The Platters

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=169 style=" border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC;" BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="017a0ad1dyxtip.jpg"> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="698" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 111 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="00d69690.jpg" border=0 width="105" height="105" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> Waxahachie Independant School District    <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#00FF00" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >               Waxahachie, Texas</FONT></div> <div> <B>Waxahachie High School Alumni 1962</B></div> <div> <B>WHS Seniors '62</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=268 BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="01f9b9c3.jpg"> <div>                                                   </div> <div> <B><SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">  </SCRIPT> </B></div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="703" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 3875 WIDTH="693"><div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="453" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 213 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="17278c80.jpg" border=0 width="120" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="288"><div> <B><IMG SRC="173c8350.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> The Platters have recorded nearly 400 songs, have sold over 80 million copies of those songs, and have performed throughout the world, winning many awards and an induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame along the way. The Platters, over the years, have appeared in 27 movies such as "Rock Around The Clock," "Girl's Town," "Europe By Night," and many more.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 3621 WIDTH="443"><bR> <div> So, how did this all start, what are some details through the years, and what about today? Read on . . .</div> <bR> <div> In Janurary of 1953, four men converged on Los Angeles to form a group for competing in local amateur shows, etc. This early group consisted of <B>Cornell Gunther</B>, <B>Alex Hodge</B>, <B>Herb Reed</B>, and <B>Joe Jefferson</B>. It is said that <B>Gaynel Hodge</B>, brother of Alex and later famous with his hit Earth Angel, was present with the Platters when their trademark name was coined, named after the term popular with DJs when refering to records, hence <B>The Platters</B>.</div> <bR> <div> With both Reed and Gunther singing lead, the men won several amateur contest and appeared on The Ebony Showcase, a television program. Soon, David Lynch replaced Joe Jefferson, and Tony Williams joined the group while Cornell Gunther departed. At this point, Ralph Bass of Federal Records signed the group to their first recording contract.</div> <bR> <div> That same year, a songwriter from Chicago named Buck Ram signed a management contract with the group. The members at that time were Herb Reed, David Lynch, Tony Williams, and Alex Hodge. Early in 1954, the same time Ram decided a female would be a good addition to the group, Zola Taylor was at Alex Hodge's house rehearsing with Cornell Gunther's sister, Shirley Gunther. Both ladies were with the Queens at this time. Soon, Zola was taken on board The Platters, and in the same year Paul Robi replaced Alex Hodge.</div> <bR> <div> Buck Ram and The Platters really got rolling when Ram was negotiating a deal with Mercury Records for another of his groups, The Penguins. At this time, The Penguins' song, "Earth Angel" was at the top of the charts in the United States. Ram was negotiating a contract with Mercury for The Penguins, and decided to take The Platters with them in the deal. Mercury wanted The Penguins, but not necessarily The Platters, but Buck Ram insisted they take both groups or none! The Platters signed a recording contract with Mercury Records in 1955, which resulted in hits such as, <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#00FF00" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >"Only You," "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," "My Prayer," "The Great Pretender," </FONT>and <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#00FF00" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >"The Magic Touch"</FONT> just to name a few.</div> <bR> <div> In 1956, Ram incorporated The Platters forming "The Five Platters, Inc." giving each member stock in the corporation, with each member signing away his or her right to the name The Platters to the corporation, owned by Buck.</div> <bR> <div> In 1960, Williams left The Platters to pursue his solo career with Reprise Records. Sonny Turner replaced Tony Williams as lead singer of The Platters. By 1966, The Platters consisted of David Lynch, Herb Reed, Sonny Turner, Nate Nelson, and Sandra Dawn. In 1969, the group parted ways with their management. Buck Ram signed Monroe Powell to replace Sonny Turner, an association which lasted for the next 25 years.</div> <bR> <div> 1990 saw The Platters inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.</div> <div> While the Platters have divided over the years and members have come and gone, the one thing that remains contant is the beauty of their music, still performed today by the legendary Monroe Powell, Sonny Turner, Herb Reed and others.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Albums of the Platters</B></div> <bR> <div> 1998  Crying in the Chapel</div> <div> 1998  Enchanted: The Best of the Platters</div> <div> 1998  Gold Collection [Fine Tune]</div> <div> 1998  Platters Christmas</div> <div> 1998  Selection of the Platters</div> <div> 1997  Gold</div> <div> 1997  New Golden Hits of the Platters</div> <div> 1997  Only You [Kingfisher]</div> <bR> <div> 1997 The Platters Meet the Drifters</div> <bR> <div> 1997 Revue Collection 1997</div> <bR> <div> The Very Best of the Platters 1966-1969 </div> <bR> <div> 1997  The Very Best of the Platters [PolyGram Special Market]</div> <bR> <div> 1996  19 Hits</div> <div> 1996  Golden Classics: 21 Original Musicor Recordings</div> <div> 1996  Greatest Hits [Eclipse]</div> <div> 1996  Greatest Hits, Vol. 2</div> <div> 1996  Original Platters</div> <div> 1996  The Platters [Allegiance]</div> <div> 1996  Pledging My Love</div> <div> 1996  Twilight Time</div> <div> 1996  With This Ring</div> <div> 1995  All the Hits and More</div> <div> 1995  Christmas Album</div> <div> 1995  From the Golden Vaults</div> <div> 1995  Great Pretender [Classic Sound]</div> <div> 1995  The Greatest Hits [Entertainers]</div> <div> 1995  Greatest Hits [King]</div> <div> 1995  The Musicor Years</div> <div> 1995  The Platters in Solid Gold</div> <div> 1994  19 Original Hits</div> <div> 1994  22 Gold</div> <div> 1994  22 Greats</div> <div> 1994  22 Hits</div> <div> 1994  Four Platters and One Lovely Dish</div> <div> 1994  The Platters' Greatest Hits</div> <div> 1992  The Great Pretenders</div> <div> 1991  24 Golden Hits</div> <div> 1991  The Magic Touch: An Anthology</div> <div> 1991  Only Their Best for You</div> <div> 1991  The Very Best of the Platters [Mercury]</div> <div> 1987  16 Greatest Hits</div> <div> 1983  The More I See You</div> <div> 1982  The Early Years</div> <div> 1982  Platterama</div> <div> 1981  Juke Box Giants</div> <div> 1979  Super Hits</div> <div> 1979  The Platters, Vol. 3</div> <div> 1978  Original</div> <div> 1978  Reborn</div> <div> 1978  Twenty Classic Hits</div> <div> 1976  16 Greatest Hits</div> <div> 1976  16 Original Recordings</div> <div> 1976  Collection</div> <div> 1976  Encores</div> <div> 1976  In the Still of the Night</div> <div> 1976  The Platters Hits</div> <div> 1976  Red Sails in the Sunset</div> <div> 1976  Wonder of You</div> <div> 1975 My Prayer</div> <div> 1975  Now</div> <div> 1975  Precious Moments</div> <div> 1974  The Great Pretender</div> <div> 1974  Greatest Hits [Onyx]</div> <div> 1974  Live</div> <div> 1974  Live in Chicago</div> <div> 1974  Spotlight On</div> <div> 1973  The Best of the Platters, Vol. 1</div> <div> 1973  The Best of the Platters, Vol. 2</div> <div> 1973  The Golden Hits of the Platters</div> <div> 1972  Encore of Broadway Golden Hits</div> <div> 1972  Golden Hits 1971 Golden Hour</div> <div> 1971  Our Way</div> <div> 1971  Two Decades of Hits</div> <div> 1969  Singing the Great Hits Our Way</div> <div> 1968  Double Gold Platters</div> <div> 1968  I Get the Sweetest Feeling</div> <div> 1968  New Golden Hits of the Platters</div> <div> 1968  Only You</div> <div> 1968  Smoke Gets in Your Eyes</div> <div> 1968  Sweet, Sweet Lovin'</div> <div> 1968  Tenth Anniversary Album</div> <div> 1967  Going Back to Detroit</div> <div> 1967  Have the Magic Touch</div> <div> 1966  I Love You 1,000 Times</div> <div> 1966  The Platters Have the Magic Touch</div> <div> 1965  10th Anniversary Album</div> <div> 1965  The New Soul of the Platters</div> <div> 1963  Christmas with the Platters</div> <div> 1963  Moonlight Memories</div> <div> 1963  The Platters Present All-Time Movie Hits</div> <div> 1963  The Platters Sing All the Movie Hits</div> <div> 1963  The Platters Sing Latino</div> <div> 1963  Sing Latino</div> <div> 1962  The Best of the Platters</div> <div> 1962  Encore of Golden Hits of the Groups</div> <div> 1962  The Platters Sing for the Lonely</div> <div> 1962  The Platters on a Platters</div> <div> 1962  Song for Only the Lonely</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> All above songs have been placed here purely for entertainment and educational purposes only, without any commercial interest whatsoever or profit of any kind.</div> <bR> <div>  Its sole purpose is presenting the 'lifestyles' and 'music' of the 1950s thru 1960s. All titles are copyrighted by their respective artists and record companies.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our 50s"><B>Our 50's </B></A><B>      </B><A HREF="beat_goes_on.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Beat Goes On"><B>The Beat Goes On</B></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=42 style=" border-top: 1px solid #CCCCCC;" BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="0182a2f1dyxtip.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="http://whs62.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://whs62.net">Home</A>     <A HREF="http://whs62.net/Roll" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://whs62.net/Roll">Roll Call</A>    <A HREF="http://whs62.net/In_Memory" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://whs62.net/In_Memory">In Memory</A>   <A HREF="http://whs62.net/Long_Ago" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://whs62.net/Long_Ago">Long Ago</A>    <A HREF="http://www.whs62.net/Our_50s/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.whs62.net/Our_50s/">Our 50's</A>   <A HREF="http://whs62.net/Reunions" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://whs62.net/Reunions">Reunions</A>   <A HREF="http://whs62.net/Today" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://whs62.net/Today">Today</A>    <A HREF="http://whs62.net/Contacts" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://whs62.net/Contacts">Contacts</A>    <A HREF="http://whs62.net/Links" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://whs62.net/Links">Links</A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>