The PLATTERS - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - HQ REMASTER - 1958

Good Thursday Afternoon my RP Brothers and Sisters!

On the way to work this morning I was listening to some of my 2500 songs on my USB drive and one of my long time favorite groups songs came on... The Group's name is "The Platters" from way back in the day...and they were an awesome singing group... The song playing was "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" This is a great opportunity to watch a video with one of the Premier singing groups of its day... Some of you were probably not born when this group was popular! ...Take the time to listen and judge the quality of their song after... If you are not impressed I would be very surprised... Give it a go!

Background:

"The Platters are an American vocal group formed in 1952. They were one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre. The act went through several personnel changes, with one of the most successful incarnations comprising lead tenor Tony Williams, David Lynch, Paul Robi, Herb Reed, and Zola Taylor. The group had 40 charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1955 and 1967, including four number-one hits. The Platters are one of the first African-American groups to be accepted as a major chart group and were, for a period of time, the most successful vocal group in the world.

The Platters formed in Los Angeles in 1952[2] and were initially managed by Federal Records A&R man, Ralph Bass. The original group consisted of founding and naming member, Herb Reed, Alex Hodge, Cornell Gunter and Joe Jefferson.[3][4]

In June 1953, Gunter left to join the Flaires and was replaced by lead vocalist Tony Williams. The band then released two singles with Federal Records, under the management of Bass, but found little success. Bass then asked his friend music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram to coach the group in hope of getting a hit record. Ram made some changes to the lineup, most notably the addition of female vocalist Zola Taylor and, in autumn 1954, the replacement of Alex Hodge by Paul Robi. Under Ram's guidance, The Platters recorded eight songs for Federal in the R&B/gospel style, scoring a few minor regional hits on the West Coast, and backed Williams' sister, Linda Hayes. One song recorded during their Federal tenure, "Only You (And You Alone)", originally written by Ram for the Ink Spots, was deemed unreleasable by the label, though copies of this early version do exist.

Despite their lack of chart success, The Platters were a profitable touring group, successful enough that the Penguins, coming off their #8 single "Earth Angel", asked Ram to manage them as well. With the Penguins in hand, Ram was able to parlay Mercury Records' interest into a 2-for-1 deal. To sign the Penguins, Ram insisted, Mercury also had to take The Platters. The Penguins would never have a hit for the label." Wikipedia