string of hits began in 1955 with “Only You” and continued until the end of the decade, including four singles that reached Number One : “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” The secret of the Platters’ success had to do with their choice of material: adult ballads and standards that predated the rock and roll era and delivered with crisp, impeccable harmonies framed by string-laden arrangements. Much of the credit is due to Buck Ram, the group’s producer, manager and guiding light, who had worked with acts like the Ink Spots in the Forties.
The group got its start in Los Angeles in 1952. The original lineup included Alex Hodge, Cornell Gunter, David Lynch, Joe Jefferson, Gaynel Hodge and Herb Reed. Reed is credited with creating the group’s name. In June 1953, Gunter was replaced by Tony Williams, and Jefferson was no longer in the group. The Platters then signed with Federal Records. They released two singles, but had little success. More changes came, as they added female singer Zola Taylor to the lineup, and Hodge was replaced by Paul Robi. They recorded more songs for Federal and managed to score some regional hits on the West Coast.  They also became a profitable touring group.
Then, in 1954, the Platters moved to Mercury Records, where they remained until the mid-Sixties. “Only You,” a remake of a song they had released on Federal, took nearly five months to reach the charts, but it finally peaked at Number Five. Then came four Number One hits: “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”  Another single, “The Magic Touch,” made it to Number Four. The group’s popularity extended to England and Australia, where virtually all of these songs were hits.
The Platters’ sound was crisp and clear and, above all, understandable. They specialized in adult ballads and soulful renditions of pre-rock standards. During the latter half of the Fifties, the Platters were a global sensation, touring the world as “international ambassadors of musical goodwill” (per their record label). They also appeared in numerous rock-and-roll-themed movies, including Rock Around the Clock, The Girl Can’t Help It, Carnival Rock and Girl’s Town.
In 1960, lead vocalist Williams left to pursue a solo career. But the group continued to enjoy chart success. “Harbor Lights” made it to the Top 10, and several other singles, including “If I Didn’t Care” reached the Top 40. Taylor left the group in 1964, while Lynch and Robi left the following year. Still, in 1966, the group scored its biggest hit of the decade, “With This Ring.”
Even after their high profile waned on the national scene, the Platters remained popular along the Southeast coast, where they rank among the foremost exemplars of the “beach music” sound. Elsewhere, they’re fondly remembered as a throwback to a golden era when pop, rhythm & blues and rock and roll flowed together in perfect harmony. The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Herb Reed, the only member of the group to have appeared on all of its recordings, died on June 4, 2012, after a period of declining health.
- See more at: http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-platters/bio/#sthash.C7BHhzng.dpuf

The Platters were one of the top vocal groups of the Fifties, delivering smooth, stylized renditions of pop standards. Like the Ink Spots a decade earlier, they were the most popular black group of their time, achieving success in a crooning, middle-of-the-road style that put a soulful coat of uptown polish on pop-oriented, harmony-rich material. Their lengthy string of hits began in 1955 with “Only You” and continued until the end of the decade, including four singles that reached Number One : “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” The secret of the Platters’ success had to do with their choice of material: adult ballads and standards that predated the rock and roll era and delivered with crisp, impeccable harmonies framed by string-laden arrangements. Much of the credit is due to Buck Ram, the group’s producer, manager and guiding light, who had worked with acts like the Ink Spots in the Forties.
The group got its start in Los Angeles in 1952. The original lineup included Alex Hodge, Cornell Gunter, David Lynch, Joe Jefferson, Gaynel Hodge and Herb Reed. Reed is credited with creating the group’s name. In June 1953, Gunter was replaced by Tony Williams, and Jefferson was no longer in the group. The Platters then signed with Federal Records. They released two singles, but had little success. More changes came, as they added female singer Zola Taylor to the lineup, and Hodge was replaced by Paul Robi. They recorded more songs for Federal and managed to score some regional hits on the West Coast.  They also became a profitable touring group.
Then, in 1954, the Platters moved to Mercury Records, where they remained until the mid-Sixties. “Only You,” a remake of a song they had released on Federal, took nearly five months to reach the charts, but it finally peaked at Number Five. Then came four Number One hits: “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”  Another single, “The Magic Touch,” made it to Number Four. The group’s popularity extended to England and Australia, where virtually all of these songs were hits.
The Platters’ sound was crisp and clear and, above all, understandable. They specialized in adult ballads and soulful renditions of pre-rock standards. During the latter half of the Fifties, the Platters were a global sensation, touring the world as “international ambassadors of musical goodwill” (per their record label). They also appeared in numerous rock-and-roll-themed movies, including Rock Around the Clock, The Girl Can’t Help It, Carnival Rock and Girl’s Town.
In 1960, lead vocalist Williams left to pursue a solo career. But the group continued to enjoy chart success. “Harbor Lights” made it to the Top 10, and several other singles, including “If I Didn’t Care” reached the Top 40. Taylor left the group in 1964, while Lynch and Robi left the following year. Still, in 1966, the group scored its biggest hit of the decade, “With This Ring.”
Even after their high profile waned on the national scene, the Platters remained popular along the Southeast coast, where they rank among the foremost exemplars of the “beach music” sound. Elsewhere, they’re fondly remembered as a throwback to a golden era when pop, rhythm & blues and rock and roll flowed together in perfect harmony. The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Herb Reed, the only member of the group to have appeared on all of its recordings, died on June 4, 2012, after a period of declining health.
- See more at: http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-platters/bio/#sthash.C7BHhzng.dpuf

Source: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-platters-mn0000894335/biography