Zola Taylor of The Platters Dies

[Those RRRRs]

Zola Taylor who sang lead on "Bark, Battle, and Ball," the anwer song to Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," and who also sang lead on "He's Mine" by The Platters passed away in New Jersey a couple of days ago.

 

[Goodtimesandgreatoldies]

I thought that all of the original Platters had been dead for a number of years.

 

[andreajesus]

As Amy Winehouse sings in her song "Rehab" :

NO, NO, NO!! ORIGINAL bass Herb Reed is ALIVE, WELL, and TOURING THE COUNTRY with his OWN Platters group, and all I can tell you is that if you ever get a chance to see them, I say GO, GO, GO!! Herb STILL has the SAME BASS voice that he did back in the day, and he is VERY NICE and CHARMING to talk to!! And you can take that to the bank and BOOK IT, cos' I JUST GOTTA LOVE IT!!

 

[RicoGregg]

Zola Taylor who sang lead on "Bark, Battle, and Ball," the anwer song to Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," and who also sang lead on "He's Mine" by The Platters passed away in New Jersey a couple of days ago.

Not that big a deal, and some time has passed since her passing, but Zola Taylor died in Riverside, Ca. Details:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-05-01-zola-taylor_N.htm

 

[andreajesus]

It may be over a year since Zola died, but the point needs to be maken here, as I have tried to make it in SO MANY other places:

We need to acknowledge OUR artists and OUR musicians while they are ALIVE and REMEMBER them and their music even after their passings...

 

[TheFonz]

Zola Taylor who sang lead on "Bark, Battle, and Ball," the anwer song to Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," and who also sang lead on "He's Mine" by The Platters passed away in New Jersey a couple of days ago.

At one time she was married to Frankie Lymon.

 

[palalwanabe]

Zola Taylor, born Zoletta Lynn Taylor (March 17, 1938 – April 30, 2007 in Los Angeles, California)
Yes, Herb Reed and his Toupee are alive and well. Herb Reed was instrumental in passing legislation in half the US called "The Truth In Rock and Roll Act" that requires at least on orginal member (That Appeared on the recordings) performing with a given group on the Oldies Circuit to be legal. Such as Charlie Thomas and the Drifters , Nick Santo and the Capris, Jimmy Beaumont with the Skyliners to mention a few.

Turns out Frankie Lymon(AJ's Favorite) was married to half the female population East of the Mississippi (might be one too many s or i ?).
Cher Lives !!!!!!!

Pal Al

 

[andreajesus]

Hey, Pal Al, even though you're probably one of my biggest fans (at least on this Board...) , I gotta tell you...

Herb Reed IS alive and well, but the BULK of the credit for passing "Truth in Music" (as it is CORRECTLY called!) should REALLY GO to Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (yes, THAT Bowzer!) of Sha-Na-Na and Carl (Coasters) Gardner and his wife, Veta...as of right now, Truth in Music is in effect in 18 out of 50 states, and ALL are working to see it passed in MORE states every day...The law is basically as you stated - there has to be AT LEAST one person in a given group who was an ORIGINAL writing/performing member of that group when they had the hit records in ORDER for the group to be legal...and by the way, ALL the names you mentioned have been "legal" for YEARS!! Charlie fought for MANY YEARS to get the use of the Drifters name back, as did Carl and Veta Gardner for the Coasters name back...

Now as for Frankie Lymon - he was married to only THREE women, even though it seems as if he was married to half of the women East of the Mississippi...

Emira Eagle
Zola Taylor
Elizabeth Waters (iirc, Elizabeth was the one who got WHATEVER was in the estate - if you remember, when there was a whole lawsuit thing over "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?", the lawsuit was AMENDED to include ANYTHING AFTER 1984, when Diana Ross ("Miss Ross" to you) released HER version of the song...)

And yes, CHER LIVES AND WE LOVE HER!!

AJ

 

[palalwanabe]

I stand corrected on all counts.......... yes I do recall, now, that bowzer may have started that.......I was just adding to the legend of Frankie Lymon. you folks are just too sharp, i can't get away with anything, great job.

I threw Chalie Thomas in there to see if someone corrected me on the fact that Charlie Thomas was not an original 1953 - 06/31/59 drifter (when Pinkney died, he was the last original surviving Drifter),but in fact thomas was part of the second set of Drifters, who are recognized as drifters, because of their success, and technically he was on post 59' hit recording. The Drifters is a muddied affair, when it comes to who was really a Drifter, because of the two discreet groups, we don't need to go any further.

I too am glad that Cher Is alive , cause we are the same age.

 

[Goodtimesandgreatoldies]

I will have to go and see Herb Reed very soon.... He sounds great!!!!

 

[andreajesus]

I threw Charlie Thomas in there to see if someone corrected me on the fact that Charlie Thomas was not an original 1953 - 06/31/59 drifter (when Pinckney died, he was the last original surviving Drifter), but in fact, Thomas was part of the second set of Drifters, who are recognized as Drifters, because of their success, and technically he was on post-'59 hit recordings. The Drifters is a muddled affair, when it comes to who was really a Drifter...

Sorry, guys, I couldn't let this one go by...under "Truth in Music", Charlie's Drifters group IS considered LEGITIMATE simply BECAUSE of the fact that Charlie RECORDED Drifters songs AS A MEMBER OF THE DRIFTERS, NOT "Joe Schmo" or ANYTHING like that!! So Charlie's FOR REAL, you guys - he FOUGHT for YEARS to be ALLOWED to HAVE the Drifters name - I was JUMPING AND SCREAMING when they did that "20/20" thing back in May about bogus groups, and they had a clip of Charlie going to a show featuring a PHONY Drifters group and CONFRONTING THEM!!

Andrea