Your forgotten classic oldie of the day is “With This Ring” by the Platters. This single was released in February of 1967 and went to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #12 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
The song was written by Richard “Popcorn” Wylie, Luther Dixon, and Tony Hester. Together and separately, they were responsible for such hits as “16 Candles” for the Crests, “Mama Said” and “Soldier Boy” for the Shirelles, and “In the Rain” and “Watcha See is Watcha Get” for the Dramatics.
“With This Ring” represented a stylistic change for the group. The Platters, who had been around since 1952, were very much a doo-wop group and “With This Ring” was a much different up tempo R&B number. That worked; “With This Ring” has a great shuffle beat, almost a North Carolina Beach Music vibe, with some very enthusiastic drumming by the legendary Bernard Purdie. Combined with the soulful vocals of lead singer Sonny Turner, it was a winning formula that breathed new life into the group.
Through a virtual plethora of line-up changes, the Platters had forty singles chart between 1955 and 1967, including four number-ones (“The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time,” and “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”). Sonny Turner joined the group in 1960, although he didn’t start singing lead until 1966’s “I Love You 1000 Times.” The group, with zero original members, continues performing on the oldies circuit to this day.
