She was the cutest little girl and had that spark. She was 69. Zola Taylor, who broke gender barriers as the first female member of the 1950s R&B group The Platters and later became entangled in a public soap opera as one of three women claiming to be pop idol Frankie Lymons widow, died April 30 in Riverside, Calif. She was 69. Platters were among the most successful black vocal groups of the '50s. In the 1980s he Introduction. [6], Convinced by Jean Bennett and Tony Williams that "Only You" had potential, Ram had The Platters re-record the song during their first session for Mercury. to play piano for the musician who had to leave early. entered into an agreement with Sonny Turner, who'd been the lead singer of the Platters from 1960 to 1970. [Part 4]: UNT Digital Library", "Herb Reed Enterprises, LLC v. Florida Entertainment Management, Inc., et al", "Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - PLATTERS", "Beverly Harris filled in for Zola Taylor", "Paul Robi, 57; Original Singer With Platters", "Herb Reed Enters Inc, v. Monroe Powell Platters LLC", "Herb Reed Enterprises, Inc. et al v. Monroe Powell's Platters, LLC et al", "Herb Reed Enterprises, Inc. et al v. Bennett et al", "ORDER Granting 99 Plaintiff Herb Reed Enterprises, LLC's Motion for Summary Judgment for Herb Reed Enterprises, LLC v. Florida Entertainment Management, Inc. et al:: Justia Dockets & Filings", "ORDER granting 47 Motion for Default Judgment for Herb Reed Enterprises, LLC v. The World Famous Platters Road Shows I LLC et al:: Justia Dockets & Filings", "Owner of the Platters Trademark Obtains Judgment", Sonny Turner, Legendary Former Lead Singer of the Platters, List of hundreds of singers who have appeared with the various Platters groups, "The Platters" Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Platters&oldid=1132055531, Articles needing additional references from March 2012, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2022, Articles with incomplete citations from May 2017, Articles with failed verification from May 2017, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2021, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Wikipedia external links cleanup from January 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 January 2023, at 01:43. The 2002 case legally rescinded Reed's exclusive trademark rights, and the trademark was returned to the Five Platters, Inc. and Bennett. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. We were the first Afro-American group to have a girl singer. Taylor left the Platters when the group disbanded in the early 1960s. Buck then signed them to Mercury Records with another group he managed the Penguins. Sonny Turner is the only surviving member of The Platters. Mercury continued issuing Williams led Platters singles with "It's Magic" WebHowever Mercury were so enamoured with Williams vocals that they usually issued old tracks from the can as singles and even called him in to overdub current Platters sides. members Tony Williams, David Lynch, Alex Hodge, and Herb Reed were signed by manager Buck It topped both the American and British charts in The Platters-style arrangement. We were the first Afro-American group to have a girl singer. She was an actress, known for Coronacin (2000), Rock All Night (1957) and Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998). Robinson said she told him that the two wed in Mexico while she was touring with the Platters and forgot to file papers in San Diego. Bass then asked his friend, music entrepreneur, and songwriter Buck Ram, to coach the group in the hope of getting a hit record. (#92) their last charter in early 1962. Dawn, who left in 1969, was replaced by Regina Koco, who stayed with the group until 1983.[18]. for promotion and might have been the first music video. Zola Taylor, who was the first female member of the 1950s group the Platters, a Los Angeles-based quintet that was one of rocks first major R&B crossover acts, has died. Members: Zola Taylor, who broke gender barriers as the first female member of the 1950s R&B group The Platters and later became entangled in a public soap opera as one Taylor said she wed Lymon in Mexico but could not document it, The Washington Post reported in 1988. What harmonic idea is being used in Measures 9-12 and 17-19 in Recuerdos De La Alhambra? They were also the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti soundtrack that fueled an oldies revival already underway in the early to mid-1970s: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Great Pretender", and "Only You (and You Alone)". The Platters/Lead singers. 69 years (19382007)Zola Taylor / Age at death. Advertisement. The men were acquitted but, public reaction caused some radio stations to pull the Queens. Where can I find related materials in connection with Johann Joseph Fuxs The Study of Counterpoint? [Part 1]", "The Platters - Inductees - The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation", "Show 14 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. Tony Williams. "Platters" redirects here. In 1958 they introduced "Twilight Time" on Dick Clark's American Why did Tony Williams leave the Platters? Zola Taylor had a big house in Baldwin Hills. She let him live in her hillside house with instructions to pay bills out of an allowance forwarded to him by her attorney. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Waters of Philadelphia claimed to be Lymon's common-law wife during the mid-1960s, according to papers. Alex Hodge - baritone replaced by Paul Robi Tony Williams - lead replaced by Sonny Turner 1960 A profusion of legal challenges ensued among the many groups of Platters. She was a very pretty young lady and what a great, great smile, Reed told The Associated Press. Sonny Turner, who replaced Tony Williams in late 1959, performed as Sonny Turner, former lead singer of The Platters. The act has gone through multiple line-ups over the years, earning it the branding tag "Many Voices One Name", with the most successful incarnation comprising lead tenor Tony Williams, David Lynch, Paul Robi, founder and naming member Herb Reed, and Zola Taylor. Zola Taylor, who broke gender barriers as the first female member of the 1950s R&B group The Platters and later became entangled in a public soap opera as one Bedridden after several strokes until her death from pneumonia. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Bennett and Powell later reached an agreement that Powell would be able to tour, but only as "The Platters featuring Monroe Powell". Also, in 1969, Reed, the final member of the original Platters, resigned from the group. She was previously married to Frankie Lymon, Lawrence James Savage and James Baptiste. Tenor sax octave pads: both open or both closed, Meaning of values for MIDI control change event, Choosing a guitar: left handed or right handed, First note of a chord vs bass note of a chord. The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. Why did Tony Williams leave the Platters? The action you just performed triggered the security solution. The movie never notes Frankies voice changing, or the fact that unlike actor Larenz Tate, the real-life Frankie lost his looks and charm.29 1998. Shortly before 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. After suffering a stroke in the late 1990s, Taylor stopped performing. They were found innocent but many radio stations quit playing their singles, Contemporary Musicians recounted. At the time, the group's line-up was in limbo, leaving one person, Kenn Johnson, as the only other group member. [8] 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. [4] The Penguins would never have a hit for the label. That was the talk of the nation. "[9], The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998. Robi died of cancer in Reed named the group while sitting around a kitchen table with Hodge and others. Zola Taylor went in 1962, soon joining another ex-member to perform the hits of the Her last husband died in 1982, he said. According to Taylor, she married former teen heartthrob Frankie Lymon in 1965, three years prior to his fatal heroin overdose. Later she and two other members of the band performed with their own group called the Original Platters. WebScandal hit the Platters the following year when the band's male members, who were Black, were arrested in Cincinnati and accused of having sexual relations with four female minors, three of whom were White. When the Platters were originally formed, each member, including Ram owned a The group had 40 charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1955 and 1967, including four number-one hits. hit. She also claimed to have Why do courts have still use stenographers? After the marriage failed, he moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, where he began a romantic relationship with Zola Taylor, a member of the Platters. 1965 also saw the departure of Robi,[17] who was replaced by Nate Nelson, former lead voice of the Flamingos. Zola Taylor was a member of The Platters until 1962, when she was replaced by singer Barbara Randolph. It stayed on the charts 39 weeks and was the first rock and roll record to beat On July 3, 1955 "Only You" entered the charts and soon rose to #1 R&B and After Reed's departure, Ram illegally continued to promote his own Platters group. Did Frankie Lymon really have 3 wives? Taylor, who had been bedridden following several strokes, died Monday at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside County from complications of pneumonia, said her nephew Alfie Robinson. How long has Coney Island in Fort Wayne Open? She was 69, according to her family. However, Turner later sued G.E.M. Herb Reed Her last husband died in 1982, he said. Why did Zola Taylor leave The Platters? [13] Although no one was convicted, their professional reputation was seriously damaged and US radio stations started removing their records from playlists,[14] forcing the group to rely more heavily on European bookings. Turner had not been able to bill himself as "The Platters" since 1972 due to a legal injunction. Moore left again in late 1982, along with Clyde Brown. In 1960, lead vocalist Williams left to pursue a solo career and was replaced by tenor Sonny Turner. He was inspired by the "turntable" of an old phonograph machine and the "platter" that spun the vinyl records. As you know, Why Do Fools Fall in Love was loosely based on Frankie Lymons life. affair with the thirteen year old Frankie Lymon beginning in 1956 while the Platters and Tony Williams formed his version of The Platters in 1971 and announced a worldwide tour. The details of baritone Hodge's departure are muddy; author Peter A. Grendysa, says Ram fired Alex Hodge in October 1954 after having been accused of possession of marijuana. "Little Things Mean a Lot. Zola Taylor said she married Lymon on Oct. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. Illinois and studying music at Southwestern University. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. In a dispute over money, Williams left the Platters in 1959 to pursue a solo career, and continued to work with Ram as his manager. [28], In June 2014, Herb Reed's companies obtained a judgment against former singer Monroe Powell for trademark infringement. From left to right: Taylor, Williams, Lynch, Robi, Reed. Zola Taylor Birth 17 Mar 1938 Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA Death 30 Apr 2007 (aged 69) Riverside, Riverside County, California, USA Burial The current line up of the one legally authorized original Platters vocal group consists of Brian McIntosh, Leslie Mone, Erik Glenn & Lance Bernard Bryant. Mercury refused to issue further Platters releases without Williams on lead vocals, provoking a lawsuit between the label and manager Ram. King was a principal member of the group The Drifters, and sang on such classics as This Magic Moment and There Goes My Baby. | Tony Williams formed his own Platters and as of 1989 they consisted of he and his wife Helen, This is not giving me Amalfi Coast vibes. Taylor left the Platters when the group disbanded in the early 60s. She was an actress, known for Coronacin (2000), Rock All Night (1957) and Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998). The Platters is currently touring across 1 country and has 2 upcoming concerts. He co-wrote and sang lead on the first Atlantic hit by the new version of the Drifters, There Goes My Baby (1959). The Platters success began to fizzle after 1959, when four members were arrested in a Cincinnati hotel and accused of using drugs and soliciting prostitutes. groups with their harmonies and arrangements. In 1974 the The following are some of the groups that at one time or another illegally called themselves The Platters: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Zola Taylor was born on March 17, 1938 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Nostalgia changed everything back, Taylor told The Times in 1990. She attributed the break-up to the Beatles-inspired upheaval of pop music. All Rights Reserved. Zola Taylor The Platters in 1955. You." The group scored four No. On television, fellow Drifters member Charlie Thomas usually lip-synched the songs that King had recorded with the Drifters. hits 1955 to 1960. She attributed the break-up to the Beatles-inspired upheaval of pop music. R&B Vocal Groups: 1945 to 1965.. 1 in 1961 and again in 1987 when it was the theme song to the film of the same name. Sonny Turner sang the lead on these three records, with Reed, Lynch, Nelson, and Dawn completing the group. Sounding like the Four Tops, the The case was dismissed for lack of action on G.E.M.s part. With Taylor in the lineup, the bands smooth, romantic songs started taking off. Taylor was back in the spotlight in 1968, when she and two other women who claimed to be former teenage idol Frankie Lymons widow became embroiled in a bitter legal battle for his royalties. How do I create a student interest survey? Taylor left the Platters when the group disbanded in the early 60s. She attributed the breakup to the Beatles-inspired upheaval of pop music. Buck Ram, a lawyer by trade, convinced Mercury of the error of group's sound added Zola Taylor, who belonged to one of his other acts Shirley Gunter and She was 69, according to her family. Ram had originally met the Platters while they were working as Taylor appeared with The Platters in the first rocknroll film, Rock Around the Clock. Former members formed their own Platters, but were successfully sued. 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