Zola Taylor, who was the first female member of the 1950s group the Platters, a Los Angeles-based quintet that was one of rock’s first major R&B crossover acts, has died. She was 69, according to her family.
Ms. Taylor, who had been bedridden after several strokes, died Monday of complications from pneumonia in Riverside, Calif., said her niece, Zola Taylor Jr.
Unhappy with the Platters’ sound in 1954, manager Buck Ram replaced one of the male singers and added Ms. Taylor’s contralto voice.
With her in the lineup, the band’s smooth, romantic songs started taking off. “Only You” reached No. 5 on the pop charts in 1955. It was soon followed by the No. 1 hit “The Great Pretender” in 1956.
After the Los Angeles native joined the group, they sometimes were referred to as the Four Platters and a Dish.
“She had a baby voice that everyone liked — a big voice, but there was a sweetness and a little bit of bite to it, which was good,” Steve Propes, co-author of “L.A. R&B Vocal Groups,” told the Los Angeles Times.
From 1955 to 1960, the Platters had four No. 1 hits and 16 gold records, including “My Prayer,” “Harbor Lights” and two releases based on older songs: “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”
They toured the world and were an international sensation in the late 1950s, according to “Contemporary Musicians.”
Ms. Taylor left the Platters when the group disbanded in the early 1960s. She attributed the breakup to the Beatles-inspired upheaval of pop music.
