AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Platters

Artist:The Platters

Song:Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Album:All-Time Gteatest Hits

The Platters were the most successful R&B vocal group of the 50s. They bridged the gap between Tin Pan Alley and 50s pop music. They scored four #1 hit singles and the 1958 single The Great Pretender was their biggest hit and one of the most memorable records of the era. The Platters were formed in 1952 in Los Angeles by Federal Records A&R man Ralph Bass. The original group members were Alex Hodge, his brother Gaynel Hodge, Curtis Williams, Joe Jefferson and Cornell Gunter. Gunter and Jefferson were soon replaced by Tony Williams and Herb Reed. Reed had just been discharged from the US Army. Williams was lead singer. Reed was a member of The Platters for their entire run. Reed was at the Hodge household trying to come up with a group name when Mrs. Hodge came in with a plate of cookies. There were some 78rpm records on the table and she said "They look just like platters" and Reed chose that name. After a couple of unsuccessful singles on Federal, Bass asked his songwriter friend Buck Ram for help. He brought in female singer Zola Taylor and Paul Robi replaced Alex Hodge. Then Ram got them a record deal with Mercury. He also managed The Penguins who scored a top ten hit with the single Earth Angel. Mercury wanted them and Ram agreed to it if Mercury also took The Platters. The Penguins never had another hit. Only You was a Ram song that was already unsuccessfully recorded. Williams convinced Ram to record a new version and it was a top ten hit in 1955. This was followed by The Platters' first #1 hit The Great Pretender. And The Platters appeared in the film Rock Around the Clock. Their next #1 single was My Prayer in 1958. My Prayer was interesting because Ram didn't write it. It was a French song with English lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. And that led to The Platters' recording of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes was written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach for the 1933 Broadway musical Roberta. Maybe you have seen the 1935 film Roberta when Irene Dunne sang it. But The Platters' 1958 single Smoke Gets in Your Eyes not only topped the charts but it was their biggest hit and signature song. It was also their final #1 hit. You can get all their hits on this comp. Beware of knockoff versions. These are the original recordings. This version of The Platters lasted until 1960. Then Mercury dropped them in 1962. A version of The Platters continued to tour and occasionally record. But they never had the same success that they had in the 50s. Here's The Platters performing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes on the Mar. 1, 1958 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show.