- Platters Trivia: They weren't technically doo-woppers, but the sheer elegance and class of the Platters, with manager Buck Ram`s savvy marketing, ...
- ... made them the default pop vocal favorites of the rock n' roll era, especially for the special times, you know ... make-out music.
- Platters Trivia: The principal Platters (performers) were: Tony Williams (4/5/1928-8/14/1992), Herb Reed (8/7/1931-6/4/2012), Zola Taylor (b. 1934), Paul Robi (8/30/1931-2/1/1989),...
- ... David Lynch (6/3/1929-1/2/1981). Samuel "Buck" Ram, as manager/songwriter/arranger, made the Platters the group we know today.
- Platters Trivia: Tony Williams, whose voice ensured the Ptatters's success, was working as a parking lot attendant when he was recruited by Buck Ram in 1953.
- Platters Trivia: Originally, Platters manager/songwriter Buck Ram wrote Only You for the Ink Spots,...
- ... and although copies do exist, that version of the song was never released.
- Platters Trivia: Platters manager/songwriter Buck Ram also managed the Penguins of Earth Angel fame.
- Platters Trivia: Buck Ram wrote the lyrics of "The Great Pretender" in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. It became the Platters' first national #1 hit.
- Platters Trivia: The group appeared in the first major motion picture based around rock and roll, Rock Around the Clock, performing "Only You" and "The Great Pretender".
- Platters Trivia: The Platters differed from other groups of the era because Ram had the group incorporated in1956, each member receiving a 20% share in the stock, full royalties, and paid Social Security.
- Platters Trivia: 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.
- Platters Trivia: Their next release (after "Only You"), "The Great Pretender", was issued in November 1955...
- ... and became their second #1 R&B and first #1 Pop hit, thus beginning a streak of eleven two-sided hits.
- Platters Trivia: In 1958 they introduced "Twilight Time" on Dick Clark's American Bandstand Saturday night TV Show. ...
- Platters Trivia: The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998.
- Platters Trivia: The Platters were the first rock and roll group to have a Top Ten album in America.
- Platters Trivia: Due to personnel changes over the years, Herb Reed was the only Platters member to appear on every original Platters recording.
- Platters Trivia: The Platters enjoyed massive popularity with white audiences, and helped launch doo wop music, influencing generations of vocal groups with their harmonies and arrangements.
- ... A film of the Platters performing the song was used for promotion, and might be considered the first music video.
- Platters Trivia: Tony Williams was the Platter's vocal lead. His departure in 1961 effectively ended the group's classic era.
- Platters Trivia: As a member of the Platters, Tony Williams was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
- Platters Trivia: Tony Williams died at his home in New York at age 64 on August, 16, 1992.
- Platters Trivia: Zola Taylor left the Platters in 1962. Taylor had led a colorful life, confessing that she had an affair with the thirteen year-old Frankie Lymon in 1956 while on tour together.
- Platters Trivia: After leaving the Platters, Zola Taylor claimed to have married Frankie Lymon in Tijuana in1965, but couldn't produce a marriage license.
- Platters Trivia: On April 30, 2007 Zola Taylor died in Riverside, CA at age 69, from pneumonia, following a series of strokes.
- Platters Trivia: Herb Reed was the only member of the group to appear on all of their nearly 400 recordings. ...
- ... He was the last surviving member of the original Platters, and died on June 4, 2012 at age 83 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
