Sonny Turner

Sonny Turner
Sonny Turner
Born	September 24, 1939
Died	January 13, 2022 (aged 82); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Instrument(s)	vocals

Sonny Turner (September 24, 1939 – January 13, 2022) was an American singer. Turner hailed from Fairmont, West Virginia, and was best known for replacing Tony Williams as lead singer of The Platters.

Life and career[edit]

Prior to his work with The Platters, Turner was the lead singer of a local vocal group called The Metrotones. While performing in a local club in Cleveland as the opening act for Redd Foxx, Turner was approached by local DJ Bill Crane and asked if he would be interested in auditioning for The Platters, as their lead singer as Tony Williams was soon to be leaving the group. Turner was chosen out of 100 hopeful auditioners to replace Williams in late 1959. Turner, whose friend and mentor was Jackie Wilson, breathed new life into The Platters with three hit singles; "I Love You 1000 Times" in 1966, "With This Ring" in 1967 and "Washed Ashore" in 1968. He also re-recorded many of The Platters hits of the 1950s, and it is Turner's vocals that are heard on the soundtracks for films such as The Nutty Professor 2 and Hearts in Atlantis. Turner died from throat cancer in Los Angeles on January 13, 2022, at age 82.^[1]

Discography[edit]

Albums

Standing Ovation (1974)
Celebrate The New Year At Harvey's Lake Tahoe (1983)
Sings At Lake Tahoe (1983)
Celebrate The New Year '88 At Harvey's, Lake Tahoe (1988)

Singles and EPs

Atlanta / Interstate 65 (1969)
Chicago Woman / Now That You're Gone (1972)
I Want A Guarantee / Now That You're Gone (2016) with Maxine Brown
That's Why (I Love You So)
The Touch
Special Little Woman
I'll Be Around (2020)

^[2]

References[edit]

^ Katsilometes, John (January 13, 2022). "Legendary Platters singer Sonny Turner dies at 82". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
^ Turner, Sonny. "Sonny Turner (2)". Discogs. Retrieved March 25, 2022.

External links[edit]

Sonny Turner (of The Platters) Bio.
The Platters: A Biography from enotes.com^{[permanent dead link]}
History of Rock: The Platters
Sonny Turner discography at Discogs
Sonny Turner at IMDb

[1] Katsilometes, John (January 13, 2022). "Legendary Platters singer Sonny Turner dies at 82". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2022.

[2] Turner, Sonny. "Sonny Turner (2)". Discogs. Retrieved March 25, 2022.

[1]

[2]

v t e The Platters
Wayne Miller Valerie Victoria Frank Pizarro Cheo Bourne Cornell Gunter David Lynch Barbara Randolph Herb Reed Paul Robi Zola Taylor Sonny Turner Tony Williams
Singles	"Only You (And You Alone)" "The Great Pretender" "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" "My Prayer" "You'll Never Never Know" "Twilight Time" "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" "Enchanted" "Harbor Lights" "Ebb Tide" "Red Sails in the Sunset" "If I Didn't Care" "I'll Never Smile Again" "It's Magic"

Sonny Turner
Born	(1939-09-24)September 24, 1939
Died	January 13, 2022(2022-01-13) (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Instrument(s)	vocals