The Platters The Best Of The Platters Vol.2 (CD)

The Platters

The Platters were among the most successful African-American vocal groups of the rock 'n' roll era. As an avalanche of Black vocal groups surged into the charts in the mid-1950s, none achieved a pop crossover as complete as this finely honed quintet from Los Angeles. Two things set them apart from their rivals: the stratospheric lead tenor of Tony Williams and the writing and managerial skills of Buck Ram.

The group's roots reach back to 1952, when a loose-knit Los Angeles aggregation called The Flamingoes took shape, at times including Cornel Gunter, Curtis Williams and the brothers Alex and Gaynel Hodge. Bass singer Herb Reed (born August 7, 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri) was the first 'real' Platter to join, followed by second tenor David Lynch (born July 3, 1929 in St. Louis). It was Reed who, flipping through a stack of records, hit upon the group's name.

In 1953, Reed, Lynch and the Hodge brothers sang backing vocals at a Federal Records session for saxophonist Big Jay McNeely. There, A&R man Ralph Bass introduced them to Samuel E. 'Tony' Williams (born April 5, 1928 in Elizabeth, New Jersey), whose operatically trained voice supplied the missing piece. On September 15, 1953 the group cut its first Federal single as Tony, David, Herb and Alex Hodge.

Only under the direction of Buck Ram, and with young singer Zola Taylor, did the classic line-up come together. Ram steered the Platters firmly toward the pop market and wrote them timeless hits such as 'Only You' and 'The Great Pretender'. With ballads like 'My Prayer', 'Twilight Time', 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' and 'The Magic Touch', they became the most popular vocal group of their day and defined the passage from rhythm & blues to pop.

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