Tony williams platters biography
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A film of the Platters performing the song was used for promotion and might have been the first music video.
"Twilight Time" became #1 on Pop and R&B charts in the spring of 1958.
In October 1958 Mercury released "Smoke Gets In Your Eye's" which had been recorded in France while The Platters on tour. This was the only session he ever played on, but he was determined to get it recorded because he knew the song could become a hit.
On July 3, 1955 "Only You" entered the charts and soon rose to #1 R&B and #5 Pop.
It stayed on the charts 39 weeks and was the first rock and roll record to beat its white cover record for the race in the Top Ten.
The Platter's next release "The Great Pretender" was issued in November 1955 and became their second #1 R&B and first #1 Pop hit. It reached #1 Pop on June 19, 1959, for three weeks and #1 R&B.
The summer of 1959 four male members of the group were arrested in Cincinnati and were accused with having sexual relations with four female minors, among them three white girls.
Tony performed with his own version of the Plattersfeaturing his wife Helen Williams. Williams was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and died in New York of emphysema.
His sister, R&B singer Linda Hayes, was instrumental in Williams becoming a member of the Platters, who were discovered and managed by Buck Ram. On the Mercury record label 45rpm release of the Platters' song, "My Prayer," Williams was listed as Tony Wilson.
Sounding like the Four Tops, the group had hits with "I Love You Thousand Times (#31 Pop)," "With This Ring" (#14 Pop, #12 R&B) and "Washed Ashore."
When the Platters were originally formed, each member, including Ram owned a percentage. Nelson was still with the Platters when he died of heart disease in 1984.
The Platters always worked, but it took four years to get back on the charts while Mercury continued releasing old songs they had recorded up to1964, the last being "Little Things Mean a Lot."
In 1966, the Platters signed with Musicor Records.
Among them: "My Prayer," "Harbor Lights," "Twilight Time," "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," and their biggest seller "The Great Pretender."
The group continued to perform without Mr. Williams, while he pursued a solo career.
Taylor, who lives in Los Angeles, and Reed are the only surviving members of the group, Mrs.
Williams said.
Mr.
The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
The Platters were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Tony Williams of emphysemia August 14, 1992 in Manhattan, he was 74.
Herb Reed died June 4, 2012 in Boston from several ailments including heart diseased chronic pulmonary disease, he was 83.
Zola Taylor died at Riverside, California April 30, 2007 from pneumonia following a seies of strokes, she was 69.
The Platters
Who was Tony Williams?
Tony Williams was the lead singer of the Platters from 1953 to 1960.
In a dispute over money, Williams left the Platters to pursue a solo career, and continued to work with Ram.
Williams was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Platters in 1990. In the 1980s he performed in a group featuring his wife Helen.
Sonny Barnes was hired to take Williams place, but lasted less then a year.
One of the first such groups regularly to ascend the pop charts and enjoy massive popularity with white audiences, the Platters helped launch doo wop music and influenced generations of vocal groups with their harmonies and arrangements.
Members:
Tony Williams - lead replaced by Sonny Turner 1960
Zola Taylor
David Lynch - second tenor
Alex Hodge - baritone replaced by Paul Robi
Herb Reed - bass
The Platters were founded Los Angeles, California in 1953, the same year original members Tony Williams, David Lynch, Alex Hodge, and Herb Reed were signed by manager Buck Ram to Federal Records.
Buck Ram, a lawyer by trade, convinced Mercury of the error of their decision. Williams died in his sleep at home. Ram had originally met the Platters while they were working as parking lot attendants.
Buck Ram
Buck had a long career as an arranger for big bands like Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Cab Calloway, Glenn Miller, and Count Basie after earning a law degree at University of Illinois and studying music at Southwestern University.
After a few unsuccessful records, Ram replace Hodge with Paul Robi and to soften the group's sound added Zola Taylor, who belonged to one of his other acts Shirley Gunter and the Queens.
This began a streak of eleven two-sided hits.
In 1958 they introduced "Twilight Time" on Dick Clark's American Bandstand Saturday night TV show. MusicalDirectorWilliamGulinoworked with Tony Williams and the Platters off and on from 1978-1992.
- Born
- Apr 5, 1928
Elizabeth - Siblings
- Nationality
- Profession
- Lived in
- Died
- Aug 14, 1992
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on July 23, 2013
Tony Williams
Samuel E.
"Tony" Williams (April 5, 1928 – August 14, 1992) was the lead singer of the Platters from 1953 to 1960. The men were acquitted but, public reaction caused some radio stations to pull their single "Where" off the air.
1960 saw their last top ten record "Harbor Lights (#8 Pop, #15 R&B).
After 20 Mercury singles the label changed the credits to read The Platters featuring Tony Williams.
Taylor led a colorful life, but the world wasn't prepared for her 1984 confession that she had an affair with the thirteen year old Frankie Lymon beginning in 1956 while the Platters and the Teenagers were on tour together. She also claimed to have married Lymon in Tijuana in1965, but couldn't produce a marriage license.
Paul Robi was the next to leave with his spot being taken by Nate Nelson, a former Flamingo.
However, relations between the group and the company were strain and there were no more hits with Mercury after 1962.
Zola Taylor left in 1962, for personal reasons and was replaced by Sandra Dawn.