Zola Taylor of The Platters dies at 69

Zola Taylor of The Platters dies at 69

She claimed she was married to Frankie Lymon

APZola Taylor

Frank Driggs Collection, Getty Images

Zola Taylor performs with the Platters in the 1950s.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zola Taylor, who broke gender barriers as the first female member of the 1950s R&B group The Platters and later became entangled in a public soap opera as one of three women claiming to be pop idol Frankie Lymon's widow, has died, her nephew reported Tuesday. She was 69.

Taylor, who had been bedridden following several strokes, died Monday at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside County from complications of pneumonia, said her nephew Alfie Robinson.

Founding Platters member Herb Reed said he spotted Taylor, the sister of Cornell Gunter of the Coasters, rehearsing with a girl group in 1955 and knew immediately she had the charisma and vocal chops the band needed.

The all-male grouphad just signed with Mercury after its single Only You topped the charts and its manager thought they needed a female voice to soften their sound.

"She was a very pretty young lady and what a great, great smile," Reed told The Associated Press. "And she had this baby voice that everyone liked."

Reed said Taylor, a contralto, turned out to be a great fit. She showed up on time, knew her harmony parts and charmed audiences with her smile and beauty. With her in the lineup, The Great Pretender raced to the number one spot on both R & B and pop music charts in the U.S. and Europe, according to The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul by Irwin Stambler. It didn't take long before the group's success spawned a rush of imitators.

"It was a great surprise to everyone," Reed said. "We were the first Afro-American group to have a girl singer. That was the talk of the nation. All of the sudden, other groups started looking for girls."

The Platters' success began to fizzle after 1959, when four members were arrested in a Cincinnati hotel and accused of using drugs and soliciting prostitutes. Reed said he had been out of touch with Taylor since the early 1960s.

Taylor was back in the spotlight in the 1980s when she and two other women all claimed to be Lymon's widow and fought over his royalties. Lymon, a juvenile pop sensation in the 1950s with such hits as Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, had died of a drug overdose in 1968 at age 25.

Robinson said she told him that the two wed in Mexico while she was touring with the Platters and forgot to file papers in San Diego.

Reed said he was as surprised by the uproar as the titillated public.

"I never heard Zola say anything about marrying Frankie Lymon, I never saw him with her and he never mentioned anything about it," he said.

The drama was a focal point in the 1998 Lymon biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love. Halle Berry played Taylor.

Robinson, Taylor's closest known living relative, said his aunt continued touring with other lesser-known acts until 1996 and wed two other times. Her last husband died in 1982, he said. She had no children.

Robinson said funeral arrangements were pending.

Zola Taylor, 69, R&B Singer, Is Dead

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: May 2, 2007

LOS ANGELES, May 1 (AP) — Zola Taylor, the first woman to be a member of the 1950s R&B group the Platters and who was later one of three women claiming to be the widow of the pop idol Frankie Lymon, died on April 30 in Riverside, Calif. She was 69.

The cause was complications of pneumonia, said her nephew, Alfie Robinson. She had suffered several strokes in the past.

Herb Reed, a founding member of the Platters, said he spotted Ms. Taylor, the sister of Cornell Gunter of the Coasters, rehearsing with an all-female group in 1955.

The Platters, then all men, had just signed with the Mercury label after its single “Only You” topped the charts, and its manager thought they needed a woman’s voice to soften their sound. “She had this baby voice that everyone liked,” Mr. Reed said.

Mr. Reed said that Ms. Taylor, a contralto, turned out to be a great fit, charming audiences with both her smile and her vocal harmony. The group’s next hit, “The Great Pretender,” raced to the No. 1 spot on both R&B and pop music charts. Their success also inspired many other African-American groups to add female singers.

The popularity of the Platters began to fizzle after 1959, when four members were arrested in a Cincinnati hotel and accused of using drugs and soliciting prostitutes. Ms. Taylor was back in the spotlight in 1968, when she and two other women who claimed to be Mr. Lymon’s widow became embroiled in a bitter legal battle for his royalties. Mr. Lymon, a teen pop sensation in the 1950s with hits like “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?,” had died of a drug overdose in 1968 at age 25.

Ms. Taylor’s nephew said she told him that the two wed in Mexico while she was touring with the Platters and forgot to file papers in San Diego. The court found in favor of one of the other women. The drama was a focus of the 1998 Lymon biopic “Why Do Fools Fall in Love.” Halle Berry played Ms. Taylor.

Mr. Robinson, who was Ms. Taylor’s closest known living relative, said his aunt continued touring with other lesser-known acts until 1996 and married two other times. Her last husband died in 1982, he said. She had no children.

 

Singer Zola Taylor of The Platters dies at 69

By The Associated Press
Tuesday,May 1, 2007

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zola Taylor, who broke gender barriers in the 1950s as a member of The Platters, harmonizing with her male colleagues on hits like "The Great Pretender," has died, her nephew said today. She was 69.

Taylor, who later gained attention of a different sort as one of three women who claimed to be pop idol Frankie Lymon's widow, died Monday, said her nephew Alfie Robinson. She had been bedridden following several strokes and died at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside County from complications of pneumonia, he said.

Founding Platters member Herb Reed said he spotted Taylor, the sister of Cornell Gunter of the Coasters, rehearsing with a girl group in 1955 and knew immediately she had the charisma and vocal chops the R&B group needed.

The all-male group had just signed with Mercury after its single "Only You" topped the charts and its manager thought they needed a female voice to soften their sound.

"She was a very pretty young lady and what a great, great smile," Reed told The Associated Press. "And she had this baby voice that everyone liked."

"The Great Pretender" raced to the No. 1 spot on both R & B and pop music charts in the U.S. and Europe, according to "The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul" by Irwin Stambler.

"It was a great surprise to everyone," Reed said. "We were the first Afro-American group to have a girl singer. That was the talk of the nation. All of the sudden, other groups started looking for girls."

But the Platters' success began to fizzle after 1959, when four members were arrested in Cincinnati. Reed said he had been out of touch with Taylor since theearly 1960s.

Taylor was back in the spotlight in the 1980s when she and two other women all claimed to be Lymon's widow and fought over his royalties. Lymon, a juvenile pop sensation in the 1950s with such hits as "WhyDo Fools Fall in Love?," had died of a drug overdose in 1968 at age 25.

The courts eventually sided with one of the other women. The drama was a focal point in the 1998 Lymon biopic "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Halle Berry played Taylor.

Robinson, Taylor's closest known living relative, said his aunt continued touring with other lesser-known acts until 1996 and wed two other times. Her last husband died in 1982, he said. She had no children.