The Platters - Very Best Of [CD]

As well as being popular their native America, The Platters became a huge success story in Britain. The massive singles they released here have left a lasting impression on the soul-loving British public. Classic hits, featured on this collection, include The Great Pretender, Only You and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, which reached number 1 in the UK. The Great Pretender was revived in 1987 by none other than Freddie Mercury, who took it back into the top 5. Their huge hit Twilight Time, also featured here, reached number 1 in America and Australia before soaring to number 3 in the UK. Overall, they had a total of 38 hit singles in the USA. The Platters formed in Los Angeles in 1953 and were initially managed by Ralph Bass. The group had a contract with Federal Records but really came into their element when they met music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram. Ram made some changes to the lineup, most notably the addition of lead vocalist Tony Williams and female vocalist Zola Taylor. Under Ram's guidance, the Platters recorded seven singles for Federal in the R&B/gospel style, scoring a few minor regional hits on the West Coast. They subsequently went on to have massive chart success worldwide. In the fifties, it was hard for black singers to sell music to white record buyers, but The Platters managed to do just that, thus helping to blaze the trail for the many others that followed.