Trailblazing R&B group sues `imposter' in RI to protect history

PROVIDENCE – The smooth harmonies of The Platters helped shift the landscape of music in the 1950s at a time of fierce racial divides in America.

It is said that the popular DJ Alan Freed “accidentally” played the all-Black group’s debut single “Only You” during primetime hours usually designated for white artists, launching The Platters into stardom and introducing R&B music to a new audience.

It’s that legacy The Platters’ founder bass singer Herb Reed strived to protect and preserve until his death in 2012 – work that is now being continued by his successor, Frederick J. Balboni Jr.

The Platters’ rich history is central to a lawsuit in federal court in Rhode Island against a singer set to perform Jan. 20 at the East Providence High School auditorium. Maryland-based singer Joe Coleman is member of the Voices of Classic Soul booked to play by East Providence Heritage Arts Inc. more than a year ago. Coleman promotes himself as a singer with The Platters for more than two decades.

‘There’s a lot of history with this group’

The lawsuit is brought by Herb Reed Enterprises against Coleman and Allen Media Strategies, which markets entertainers.

The complaint disputes Coleman’s description of himself as “a member of The Platters for 23 years who was a regular at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas performing hits such as 'Only You,' 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,' and 'The Great Pretender.' ” The agency also casts Coleman as the former lead singer of The Platters.

Balboni and Eric Sommers, who’s representing Herb Reed Enterprises, emphasize that they are not trying to interfere with the Jan. 20 show and that they support the arts, but that they want Coleman to stop what they consider false advertising.

“There’s a lot of history with this group,” Balboni said. “You had a lot of people bastardizing the history.”

They say they want Coleman to build his own reputation and to stop trading off the goodwill and talent generated by The Platters. They call Coleman an imposter. They are asking the court to bar Coleman from using The Platters name.

"Mr. Coleman deliberately and wrongfully advertises himself as a member of The Platters and the group’s `REAL former lead singer' to enrich himself off their fame. There is no reasonable defense to his deliberate and blatant infringement," Sommers wrote.

Coleman’s agent with Allen Media did not respond to emails sent this week.

Alma Curti, secretary and treasurer of East Providence Heritage Arts, said that they had removed all references to The Platters from advertisements and social media posts about the Jan. 20 performance.

“We were led to believe that Mr. Coleman was the lead singer of The Platters,” said Curti, who volunteers for the nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and supporting arts and culture.

In fact, Curti said, Coleman did sing for a group called The Platters located in Las Vegas and not associated with the band Reed holds the trademark to.

Through the decades, Heritage Arts has brought all kinds of groups and shows to East Providence and never encountered a dispute like The Platters case, said board chairman Clarence Butler Jr., who is of an age to actually own The Platters records.

“We did our due diligence. In my opinion we’ve done nothing wrong. We’re trying to make [the state] a better place,” Butler said.

"They're very, very good professionals," Butler said of the Voices of Classic Soul.

Promoted without regard to race

According to Platters lore, Reed ran away from an abusive home at age 15, moving from Missouri to Los Angeles. He couch surfed with friends before settling into a stable foster family.

He founded The Platters in the early 1950s, naming it after the slang term for turntables spinning vinyl records.  Fifteen-year-old Zola Taylor was added to the all-male lineup shortly thereafter, bridging the gender divide, which was uncommon at the time, according to Balboni.

In 1955, the group recorded the classic crooner hit, "Only You," which the DJ Freed played during primetime, sending the song racing up the charts. Other hits included "The Great Pretender," "My Prayer," "Twilight Time," "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "Harbor Lights."

In 1959, three members of the band were arrested under Ohio’s Jim Crow laws. At the time, it was illegal for Black men to have white girls in hotel rooms.

Ultimately they were acquitted, but Mercury Records relocated them to Europe due to the scandal surrounding their arrests.

“That’s how they became international superstars. Poetic justice ruled,” Balboni said.

According to Reed’s obituary in The New York Times, author Jay Warner, in “The Billboard Book of Singing Groups,” credited the group’s songwriter and manager with persuading its label, Mercury Records, to market the Platters without regard to race.

The Platters were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2002.

Lengthy legal battle

Through the years, Reed waged a legal battle to take claim of The Platters name.

“There were many imposters,” Balboni said, whose performances were not in keeping with the group’s essence.

That’s why Baboni and Sommers say they continue Reed’s quest to keep The Platters’ legacy pure.

“It was Herb’s dying wish that The Platters continue on. It’s all he had,” Balboni said.

The Platters continue to perform to this day with a new lineup of singers. Curti, of East Providence Heritage Arts, said Balboni had volunteered to bring them to Rhode Island for Townies to enjoy.

East Providence Heritage Arts is also bringing "Fairytales on Ice, The Ice Skating Spectacular," to Elmasian Auditorium at East Providence High School on March 16.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Trailblazing R&B group sues `imposter' in RI to protect history