The Platters Biography

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The Platters
Pop Music | 3 CD Set
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The popularity of two styles of music from earlier times occasionally causes problems that the courts have to adjudicate and nowhere is that more a concern than in the soul, doo wop vocals of the ‘50s. The other style is swing music from the ‘30s, with occasional ghost bands replaying that era’s hits. The Platters are one of those groups playing the field and others include the Coasters and the Drifters. An earlier group, The Ink Spots, are still touring the country, even though probably none of the originals from that ‘30s group either are alive or working. (At one time, it was said at least seven different Ink Spot quartets were touring). There is no mistaking the importance of the Platters. The quintet that formed in 1953 became the first black group to gain acceptance as a major chart act, leaving behind the "race records" bigotry. They were the most successful group of singers on record for a time even though personnel changes were an occasional problem. The group began as a quartet in 1953 when bass singer Herb Reed put together the quartet and took the name of the Platters from the slang term for records. They started out to have fun singing but began winning awards and soon found themselves in a recording contract with Federal Records. The next move came when songwriter/enterpreneur Buck Ram heard them and signed on as manager, a role he retained through the group’s career. One of the first things Ram did was to gain ownership of the name and then add a female singer. The original group was Reed, David Lynch, Tony Williams and Alex Hodge and then in 1954 Zola Taylor became the fifth member as Paul Robi replaced Hodge. The quintet’s first hit came in 1955 with "Only You" gaining the No. 5 slot on national charts. Then came major hits "The Great Pretender," "My Prayer," "Twilight Time," and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," all making the No. 1 spot up through 1959. Williams left for a solo career in 1961 and further personnel changes occurred. With Sonny Turner on board, the group shifted gears somewhat in a more contemporary manner, recording "I Love You 1000 Times" in 1966 and "With This Ring" in 1967. After that, the legitimate Platters became harder to find as the ‘70s came on and at least two one-time Platters formed their own group of Platters. The original group recorded some 400 songs and is said to have sold 89 million records in their career. They were in some two dozen movies, including "Rock Around the Clock" and inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1997, a federal court in Nevada ruled that Herb Reed was the only surviving original Platter and thus owns the exclusive right to the name. In 1999, the Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling. Reed took advantage of that in 2000 when he had a bogus group of Platters taken off a benefit concert in Massachusetts. No problem, as it turned out, since the show’s Platters magically became the Coasters. Reed still performs with his Platters.

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