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Home , Buck Ram, Herb Reed, The Penguins, The Platters, Zola Taylor

PREVIEW PREVIEW PREVIEWStrictly on the surface, ‘ Rock’ just doesn’t sound right.

During the mid-to-late , the ultra- polished vocal group was the epitome of cool, velvet-smooth harmonizing as they cranked out an avalanche of smash ballads under the supervision of manager . Filmmakers cast them as the relatively safe and sedate antidote to the otherwise steamy sounds dished up in the memorable films ‘Rock Around the Clock,’ ‘The Girl Can’t Help It,’ ‘Rock All Night,’ ‘Carnival Rock,’ and ‘Girls Town,’ their segments allowing overheated teenagers a chance to to. They’d started out as an R&B vocal group cool down a bit in their sweaty theater seats. before magnificently crossing over to the pop realm, and that early training never deserted Yet a close examination of their mammoth them altogether. catalog for Chicago’s Mercury Records reveals a surprising number of up-tempo The quintet’s unusual four-guys-and-one- gems that entirely legitimize the concept of gal lineup was influential in itself, mirrored this collection. You may not recognize all by a number of African American vocal of the titles at first glance, but taken as a groups that followed in their wake (most whole they confirm that The Platters could notably Smokey Robinson’s Miracles). But indeed rock whenever Ram allowed them very few outfits could boast the presence of 5 a stratospheric lead tenor the equal of The Bass singer was the first Platters’ Tony Williams, whose powerful, member that we now revere as a Platter to PREVIEWgymnastic vocal flights approximated a ride come into the fold. Born in Kansas City, on a soaring magic carpet heading straight Missouri on August 7, 1928, he harmonized for the heavens. The group survived in a church choir before relocating to Los Williams’ 1960 departure for a solo career, Angeles at age 15. After an Air Force hitch, but it took a few years for them to Reed sang in a local chapter of The Wings reestablish themselves as reliable Over Jordan choir while washing cars, hitmakers, venturing in a more overtly soul- pumping gas, and driving a jitney cab to pay oriented direction during their second the bills. Second tenor David Lynch came incarnation. next. He was born in St. Louis on July 3, 1929 and arrived in L.A. in 1942, then Like many of their contemporaries on the served in the Navy. early ‘50s R&B vocal group scene, the lineage of The Platters in their Reed, Lynch, and the Hodge siblings were pre-fame period is a convoluted mess. The hired by Federal Records A&R man Ralph crew that eventually developed into The Bass to chant the title phrase and provide Platters first assembled in 1952 without a handclaps on local tenor sax titan Big Jay solitary member present that ended up in McNeely’s frenetic Nervous Man Nervous the group during their hitmaking years. in June of 1953. Ralph introduced the group They started out calling themselves The to Tony Williams, signed to Federal by Bass Flamingoes (no relation to after Williams competed at one of the out of Chicago) and included Cornell amateur shows that Bass and deejay Hunter Gunter before he moved on to form The Hancock staged on Monday evenings at as well as Jody Jefferson, future Club Alabam in Watts. But the producer was Penguin Curtis Williams, and brothers Alex short on ideas as to how to market a young and . black tenor who sounded to him like a 6 modern version of former Ink Spots front stack of wax at the Hodges’ L.A. home) did man Bill Kenny. Determining that vocal plenty of rocking over the course of their PREVIEWgroups were happening more than solo handful of Federal recording sessions. The singers, Bass elected to pair the promising first one happened on September 15, 1953 newcomer with the quartet that he used to at L.A.’s Radio Recorders, with Herb, David, back Big Jay. Tony, and baritone Alex Hodge behind the mic and Bass at the helm. The Reed-led jump A recent arrival in Los Angeles, Samuel E. Hey Now was half of their Federal debut, but ‘Tony’ Williams had been born in Elizabeth, the other three numbers committed to tape New Jersey on April 5, 1928. He too was an that day, all fronted by Williams, were taken Air Force veteran who had sung for three at considerably more docile tempos. years in Special Services before returning stateside and trying to click as a singer Ram credited Hayes, who he was managing around Jersey. Tony’s older sister Bertha at the time, with hipping him to her younger beat him to R&B stardom in L.A. Billed as brother’s prodigious vocal skills. Upon Linda Hayes, she answered Chicago pianist hearing him sing Trees and My Buddy, Ram Willie Mabon’s R&B chart-topper I Don’t was convinced of his talent and suggested Know with her sassy Yes! I Know (What that Tony link up with a group. Williams You’re Putting Down), which did very well replied that he was already in The Platters. on John Dolphin’s Recorded in Hollywood That’s how Buck joined forces with the group label, climbing to #2 in early 1953 on that he would be inexorably associated with ‘Billboard’s’ R&B ‘Juke Box’ chart. Hayes for the rest of his life. Ram began coaching hit again the next year on Don Pierce’s The Platters, polishing their harmonies and Hollywood Records with Take Me Back. channeling their talents into more commercial directions than mere R&B. He’d The newly minted Platters (Reed certainly been in show business long enough brainstormed the name while poring over a to know how to proceed on that front. 7 PREVIEW

from left: Paul Robi, Herb Reed, David Lynch, Tony Williams, and Buck Ram 8 Samuel ‘Buck’ Ram was born in Chicago to bring Zola Taylor into The Platters to on November 21, 1907. He studied violin provide a perky female counterpoint to the PREVIEWuntil he hurt his hand playing football, then male contingent. Born March 17, 1938 in switched to saxophone. But his family L.A., the Watts resident was a day shy of 16 insisted that he get his law degree, and in the first time she recorded with The Platters 1933 Ram passed the bar in . Buck on March 16, 1954, yet she’d recently cut never pursued a legal career; music was his her own single for the Bihari brothers’ RPM passion, and he wrote songs in New York label, a cover of Jo Stafford’s then-current and worked as an arranger for popular jazz pop smash Make Love To Me. While bands of the day, including those of Ina Ray attending Centennial Senior High School, Hutton and the Dorsey brothers. His co- composing credits include two timeless blockbusters: ’s sentimental 1943 smash I’ll Be Home For Christmas (If Only In My Dreams) and The Three Suns’ dreamy 1944 classic Twilight Time. After recovering from a 1951 nervous breakdown, Ram formed a Los Angeles-based talent management company, Personality Productions.

None too impressed with anyone in The Platters apart from Williams (he would become particularly contemptuous of Reed as time went on), Ram took them on as clients anyway. One of his first moves was Zola Taylor 9 Zola had been singing with The Queens, a weird in an endearing way that it deserved pioneering girl group headed by Cornell to see light of day. PREVIEWGunter’s sister Shirley, until Ram inducted her into The Platters. Hodge’s brief tenure in The Platters abruptly ended that spring when he was It’s generally assumed Ram was writing busted for laying a marijuana joint on a under the nom de plume of Jim Williams friend (when the pal was nabbed by the cops, when he penned Beer Barrel Boogie, one he identified Alex as its source). Hodge of the two jump items Federal picked from ended up with Gaynel in The Turks, who The Platters’ second session as their next cut the ’55 West Coast hit Emily for John single. Reed fronted it as well as Roses Of Dolphin’s Money label. Ram tried to snag Picardy on the other side, a driving revival The Lamplighters’ Al Frazier as The Platters’ of a British song that was popular there new baritone, but Al stayed put, during World War I. It was the first old pop recommending Paul Roby as an alternative. standard the group tackled. Spicy bongos Born August 20, 1931, New Orleans native punctuated Love All Night, half of the other Roby painted houses when he wasn’t single from the date with Lynch front and exercising his vocal cords. For unknown center. reasons, he changed the spelling of his surname to Robi when he came aboard. The Platters waxed their first version of Ram’s soaring ballad (And You With the classic lineup now fully in place, Alone) at a May 20, 1954 session in L.A., most of The Platters’ final L.A. session for but it was shelved at the time (Reed’s weird Federal in September of ’54 was up-tempo, whistling all the way through sure didn’t and Lynch was the focal point of the day’s help). The whole date was initially banished three rockers. The Latin-tempoed Shake It to the vaults, though the minor-key jump Up Mambo and a peppy Voo-Vee-Ah-Bee Humble Bumble Bee, led by Herb, was so were paired as one single, while Maggie

10 Doesn’t Work Here Anymore, penned by backing at the session convinced Ram to Lynch and Taylor, was issued next. Judging search for a new label. Buck also managed PREVIEWfrom their Federal catalog, you’d think The , whose (Will You Platters were primarily a jump outfit, Tony Be Mine) was one of the biggest hits of 1954. Williams still little more than one weapon They were free agents after splitting from in their vocal arsenal. Tony did get a chance Dootsie Williams’ DooTone label, and Bobby to duet with his sister in January of 1955 on Shad of Mercury Records was in hot pursuit. the rollicking Oochi Pachi, which came out But Ram insisted Shad would also have to on the parent King label (Bass and Johnny take The Platters if he wanted The Penguins. Otis were two of its three writers). Shad tried his best to sidestep The Platters, but eventually he relented and pacted them The rest of The Platters sang background too. Ironically, The Penguins never scored a parts on it, and King owner Syd Nathan’s solitary hit for Mercury, while The Platters hard-headed refusal to pay the group for its became one of the logo’s flagship acts.

David Lynch Zola Taylor with Paul Robi Tony Williams 11 Mercury booked Capitol Recording Studios now doing business under the nom de plume on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood for The of Jean Miles (he was an ASCAP writer, but PREVIEWPlatters’ first session on April 26, 1955, the his Platters output was being registered with studio band including guitarist Chuck Norris, BMI because their royalties payout was bassist Red Callender, and pianist Sylvester more generous). Mercury placed Bark, Battle Scott (Ram later claimed that pianist Ernie And Ball on the back side of Only You and Freeman led the band that day). Since pressed up the single with a pink label that Federal had buried Only You, Ram had them designated it as an R&B release. No one recut the sweeping ballad that evening and foresaw the tremendous pop crossover it became the group’s breakthrough smash success of Only You prior to its ascension. that summer, topping the R&B hit parade and peaking at #5 pop. But it had yet to be I Wanna, the other up-tempo item waxed ascertained that the quintet’s future lay in that day, was scarcely less insistent. It was breathtaking balladry, so the date opened penned by Taylor and Ram, this time under with two of the hardest-driving rockers The his real name, though it was held back from Platters ever waxed for Mercury. release until 1957, when it served as That’s where this collection a B-side to the group’s relatively commences. inconsequential hit My Dream. Lynch, The Platters’ jump Bark, Battle And Ball, specialist, fronted I Wanna, a sassy answer to Big his every line echoed by Joe Turner’s R&B chart- Reed’s deep-toned bass. topper Shake, Rattle And This time Norris and Simon Roll boasting a blasting sax both copped scorching solo from Freddie Simon, instrumental breaks halfway was the brainchild of Zola, through. who sang a zesty lead, and Ram, 12