Artist:The Platters
Song:Only You (And You Alone)
Album:The Doo Wop Box
The Platters were one of the most popular doo wop groups of the 50s. They started out in Los Angeles in 1953 as a standard doo wop group recording for Federal Records. The turning point came when they were discovered by producer Buck Ram. He was born Samuel Ram Nov. 21, 1907 in Chicago. Ram was a big band arranger in the 40s and co-wrote I'll Be Home For Christmas for Bing Crosby in 1943. By the mid-50s, he ran his own agency in Los Angeles. He got together with The Platters and refined their sound by making tenor Tony Williams the lead singer and adding Zola Taylor from Shirley Gunter & The Queens. Mixed groups were very unusual in R & B at the time. Ram got them out of their contract at Federal and moved them to Mercury Records. Only You was written by Ram and it was their first big hit in 1956. The group was presented as very classy & elegant. The Platters had several more hits until Tony Williams left in 1961. There have been various versions of The Platters over the years but Ram owned the name until his death on Jan. 1, 1991 at age 73. This 4CD Rhino box set is the definitive doo wop comp. There are Platters comps available but be sure you get the original versions of their recordings. The Platters' recordings like Only You continue to hold up well today and Buck Ram has a lasting legacy because of that success. Here are The Platters performing Only You in the 1956 film Rock Around The Clock.
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