Tony Williams (born Samuel Edward Williams; April 5, 1928 – August 14, 1992), was an American singer who was the

lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

the Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

from 1953 to 1960.

Life and career

Williams was born in Elizabeth,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, the son of Bertha and Edward Williams. He served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

around the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, rising to the rank of

sergeant Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...

, and after leaving military service moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, where he joined his older sister Bertha, who was developing a successful singing career under the name Linda Hayes. He worked in menial jobs such as

parking lot A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

attendant, while competing in evening

talent shows A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather th ...

. Laurence Staig, "Obituary: Tony Williams", ''The Independent'', 18 August 1992
Retrieved 15 September 2021 Williams came to the attention of

Ralph Bass Ralph Basso Jr. (May 1, 1911 – March 5, 1997), known as Ralph Bass,The birth surname of Ralph Bass's paternal grandfather, who was born in Italy, was DuBasso. was an American rhythm-and-blues record producer and talent scout for several indepen ...

of Federal Records, who linked him with an existing vocal group, the Flamingos, comprising Gaynel Hodge, David Lynch, Alex Hodge, and

Herb Reed Herbert Reed (August 7, 1928 – June 4, 2012) was an American musician, vocalist, and founding/naming member of The Platters, known for timeless hits such as Only You (and You Alone) and The Great Pretender. Reed was the last surviving original me ...

. When they became aware of another group of the same name, they renamed themselves the Platters and made their first recordings in September 1953, with Williams on lead vocal. Their initial recordings were unsuccessful, but Linda Hayes then introduced Williams to

booking agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sp ...

and aspiring songwriter

Buck Ram Samuel "Buck" Ram (November 21, 1907 – January 1, 1991) was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger. He was one of BMI's top five songwriters/air play in its first 50 years, alongside Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Jim ...

. He was impressed by Williams' high tenor singing voice, and agreed to manage the group while also hoping to promote Williams as a solo performer. B. Lee Cooper, Review of "Tony Williams—The Signature Voice of The Platters: Volume One, 1955–1961", ''Audio Review'', 22 August 2021
Retrieved 15 September 2021
Retrieved 15 September 2021 The group continued to record and perform locally, occasionally supporting Linda Hayes, until late 1955 when they were signed by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

. Their first recording on the label, Buck Ram's song "

Only You (And You Alone) "Only You (And You Alone)" (often shortened to "Only You") is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was originally recorded by The Platters with lead vocals by Tony Williams in 1955. The Platters versions The Platters first recorded the song for ...

", with Williams on lead vocal, became a national hit, and was followed in early 1956 by " The Great Pretender", another Ram song with Williams as lead singer, which became successful on both the R&B and pop charts as well as internationally. Over the next three years, the group had a succession of hits, including " My Prayer", " Twilight Time", and "

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical '' Roberta''. The song was sung in the Broadway show by Tamara Drasin. Its first recorded performance was by Ge ...

", all featuring Williams. The songs made the Platters one of the most successful

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

groups of the 1950s, and a British reviewer described Williams' voice as "unearthly". In a dispute over money, Williams left the Platters in 1959 to pursue a solo career, and continued to work with Ram as his manager. He recorded an LP, ''A Girl Is A Girl Is A Girl'', but his career faltered after he was arrested on a morals charge, of which he was later cleared. He continued to perform with the Platters intermittently until 1960, but then won a legal action against Ram which allowed him to formally leave the group. He signed as a solo singer for

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

in 1961, recording ''Tony Williams Sings His Greatest Hits'', including re-recordings of some of the Platters' songs, but returned to

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet i ...

the following year. He released the album ''The Magic Touch Of Tony'' in 1962, and the same year overdubbed vocals for a Platters record, ''Encore Of Broadway Golden Hits''. However, by this time music buyers' tastes had changed, and Williams' voice had lost some of its appeal. He married Helen Williams in 1963. He later performed with his own, unauthorized version of the Platters, known as the International Platters, which also featured his wife. Musical Director William Gulino worked with Tony Williams and the Platters from 1978 to 1992. Williams was elected to the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

as a member of the Platters in 1990. He developed

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

, "Tony Williams, Lead Singer Of `The Platters'", ''Seattle Times'', August 15, 1992
Retrieved 15 September 2021 and died in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alv ...

, in 1992.

Solo discography

* ''Magic Touch of Tony'' – Philips PHM-200-051 (mono)/Philips PHS-600-051 (stereo) – 1962 * ''A Girl Is a Girl Is A Girl'' – Mercury SR-60138 – 1969 (previously Mercury MG 20454 – 1961) * ''Tony Williams Sings His Greatest Hits'' – Gold Dust Records Dust 934 (Italy) – 1994 * The Voice of The Platters – Vintage Music −2014

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Tony 1928 births 1992 deaths American rhythm and blues singers The Platters members People from Elizabeth, New Jersey Singers from New Jersey Deaths from emphysema 20th-century African-American male singers