The Platters
Encyclopedia
The Platters were a 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 several personnel changes, with the most successful incarnation comprising lead tenor Tony Williams
, David Lynch, Paul Robi, Herb Reed, and Zola Taylor
.
. The original group (Alex Hodge, Cornell Gunter, David Lynch, Joe Jefferson, Gaynel Hodge and Herb Reed) managed to land a contract with Federal Records
, but found little success before meeting music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram
. The band recorded a series of singles backing Linda Hayes
before Ram made some changes to the lineup, most notably the addition of lead vocalist Tony Williams
(Linda Hayes' brother) 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.http://www.hotshotdigital.com/OldRock/PlattersBio.html
Despite their lack of chart success, the Platters were a profitable touring group, successful enough that The Penguins
, coming off their #8 single "Earth Angel
", 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. To sign the Penguins, Ram insisted, Mercury also had to take the Platters. Ironically, the Penguins would never have a hit for the label.
" 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 by Buck Ram, exceeded the success of their debut and became the Platters' first national #1 hit. "The Great Pretender" was also the act's biggest R&B hit, with an 11-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 more national #1 hits and more modest chart successes such as "I'm Sorry" (#11) and "He's Mine" (#23) in 1957, "Enchanted" (#12) in 1959, and "The Magic Touch" (#4) in 1956. 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 Platters-style arrangement.
The Platters also differed from most other groups of the era because Ram had the group incorporated in 1955. Each member of the group received a 20% share in the stock, full royalties, and their Social Security was paid. As group members left one by one, Ram and his business partner, Jean Bennett, bought their stock which gave them ownership of the "Platters" name, which would later become significant.
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1990, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
in its inaugural year of 1998 and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2009. The Platters were the first rock and roll group to have a Top Ten album in America. They were also the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti
soundtrack that sparked an oldies revival in the early to mid-1970s: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
", "The Great Pretender
" and "Only You (and You Alone)
".
, Herb Reed, Alex Hodge, Joe Jefferson, and David Lynch. This lineup changed when the group signed with Ram, who built the group around tenor Tony Williams
' distinctive and versatile voice and his ability to bring life to Ram's songs. Within a year, Hodge, Jefferson and Gunter were out and Paul Robi, new lead Tony Williams and a female, Zola Taylor
were in. The details of baritone Alex Hodge's departure are muddy; author Peter A. Grendysa says Hodge was fired by Ram in October 1954 after having been accused of possession of marijuana, but Jean L. Bennett suggests that Tony Williams and Herb Reed were behind the accusation. Bookers and the record company and bookers were told that Hodge was let go for bouncing a fifteen-dollar check. The resulting lineup - the one remembered for the group's biggest and most lasting hits - lasted until 1960.
As a group, the Platters began to have difficulties with the public after 1959, when the four male members were arrested in Cincinnati on drug and prostitution charges. Reed said he lost contact with Taylor shortly after this time. Although none were convicted, their professional reputation was seriously damaged and US radio stations started removing their records from playlists forcing the group to rely more heavily on European bookings.
During that time soloist Williams left for a solo career, and was replaced by tenor 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 lapsed. Singer Jack Hammer, who'd co-written several songs including Great Balls of Fire
, also performed with the group.
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 to be replaced by Barbara Randolph
and Paul Robi (who departed in 1965). The Buck Ram Platters had the strongest legal claim to the name. Since Ram had built the group to showcase his songs, he added his name to that of The Platters to distinguish his vision from that of the pretenders. Despite the confusion, Ram's Platters lineup, with lead vocalist Sonny Turner, Herb Reed, David Lynch, Nate Nelson (former lead voice of The Flamingos
and replacement for Robi) and Sandra Dawn (who replaced Barbara Randolph in 1965), 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". Sonny Turner
sang the lead on these 3 records.
Herb Reed, the final member of the original Platters, resigned in 1969. He would eventually lead an "official" Platters group under license from The Five Platters, Inc. Nelson had left in 1967, and later worked with Herb Reed's group until suffering a fatal heart attack in 1984. Dawn left in 1969.
Sonny Turner left in 1970 and was replaced by Monroe Powell. Turner led his own Platters group starting in 1970. Powell remained a constant member from 1970 to 1995, amid many other lineup changes. That year, a dispute between Powell and owner/manager Jean Bennett (who had purchased Personality Productions, the booking/management arm of The Platters business, from Ram in 1966) led to the two parting ways. At the time, the group's lineup was in limbo, leaving one person, Kenn Johnson, as the only other group member. Powell and Johnson continue touring as "The Platters", with Bennett hiring five new singers to be the "Buck Ram Platters," with lead Myles Savage.
Monroe Powell, who had been touring under the Platters name, was sued by Jean Bennett for breach of contract. It was eventually determined that Powell would be able to tour, but only as "The Platters featuring Monroe Powell." Powell continues to tour worldwide. In 1994, Jean Bennett licensed the name to a tribute group for a show at the Sahara casino in Las Vegas
; that show ran for 15 years.
Shortly before Paul Robi succumbed to pancreatic cancer on February 1, 1989, he won a long court battle against Ram's estate and was awarded compensation and the right to use The Platters' name. Those rights were stripped from Robi's widow in 1997, and the exclusive right to tour as "The Platters" was awarded to Herb Reed. A series of rulings in 1999, 2002 and 2004 gave Jean Bennett the common law right to the name. The 2002 case legally rescinded Herb Reed's exclusive trademark rights, and the trademark was returned to The Five Platters, Inc. and Jean Bennett.
In January 2006, Bennett sold her corporate Platters-related assets and intellectual property rights to the Las Vegas-based company G.E.M. Group, Inc. But there was an immediate disagreement between Bennett and G.E.M., which filed a lawsuit to attain certain corporate assets, Bennett's personal property and the assets of the 1950s Platters. In June 2006, G.E.M. entered into an agreement with Sonny Turner, who'd been the lead singer of The Platters from 1960 to 1970. Turner had not been able to bill himself as "The Platters" since 1972 due to a legal injunction. However, Turner later sued G.E.M.
Currently, there are four acts using variations of the name: "The Buck Ram Platters", Herb Reed and His Platters, Monroe Powell and The Platters, and Sonny Turner (former lead singer of The Platters). In 2007, Herb Reed 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."
| *"I'll Never Smile Again" also made the US AC Charts at #7 on 7/61
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
tradition and the burgeoning new genre. The act went through several personnel changes, with the most successful incarnation comprising lead tenor Tony Williams
Tony Williams (singer)
Tony Williams was the lead singer of the Platters from 1953 to 1960. Williams was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and died in New York of emphysema....
, David Lynch, Paul Robi, Herb Reed, and Zola Taylor
Zola Taylor
Zola Taylor, born Zoletta Lynn Taylor was an American singer. She was the original female member of The Platters from 1954 to 1962, when the group produced most of their popular singles....
.
Band formation and early years
The Platters formed in Los Angeles in 1953 and were initially managed by Ralph BassRalph Bass
Ralph Bass , born in The Bronx, New York of an Italian-American-Catholic father, and a German-American-Jewish mother, was an influential rhythm and blues record producer and talent scout for several independent labels and was responsible for many hit records. He was a pioneer in bringing black...
. The original group (Alex Hodge, Cornell Gunter, David Lynch, Joe Jefferson, Gaynel Hodge and Herb Reed) managed to land a contract with Federal Records
Federal Records
Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. But also hillbilly and rockabilly recordings were released,...
, but found little success before meeting music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram
Buck Ram
Buck Ram was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger.-Biography:...
. The band recorded a series of singles backing Linda Hayes
Linda Hayes (singer)
Linda Hayes is an American jazz, and R&B singer.Sister of The Platters' lead singer, Tony Williams, in the early 1950s she recorded two singles backed by the Red Callender Sextet, with Callender on , Maxwell Davis , Floyd Turnham , Chico Hamilton and Monroe Tucker...
before Ram made some changes to the lineup, most notably the addition of lead vocalist Tony Williams
Tony Williams (singer)
Tony Williams was the lead singer of the Platters from 1953 to 1960. Williams was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and died in New York of emphysema....
(Linda Hayes' brother) and female vocalist Zola Taylor
Zola Taylor
Zola Taylor, born Zoletta Lynn Taylor was an American singer. She was the original female member of The Platters from 1954 to 1962, when the group produced most of their popular singles....
. 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)
Only You (And You Alone)
"Only You " is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was recorded most successfully by The Platters, with lead vocals by Tony Williams, in 1955....
", originally written by Ram for the Ink Spots was deemed unreleasable by the label.http://www.hotshotdigital.com/OldRock/PlattersBio.html
Despite their lack of chart success, the Platters were a profitable touring group, successful enough that The Penguins
The Penguins
The Penguins were an American doo-wop group of the 1950s and early 1960s, best remembered for their only Top 40 hit, "Earth Angel ", which was one of the first rhythm and blues hits to cross over to the pop charts...
, coming off their #8 single "Earth Angel
Earth Angel
"Earth Angel " is an American doo-wop song, originally released by The Penguins in 1954 on the Dootone label , as the B-side to "Hey Señorita." The song became a major hit for The Crew-Cuts in 1955, reaching the Billboard charts on January 29, 1955. It peaked at #3 on the Disk Jockey chart, #8 on...
", asked Ram to manage them as well. With the Penguins in hand, Ram was able to parlay Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
' interest into a 2-for-1 deal. 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 Jean Bennett and Tony Williams that "Only YouOnly You (And You Alone)
"Only You " is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was recorded most successfully by The Platters, with lead vocals by Tony Williams, in 1955....
" 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
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
hit on the pop charts and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The follow-up, "The Great Pretender
The Great Pretender
"The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters, with Tony Williams on lead vocals, and released as a single on November 3, 1955. The words and music were created by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and...
", with lyrics written in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas by Buck Ram, exceeded the success of their debut and became the Platters' first national #1 hit. "The Great Pretender" was also the act's biggest R&B hit, with an 11-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
Rock Around the Clock (film)
Rock Around the Clock is the title of a 1956 Musical film that featured Bill Haley and His Comets along with Alan Freed, The Platters, Tony Martinez and His Band, and Freddie Bell and His Bellboys. It was produced by B-movie king Sam Katzman and directed by Fred F...
, 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 more national #1 hits and more modest chart successes such as "I'm Sorry" (#11) and "He's Mine" (#23) in 1957, "Enchanted" (#12) in 1959, and "The Magic Touch" (#4) in 1956. The Platters soon hit upon the successful formula of updating older standards, such as "My Prayer
My Prayer
"My Prayer" is a 1939 popular song with music by the famous salon violinist Georges Boulanger and lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title "Avant de Mourir" in 1926. The lyrics for this version were added by Kennedy in 1939. Glenn Miller recorded the song that...
", "Twilight Time
Twilight Time (song)
"Twilight Time" is a popular song with lyrics by Buck Ram, and the music by The Three Suns .Original hits of "Twilight Time" included the Three Suns and Les Brown & His Band of Renown ....
", "Harbor Lights
Harbor Lights
"Harbor Lights" is a popular song by Hugh Williams with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. This song was originally sung by Frances Langford in 1937 and was published again in 1950....
", "To Each His Own
To Each His Own (song)
"To Each His Own" is a popular song with music written by Jay Livingston and lyrics by Ray Evans. The song was published in 1946.-Original 1946 recordings:In 1946, three different versions hit number one on the Billboard charts in the United States....
", "If I Didn't Care
If I Didn't Care
"If I Didn't Care" is a song written by Jack Lawrence that was originally sung and recorded by The Ink Spots in 1939. According to Lawrence, he mailed the song before showing it to some of his friends. His friends' reaction to the song was almost universally negative, but he remained positive on it...
" and Jerome Kern
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 operetta Roberta. It was originally recorded by Gertrude Niesen, on 13 October 1933 on the Victor label 24454. It was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film adaptation,...
". 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 Platters-style arrangement.
The Platters also differed from most other groups of the era because Ram had the group incorporated in 1955. Each member of the group received a 20% share in the stock, full royalties, and their Social Security was paid. As group members left one by one, Ram and his business partner, Jean Bennett, bought their stock which gave them ownership of the "Platters" name, which would later become significant.
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1990, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
in its inaugural year of 1998 and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2009. The Platters were the first rock and roll group to have a Top Ten album in America. They were also the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti
American Graffiti
American Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
soundtrack that sparked an oldies revival in the early to mid-1970s: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 operetta Roberta. It was originally recorded by Gertrude Niesen, on 13 October 1933 on the Victor label 24454. It was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film adaptation,...
", "The Great Pretender
The Great Pretender
"The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters, with Tony Williams on lead vocals, and released as a single on November 3, 1955. The words and music were created by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and...
" and "Only You (and You Alone)
Only You (And You Alone)
"Only You " is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was recorded most successfully by The Platters, with lead vocals by Tony Williams, in 1955....
".
Changing lineup
The group's lineup has changed many times. The original lineup in 1953 included lead vocalist Cornell GunterCornell Gunter
Cornell Gunter was an American rhythm and blues singer, most active in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born in Coffeyville, Kansas, and died in Las Vegas, Nevada, after being shot in his automobile.-Biography:...
, Herb Reed, Alex Hodge, Joe Jefferson, and David Lynch. This lineup changed when the group signed with Ram, who built the group around tenor Tony Williams
Tony Williams (singer)
Tony Williams was the lead singer of the Platters from 1953 to 1960. Williams was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and died in New York of emphysema....
' distinctive and versatile voice and his ability to bring life to Ram's songs. Within a year, Hodge, Jefferson and Gunter were out and Paul Robi, new lead Tony Williams and a female, Zola Taylor
Zola Taylor
Zola Taylor, born Zoletta Lynn Taylor was an American singer. She was the original female member of The Platters from 1954 to 1962, when the group produced most of their popular singles....
were in. The details of baritone Alex Hodge's departure are muddy; author Peter A. Grendysa says Hodge was fired by Ram in October 1954 after having been accused of possession of marijuana, but Jean L. Bennett suggests that Tony Williams and Herb Reed were behind the accusation. Bookers and the record company and bookers were told that Hodge was let go for bouncing a fifteen-dollar check. The resulting lineup - the one remembered for the group's biggest and most lasting hits - lasted until 1960.
As a group, the Platters began to have difficulties with the public after 1959, when the four male members were arrested in Cincinnati on drug and prostitution charges. Reed said he lost contact with Taylor shortly after this time. Although none were convicted, their professional reputation was seriously damaged and US radio stations started removing their records from playlists forcing the group to rely more heavily on European bookings.
During that time soloist Williams left for a solo career, and was replaced by tenor Sonny Turner
Sonny Turner
Sonny Turner is an American singer best known for replacing Tony Williams as lead singer of The Platters....
. 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 lapsed. Singer Jack Hammer, who'd co-written several songs including Great Balls of Fire
Great Balls of Fire
"Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 song recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie Jamboree. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer...
, also performed with the group.
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 to be replaced by Barbara Randolph
Barbara Randolph
Barbara Randolph was an African American singer and actress who recorded for Motown Records in the 1960s.She was born in Detroit, Michigan, and was adopted by the actress Lillian Randolph, who appeared in It's a Wonderful Life and many other movies...
and Paul Robi (who departed in 1965). The Buck Ram Platters had the strongest legal claim to the name. Since Ram had built the group to showcase his songs, he added his name to that of The Platters to distinguish his vision from that of the pretenders. Despite the confusion, Ram's Platters lineup, with lead vocalist Sonny Turner, Herb Reed, David Lynch, Nate Nelson (former lead voice of The Flamingos
The Flamingos
The Flamingos were a doo wop group from the United States, most popular in the mid to late 1950s and best known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You".-Early quintet:...
and replacement for Robi) and Sandra Dawn (who replaced Barbara Randolph in 1965), signed to Musicor Records
Musicor Records
Musicor Records was a New York City based record label, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The label was founded by songwriter Aaron Schroeder and distributed by United Artists 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". Sonny Turner
Sonny Turner
Sonny Turner is an American singer best known for replacing Tony Williams as lead singer of The Platters....
sang the lead on these 3 records.
Herb Reed, the final member of the original Platters, resigned in 1969. He would eventually lead an "official" Platters group under license from The Five Platters, Inc. Nelson had left in 1967, and later worked with Herb Reed's group until suffering a fatal heart attack in 1984. Dawn left in 1969.
Sonny Turner left in 1970 and was replaced by Monroe Powell. Turner led his own Platters group starting in 1970. Powell remained a constant member from 1970 to 1995, amid many other lineup changes. That year, a dispute between Powell and owner/manager Jean Bennett (who had purchased Personality Productions, the booking/management arm of The Platters business, from Ram in 1966) led to the two parting ways. At the time, the group's lineup was in limbo, leaving one person, Kenn Johnson, as the only other group member. Powell and Johnson continue touring as "The Platters", with Bennett hiring five new singers to be the "Buck Ram Platters," with lead Myles Savage.
Legal battles
A profusion of legal challenges ensued among the many groups of Platters. Those looking to hear the classic lineup of songs had their pick of approved, disputed, and ersatz Platters, including Sonny Turner's, Zola Taylor's, Ritchie Jones' (member 1984-85), Milton Bullock's (member 1967-70), the late Paul Robi's (managed by his wife), Jean Bennett's "Buck Ram Platters," Monroe Powell's, Herb Reed's, and several other groups with no current ties to the original group. Many had once contained former members who were now retired or deceased.Monroe Powell, who had been touring under the Platters name, was sued by Jean Bennett for breach of contract. It was eventually determined that Powell would be able to tour, but only as "The Platters featuring Monroe Powell." Powell continues to tour worldwide. In 1994, Jean Bennett licensed the name to a tribute group for a show at the Sahara casino in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
; that show ran for 15 years.
Shortly before Paul Robi succumbed to pancreatic cancer on February 1, 1989, he won a long court battle against Ram's estate and was awarded compensation and the right to use The Platters' name. Those rights were stripped from Robi's widow in 1997, and the exclusive right to tour as "The Platters" was awarded to Herb Reed. A series of rulings in 1999, 2002 and 2004 gave Jean Bennett the common law right to the name. The 2002 case legally rescinded Herb Reed's exclusive trademark rights, and the trademark was returned to The Five Platters, Inc. and Jean Bennett.
In January 2006, Bennett sold her corporate Platters-related assets and intellectual property rights to the Las Vegas-based company G.E.M. Group, Inc. But there was an immediate disagreement between Bennett and G.E.M., which filed a lawsuit to attain certain corporate assets, Bennett's personal property and the assets of the 1950s Platters. In June 2006, G.E.M. entered into an agreement with Sonny Turner, who'd been the lead singer of The Platters from 1960 to 1970. Turner had not been able to bill himself as "The Platters" since 1972 due to a legal injunction. However, Turner later sued G.E.M.
Currently, there are four acts using variations of the name: "The Buck Ram Platters", Herb Reed and His Platters, Monroe Powell and The Platters, and Sonny Turner (former lead singer of The Platters). In 2007, Herb Reed 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."
Hit singles
| Release date | Title | Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Charts Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B chart Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
UK Charts UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Australia | ||
| July 1955 | "Only You (And You Alone) Only You (And You Alone) "Only You " is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was recorded most successfully by The Platters, with lead vocals by Tony Williams, in 1955.... " |
5 | 1 | 5 | |
| November 1955 | "The Great Pretender The Great Pretender "The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters, with Tony Williams on lead vocals, and released as a single on November 3, 1955. The words and music were created by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and... " |
1 | 1 | 5 | |
| February 1956 | "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" | 4 | 4 | ||
| June 1956 | "My Prayer My Prayer "My Prayer" is a 1939 popular song with music by the famous salon violinist Georges Boulanger and lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title "Avant de Mourir" in 1926. The lyrics for this version were added by Kennedy in 1939. Glenn Miller recorded the song that... " |
1 | 1 | 4 | |
| June 1956 | "Heaven on Earth" | 39 | 13 | ||
| August 1956 | "You'll Never Never Know You'll Never Never Know "You'll Never Never Know" is a single by The Platters released in 1956. The song reached number eleven on the Billboard Pop Singles chart that year.... " |
11 | 9 | 23 | |
| August 1956 | "It Isn't Right" | 13 | 10 | 23 | |
| November 1956 | "On My Word of Honor" | 20 | 7 | ||
| November 1956 | "One in a Million" | 31 | 11 | ||
| February 1957 | "I'm Sorry" | 11 | 15 | 18 | |
| February 1957 | "He's Mine" | 16 | 5 | ||
| February 1957 | "My Dream" | 24 | 7 | ||
| August 1957 | "Only Because" | 65 | |||
| December 1957 | "Helpless" | 56 | |||
| April 1958 | "Twilight Time Twilight Time (song) "Twilight Time" is a popular song with lyrics by Buck Ram, and the music by The Three Suns .Original hits of "Twilight Time" included the Three Suns and Les Brown & His Band of Renown .... " |
1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| June 1958 | "You're Making a Mistake" | 51 | |||
| September 1958 | "I Wish" | 42 | |||
| September 1958 | "It's Raining Outside" | 93 | |||
| October 1958 | "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Smoke Gets in Your Eyes "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 operetta Roberta. It was originally recorded by Gertrude Niesen, on 13 October 1933 on the Victor label 24454. It was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film adaptation,... " |
1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| February 1959 | "Enchanted" | 12 | 9 | ||
| May 1959 | "Remember When" | 41 | 25 | ||
| September 1959 | "Where" | 44 | |||
| September 1959 | "Wish It Were Me" | 61 | |||
| January 1960 | "Harbor Lights Harbor Lights "Harbor Lights" is a popular song by Hugh Williams with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. This song was originally sung by Frances Langford in 1937 and was published again in 1950.... " |
8 | 15 | 11 | |
| January 1960 | "Sleepy Lagoon" | 65 | |||
| 5/60 | "Ebb Tide" | 56 | |||
| 5/60 | "(I'll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time" | 102 | |||
| 8/60 | "Red Sails in the Sunset Red Sails in the Sunset (song) "Red Sails in the Sunset" is a popular song.Published in 1935, its music was written by Hugh Williams with lyrics by prolific songwriter Jimmy Kennedy... " |
36 | |||
| 10/60 | "To Each His Own" | 21 | |||
| 1/61 | "If I Didn't Care If I Didn't Care "If I Didn't Care" is a song written by Jack Lawrence that was originally sung and recorded by The Ink Spots in 1939. According to Lawrence, he mailed the song before showing it to some of his friends. His friends' reaction to the song was almost universally negative, but he remained positive on it... " |
30 | |||
| 1961 | "Trees" | 62 | |||
| 7/61 | "I'll Never Smile Again I'll Never Smile Again "I'll Never Smile Again" is a 1939 song written by Ruth Lowe.The most successful and best known version of the song was recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with vocals provided by Frank Sinatra and The Pied Pipers. This recording was released as a Victor 78, 26628A, in 1940... " |
25* | 17 | ||
| 12/61 | "You'll Never Know" | 109 | |||
| 11/61 | "Song For the Lonely" | 115 | |||
| 1/62 | "It's Magic It's Magic "It's Magic" is a popular song.The music was written by Jule Styne, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was introduced by Doris Day in her film debut, Romance on the High Seas, and was published in 1947.... " |
91 | |||
| 4/66 | "I Love You 1000 Times" | 31 | 6 | ||
| 9/66 | "Devri" | 111 | |||
| 11/66 | "I'll Be Home" | 97 | |||
| 2/67 | "With This Ring" | 14 | 12 | ||
| 6/67 | "Washed Ashore" | 56 | 29 | ||
| 10/67 | "Sweet, Sweet Lovin'" | 70 | 32 | ||
| August 1968 | "Hard To Get a Thing Called Love" | 125 | |||
| *"I'll Never Smile Again" also made the US AC Charts at #7 on 7/61