Tony Williams (singer)

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Tony Williams (born April 5, 1928 in Elizabeth , New Jersey , † August 14, 1992 in New York City ) was an American singer. He was the lead singer of the doo-wop group The Platters .

Life

Williams sang in the gospel choir at Elizabeth Baptist Church, New Jersey, and won first place at the Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater . In the 1940s, Williams served in the US Air Force . On the advice of his sister Linda Hayes, who had a hit with "Yet I Know", Williams moved to Los Angeles . He worked there in a car wash. In 1953 he replaced Cornell Gunter (1936-1990) in the group The Platters . On June 6, 1960, he left the group for his solo career. His successor as the lead singer of the Platters was Sonny Turner.

His first solo LP A Girl Is a Girl Is A Girl was released in 1959. In its November 16, 1959 issue, Billboard magazine wrote: "The lead singer of the Platters turns into a solid performance in his first solo LP. He warbles with feeling and sincerity on a group of standards with fern names - 'Ramona,' 'Ida,' 'Lama,' etc. Excellent jockey wax. " The cover of his first LP showed the faces of twelve white women. His LP Magic Touch of Tony included a version of You'll Never Walk Alone . In 1963 he married New York model Helen Williams, with whom he had a son. He later appeared as a singer in the group The International Platters and suffered from alcohol problems. Laurence Staig wrote in his obituary: "Just as Diana Ross was The Supremes, so Tony Williams was The Platters."

Discography

Releases with The Platters under The Platters / Discography # Singles

  • 1961: A Girl Is a Girl Is A Girl
  • 1962: Magic Touch of Tony

literature

  • Nick Talevski, Knocking on Heaven's Door. Rock obituaries. London 2006.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. DIED Tony Williams , Der Spiegel, Aug. 24, 1992
  2. Jay Warner, American Singing Groups. A History from 1940s to Today. Milwaukee, Wis. 2006. p. 275.
  3. ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY - JUNE 6TH ( Memento from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  4. a girl is a girl is a girl ( Memento from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  5. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-08-15/news/mn-4792_1_tony-williams