Rhythm and Blues Musician. He was a member of the musical group "The Platters". The group formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1953, and started out as a Los Angeles based doo wop group, recording little known songs for the Federal Record Label, a subsidiary at the time of King Records located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The group also included Zola Taylor, Herb Reed, Tony Williams, David Lynch, Sonny Turner, Nate Nelson, and Andy Moss (from 1958 to 1959), among others. The group were taken under the wing of Buck Ram, who was a vocal coach, and later became the group's mentor, producer, songwriter, and manager. In 1954, Ram got the group out of there contract with the Federal Record Label, and they were soon signed to the Mercury Records Label, where Ram quickly got to work on the group's weaknesses including strengthening there voices. The first thing he did was put Tony Williams as the group's lead singer. For days on end the group practiced and soon thanks to the wonderful voice of Tony Williams and Zola Taylor (formerly of Shirley Gunter & The Queens), the group started releasing hit after hit including such memorable songs as, 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,' 'Twilight Time,' 'Harbor Lights,' 'Only You (And You Alone),' 'My Prayer,' 'Heaven On Earth,' 'The Great Pretender,' and several others. During the 1950s, the group also appeared in two films, "Rock Around The Clock" (1956), and "Girls Town" (1956). The group continued there success through the 1960s, with Williams leaving the group in 1961, and finally disbanding before the end of the 1960s. Following the original group's breakup several new 'Platter' groups have originated over the last 40 years or so, including an estimated 125 sanctions that tour the oldies circuit. In 1990 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
Rhythm and Blues Musician. He was a member of the musical group "The Platters". The group formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1953, and started out as a Los Angeles based doo wop group, recording little known songs for the Federal Record Label, a subsidiary at the time of King Records located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The group also included Zola Taylor, Herb Reed, Tony Williams, David Lynch, Sonny Turner, Nate Nelson, and Andy Moss (from 1958 to 1959), among others. The group were taken under the wing of Buck Ram, who was a vocal coach, and later became the group's mentor, producer, songwriter, and manager. In 1954, Ram got the group out of there contract with the Federal Record Label, and they were soon signed to the Mercury Records Label, where Ram quickly got to work on the group's weaknesses including strengthening there voices. The first thing he did was put Tony Williams as the group's lead singer. For days on end the group practiced and soon thanks to the wonderful voice of Tony Williams and Zola Taylor (formerly of Shirley Gunter & The Queens), the group started releasing hit after hit including such memorable songs as, 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,' 'Twilight Time,' 'Harbor Lights,' 'Only You (And You Alone),' 'My Prayer,' 'Heaven On Earth,' 'The Great Pretender,' and several others. During the 1950s, the group also appeared in two films, "Rock Around The Clock" (1956), and "Girls Town" (1956). The group continued there success through the 1960s, with Williams leaving the group in 1961, and finally disbanding before the end of the 1960s. Following the original group's breakup several new 'Platter' groups have originated over the last 40 years or so, including an estimated 125 sanctions that tour the oldies circuit. In 1990 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
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