Dancing partner the platters biography

He said no. He didn't even like it and laid it on top of the piano. When Tony came in to rehearse a couple of days later, he saw it, liked it, and the rest is history. The trades rated both sides "good" on June 26,but the public still wasn't buying. Sometime after the May session, Alex Hodge, the last of the original Flamingos, left.

In his place, the Platters acquired Paul Roby who, for reasons I've never known, went on to spell his name "Robi". Originally from New Orleans, Robi had been a soloist, pianist, and arranger around Los Angeles as well as a house painter. In truth, he'd been arrested for marijuana possession. The Platters hadn't gotten much better musically at this point, but at least their line-up of Tony Williams tenorZola Taylor altoDavid Lynch tenorPaul Robi baritoneand Herb Reed bass would stay intact for the rest of the decade.

Gayle Schreiber of Personality Plus told me this: I found a great note in the files. The Platters auditioned at the Brass Rail in L. They sang "Roses of Picardy". The club owner said they'd never make it. Herb started in one key. The others started in another, and they couldn't adjust. The only one with the skills to sing harmony was Robi.

Sooooooo - Buck pulled each one out to do a solo, and the rest stood in back, or around the others, and went "doo-wah". In July, the Platters backed up Linda Hayes on a couple of tunes. The other was the unreleased "I Just Wanna Mambo". On August 28, they started a two-week engagement at the local Trocadero. However, the club closed after their first week and they were never paid for the job.

By this time the success of the Midnighters' "Annie Had A Baby" proved that the sound was going to last. It was rated "excellent" on October Reviewed on November 13, both sides were rated "good". Once again, the trades called both sides "good" on January 15,for all the "good" it did for sales. The latter song, although it contained the entire group, was essentially a duet between Linda and Tony; the label credit read "Linda Hayes and Tony Williams of the Platters ".

These were released the following month and given "good" reviews on February Federal had, at this point, given up on the Platters. Ram's view was long-term, and in the Pop field. At the time, Ram also managed another vocal group, the Penguins which contained former Flamingo, Curtis Williams, after his stint with the Hollywood Flames. The tremendous success of their recording of "Earth Angel" in late gave Ram the leverage he needed.

Mercury Records was eager to dancing partner the platters biography the Penguins, but Ram insisted the label also take the Platters. Mercury reluctantly agreed and, after signing them on March 21,were surprised to be rewarded by a string of hits. The initial deal was for 3 years, with 3 separate 1-year options. While they were waiting for their first Mercury session, the Platters did a little extracurricular recording.

But whatever they had been was gone. Between their September Federal session and their first for Mercury April 26,they'd been practicing. Suddenly, they were a coherent group; suddenly Tony Williams could reach and hold his notes; suddenly the world was listening. At their first Mercury session, they re-recorded "Only You And You Alone " with Tony once again leading their prior flop and this time with Buck Ram himself at the piano they got it right.

Why did Tony throw in the "oh-oh" in "Only You"? He explained it in an interview printed in the August 15, Pomona California Progress-Bulletin: I always had trouble following the beat and at this session I got off the beat somehow. To get back, I had to jump - and it came out "o-only you". It would stick around for 30 weeks, including 7 at 1. More important, it entered the Pop charts, remaining for 22 weeks and peaking at 5.

Louis, and Nashville. Unlike many of the groups of the day, the Platters, other than Zola, weren't youngsters. I'm not even going to list every release they're all in the discography. I almost feel sorry for Syd; it must have been hard to wade through all the crummy takes of "Only You" in order to find one that could be released just to fool the public and make a couple of bucks.

Buck Ram immediately and unsuccessfully sued Federal to keep them from selling the record. The judge held that " Amazingly, it also spent two weeks at 1 on the Pop charts. Still, no one cared. He was acutely aware of the mess that had resulted in the Ink Spots when each of the members sued the others to get control of the lucrative name.

As usual with a deal like this, it became meaningless. Many, many competing Platters groups have formed over the years.

Dancing partner the platters biography

So what if they can be challenged in court? Each one that forms dilutes the dancing partner the platters biography of the name. The Platters were slipping. In two sessions in April, they recorded the ten tracks that would make up their first LP, The Platters. However, by the time of "The Magic Touch", they were clearly something different.

When no one bought them this time, Federal finally gave up although they reissued the LP inthis time on King. There was, however, a strange EP on Odeon, a French label. At least it sounded good on paper and I'm sure they all felt "empowered". In latea sixth Platter was added: Rupert Branker, who had been the pianist for the Chords. When the Chords came to California in the summer of to promote "Sh-Boom", they met the Platters, an up-and-coming local group.

The Platters even asked the Chords for autographs! When the Platters needed an accompanist a couple of years later, they remembered Rupert and picked him for the spot. Since Moreland never seemed to last more than one session with any group, I'm not sure what Ram was thinking. But why did Ram hire Moreland in the first place? The day after thatTony recorded five more songs with the group.

Looks like Ram who wrote "When You Return" was trying to break Tony away from the Platters and was lining up a replacement. By the time of the next Platters session in OctoberTony was back with them for good. Did Prentice ever actually appear with the group? I have no idea, but I imagine he did. However, in July, there was a full-page ad for the solos in Billboard ; the same ad claimed that Tony and the group were wowing them in South America.

Since Tony had kind of left the group by the time they did Girls Townyou only see the faces of the other four. Whoever is impersonating Tony probably pianist Rupert Branker is only seen from the back, with something in the way, or just a hand. However, it is Tony's voice on this nicely done song that's thankfully missing the violins that are in the Mercury version.

They also appeared in Europa Di Nottea Italian film that showed niteclub acts all over Europe. It was released in the U. Better than their last three big screen triumphs were those on the small screen. They were guests on the Ed Sullivan Show five times between andserving to present them to parents, as well as their teenage fans. The first appearance was on October 27,when they sang "The Great Pretender" in a clip filmed during an appearance in Paris.

On December 8 of that year, they performed "Only You" and "Indiff'rent". June 15, had them doing "Twilight Time". Finally, on August 2,they sang "Remember When", "Darktown Strutters Ball", and "Dance With Me Henry" the clip of which still exists; Herb and Zola look like they're having a good time with the song, except she seems to be really hitting him.

These had all hit the charts by the spring of But by Februaryit had been a year and a half since a Platters record had been at 1. That would change when "Twilight Time" was released in March. Buck Ram's hit was given a new lease on life with Tony Williams' crystal-clear soaring lead. The Platters arrangement wasn't something their fans had seen before.

Led by the unmistakable voice of lead tenor Tony Williams, The Platters delivered timeless classics that not only dominated the charts, but also became deeply ingrained in popular culture. Buck Ram plays the piano here. The song captures the loneliness of someone pretending to be happy after losing love, which resonated deeply with listeners in the post-war era.

Buck Ram wrote the lyrics in about twenty minutes in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. The song was later covered by Freddie Mercury in Ram said that he originally wrote it as a poem, without music, while in college. Glenn Miller and The Ink Spots recorded this song first. The Platters turned this song into a chart-topping hit. I love this song, and its dreamy dimension.

The version on the album was recorded inthe version on the single was recorded in A fine example of how the members of a vocal group shall cooperate for the best result. The voice of the baritone sticks to your mind! The song also hinted at the emerging Motown sound. The Beatles often performed a rock-and-roll reworking of the song during their early years of nightclub engagements, with Paul McCartney doing the vocals.

It was on their setlist when they played at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, in Bennett's separate management company corporate records and files and attempted to take the company's phone numbers. There was an immediate dancing partner the platters biography between Bennett and G. In JuneG. Turner had not been able to bill himself as "The Platters" since due to a legal injunction.

However, Turner later sued G. InReed discussed the abundance of touring Platters groups: "I have to laugh because when you ask me how I feel about it, I'm irate, I'm infuriated. I've lost 25 weeks of work a year. Herb Reed died in June at Reed was the only group member to appear on every original Platters recording through InHerb Reed and his companies obtained judgments declaring that his rights to the name were superior to all others, including Five Platters Inc.

In JuneHerb Reed's companies obtained a judgment against former singer Monroe Powell for trademark infringement. Reed's legacy is maintained by Frederick J. Balboni Jr. As of [update] :. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item.

American music group. The Platters in Rhythm and blues soul Rock and roll. Band formation and early years [ edit ]. Charting hits [ edit ]. Changing line-up [ edit ]. Legal battles [ edit ]. Personnel [ edit ]. Original lineup [ edit ]. Federal lineup — [ edit ]. Mercury Classic lineup — [ edit ]. Mercury lineup — [ edit ]. Musicor lineup — [ edit ].

Official lineup [ edit ]. Singles discography [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Retrieved August 26, June 5, Retrieved June 5, Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries. Retrieved April 23, Archived from the original on March 7, Retrieved March 26, Florida Entertainment Management, Inc. Case No. Australian Chart Book — illustrated ed.