L to R: Vocalists Omar Ross and Brittany Michelle Wallace, Massachusetts State Senator Lydia Edwards, Massachusetts State Senator and Assistant Majority Leader Sal DiDomenico, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Vocalists Jovian K. Ford and Lance Bernard Bryant
“Who’s Who” of Federal, State, and Local officials Unite to Celebrate Irish Tradition, Comedy, and Music
“Rock & Roll, Vocal, and Grammy® Halls of Fame group, The Platters® (Only You, Twilight Time, The Great Pretender), were on hand for a special performance….”
— Herb Reed Enterprises, LLC
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., March 12, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Governor Charlie Baker (R-Massachusetts) and Attorney General Maura Healey (D-Massachusetts) will join host State Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) at the head table for the Annual DiDomenico Foundation St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at the Bunker Hill Knights of Columbus, 545 Medford Street in Charlestown.
Baker and Healey co-headlined the event along with over 75 federal, state, and local elected officials for a hilarious evening of good-humored, at times self-deprecating political satire including; Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, U.S. Attorney Rachel Rollins, Massachusetts State Senate President Karen Spilka, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, State Auditor Suzanne Bump, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins, Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, Middlesex County Clerk of Courts Michael Sullivan, Governor’s Councilor Terry Kennedy.
According to a spokesperson for Herb Reed Enterprises, LLC, “Rock & Roll, Vocal, and Grammy® Halls of Fame group, The Platters®(Only You, Twilight Time, The Great Pretender), flew in for a special performance joining some of Boston’s well-known comedians to enhance the political humor.”
In addition to a traditional Irish dinner, the night featured live Irish music, step dancers, bagpipers, and the annual presentation of the Golden Shamrock Award to a community leader. This year’s recipient was Gladys Vega of La Colaborativa in Chelsea. Gladys has been a hero in the region during the pandemic making it her mission to save her community from the ravages of COVID-19.
This event is one of the most popular St. Patrick’s Day traditions in the Greater Boston area.
Proceeds from the dinner support The DiDomenico Foundation, which funds educational scholarships for graduating high school students, as well as a giant toy drive during the holiday season for domestic violence and homeless shelters throughout Greater Boston.
The world-famous vocal group, The Platters®, used one of the most picturesque views of the Boston skyline to record a music video for the Disney+ series “WandaVision.”
The four current members of the legendary group that was founded by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist Herb Reed in 1953 – Kingsley McIntosh, Lance Bernard Bryant, Leslie Grate, and Omar Ross – performed The Platters’ timeless hit, “Twilight Time” along the boardwalk outside the Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor Hotel in East Boston.
The Platters’ classic song is being featured by Marvel Studios in its six-episode Disney+, WandaVision series.
Frederick J. Balboni Jr., president, and CEO of Herb Reed Enterprises, and manager of The Platters, has overseen the resurgence of the group, whose many hits, including “The Great Pretender” and “Only You,” still resonate today around the world. At the video shoot in East Boston, Balboni said he was excited about the music video being recorded in East Boston and the new generation of fans that are being introduced to The Platters’ sound.
“Putting faces to The Platters’ name, the video re-release of Twilight Time affords millions of our fans here and abroad an opportunity to see the group today, and the re-release of the track provides a chance to download the track onto personal playlists,” said Balboni.
Balboni hypothesized that Marvel Studios selected “Twilight Zone” for WandaVision because of its classic sound. “And Sony just used the song for an international campaign for their PlayStation games,” he added.
Bringing forth thelegacy of Herb Reed
Mr. Reed had an extraordinary career in the recording industry. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Many credit the song “The Great Pretender” with helping The Platters become one of the first African-American groups to achieve international superstardom.
“We’re representing the legacy of Herb Reed and we’re bringing that legacy forward, which is very important to the African-American community, to music culture, and to women’s gender issues,” said Balboni.
For the first time in 45 years, The Platters will release a new album that will include new music and some of the classic hits.
“This is an exciting time and a third rebirth of the group and that very rarely happens,” said Balboni.
Choosing East Bostonfor the video recording
Balboni called the view [from the Hyatt Regency] of the Boston skyline “spectacular.” “The location does the fusion of what we’re doing, which is retro-contemporary,” said Balboni, “Twilight Time is a timeless song that we can make relevant today in a contemporary setting against the new Boston skyline,” said Balboni.
Praise for Balboniand enjoying Boston
The Platters enjoyed a tremendous reception from Hyatt Regency hotel guests and local residents who watched the video shoot unfold with such landmarks as the Custom House and John Hancock Tower in the background. The performers were congenial and accessible to fans and expressed humbly their feelings of proudness to be representing the incredible legacy of Herb Reed. Each vocalist seemed genuinely excited to be in Boston and working in coordination with Frederick Balboni.
“It [the Boston skyline] is absolutely beautiful and it’s wonderful to be a part of such an important part of music history and this resurgence of The Platters going into the new generation of a new market, so it’s extremely exciting and very gratifying,” said Lance Bernard Bryant, one of the lead vocalists who grew up in Rochester, N.Y. and studied classically at SUNY Fredonia. “I think this video is going to reintroduce the group to several people who are familiar with The Platters’ music and introduce them to a brand new generation of younger music lovers who relate to the same style of music and will continue to grow with our new evolution of the music. Our new song, “It’s My Time,” is getting a wonderful response from people young and old.”
Kingsley McIntosh, who is known widely as “Cousin Brian,” actually performed on the road with Herb Reed prior to his passing.
“It [performing on stage with Mr. Reed] was an experience of a lifetime in every way imaginable,” said McIntosh. “He was a genuine person. His spirit is always around us.”
McIntosh, who grew up in Lexington, N.C. “The barbecue capital of the world”), said Mr. Reed taught him “that no matter who we were, whether it was a million people or five people, he had a motto: “Give it your all every night like this [performance] is the best thing that can ever happen to you.”
About working in Boston on the video, McIntosh said, “Boston is fun until you get in traffic around 5 o’clock and everybody is blowing their horn at the guy with the North Carolina license plates,” he said. “But we have one of the most important jobs in the world and that’s making people feel good.”
Speaking about Balboni, the group’s dedicated manager, McIntosh offered, “Fred is the best. He’s a standup guy. He’s doing a great job for the group.”
Omar Ross is the newest member of The Platters. “It’s an honor to be with The Platters,” said Ross. “They have such a long history of great songs. I just feel honored to be a part of it. We’re a good team.”
Ross, who was born in Detroit, grew up in Florida and attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, said he is enjoying his time in Boston. “Boston is growing on me. It’s a great city. I haven’t gotten to see too much because of COVID-19 but what I have seen I like.”
Leslie Grate, the stunning vocalist and native of South Carolina (“I’m a North Carolina fan, though”) said it was “amazing” to be performing with The Platters. “We’re a group that does everything together. Boston is wonderful. I love the water and scenery. I’m excited to be in Boston. We can’t wait to see everyone when we begin to tour again.”
Michael Larson, long-time music director for The Platters, said, “It was a pleasure working with Herb Reed. The greatest thing about Herb Reed was that he was a great storyteller. And there’s nothing like sitting next to him in airports and Herb telling stories about meeting the Queen of England when he was young. Any time we went into a new city, he would have five stories about the city because he had been everywhere. It was so much fun being with him. And it’s great to be with this group who is really dedicated to this music.”
Larson, who has been a Boston resident since 1997, said he met Frederick Balboni during his own piano-playing performance with his wife on vocals at the Encore Lounge in Boston’s Theater District.
“Fred used to come in and sing some songs and we got to know each other,” said Larson. “He knew I had a history with rock bands and groups and one day Fred brought Herb Reed with him to our show. We chatted and he liked what I did and I became music director,” said Larson. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
The Platters’ songs are digitally available on various streaming platforms, such as YouTube and Apple Music. You can listen to the album directly on our website here.
For videos visit our YouTube channel with new videos added frequently.
About the Band
The Platters® – Many Voices ONE Name, is the official music website of the legendary rock & roll band that produced countless hits in the 50s and 60s. Today, The Platters(c) are still highly relevant to popular music culture, with timeless melodies loved by millions of fans across the globe and streams on Spotify alone surpassing three million every month. Prominent placements, such as the Sony Playstation Now ad campaigns, or the highly anticipated Marvel Studio / Disney Plus series WandaVision, are a testimony to the lasting success of one of Americas greatest romantic rock & roll bands. To experience The Platters® live, make sure to check out our tour schedule.
“One group, many voices,” is the motto of The Platters, which formed in the early 1950s and still is producing music to this day. Over the years, members have come and gone, adding to the group’s legacy and helping it evolve with each decade that passes.
There was one constant from the group’s inception that lasted 60 years. Founding member Herb Reed stayed with the group until his passing in 2012. Reed was the only original member to do so, and after a legal battle, was the sole owner of the group name, which is now operated by producer and manager Frederick J. Balboni, Jr.
“From the beginning of the group, when Herb Reed founded it in 1953, all the way until he died in 2012, Herb was the only consistent and original member of the group,” Balboni said. “There have been many people who joined The Platters throughout the years. That’s why it’s ‘many voices, one name.’ But the only one consistent person, and the person who really formed the legacy of The Platters, was Herb Reed. And he never really got his due for that. People tried to steal the name and we had to go through multiple federal courts and finally it was ruled that Herb was the superior markholder and had all of the rights to the name ‘The Platters.’”
A common misconception is that The Platters solely refers to the 1950s group, but in reality, the band has remained active all these years with multiple members coming and going for the entire tenure, so The Platters of today are just as much a part of the group.
“People think the original Platters was Zola Taylor, Tony Williams — but they all were with the group for very finite periods of time,” Balboni said. “In fact Tony Williams was with the group from ‘55 and did ‘Only You,’ until ‘59. He left the group in 1959, and that’s before “Harbor Lights” was even released. So the makeup of the group has always changed. It’s always been many voices, one name, except for Herb Reed, which is the loudest voice, if you will. He always was the president of the group from the beginning until his end. And now we continue on that legacy, so this is the official continuation. We just keep doing what The Platters have done the whole time — we keep evolving.”
The current members include senior vocalist Lance Bernard Bryant, Omar Ross, Jovian Ford and Brittany Michelle Wallace, under longtime musical director Michael Larson.
Bryant has been with the group since 2012, joining shortly after Reed’s passing.
“I never imagined that I would be a part of the Platters,” Bryant said. “I was living in New York at the time and I had just finished a production with Cirque du Soleil in Macau, China. The show had closed so I wasn’t sure what I would be doing next so I was really looking forward to audition for anything. I was extremely honored to have the opportunity to join such an amazing group that has created such a wonderful mark on music history.”
Bryant joined at a poignant time for the group, which was ready to evolve into a more contemporary sound to appeal to younger audiences, while staying true to The Platters classic feel.
“It’s a huge honor to be a part of a well-established history, but even more so to be at a point in its journey where we’re able to push the story forward and reintroduce the brand to our already established fan base and bring about a younger and newer fan base into our fold through the new music that we’re able to produce,” Bryant said. “It’s really exciting because the themes for our music are eternal. There are themes of love and romance and struggle, and that’s something that people relate to at any age in any era and it will never die. The part that I love most about it is that our music is easy for people to understand and it evokes a memory that they can share. When we’re performing I can look out in the audience and you can see sometimes two, three generations all enjoying a song at the same time.”
Good music simply lasts, and pops up over and over throughout the years as new audiences discover it for the first time.
“The cool part about it is to see how the classic hits from our group are still able to inspire artists in this day in age. For instance we just had one of our hits, ‘Twilight Time,’ prominently featured in a Playstation Now commercial, and when you look through the comment thread, people would say, ‘Oh that’s a really cool song. Who does that? Where is that from?’ They think it’s a new group.”
The Platters music has been featured in many current pop culture pieces, including a Marvel series.
“They used ‘Twilight Time’ to launch the ‘WandaVision’ series through the trailer. It was a collaboration between Disney+ and Marvel Studios. In fact, because of that, the Platters are kind of now in the Marvel cinematic universe, which I guess makes them musical superheroes!” Balboni laughed.
The group’s popularity can be attributed to the timeless music, of course, but also to the host of revolving band members who have brought new life to the band while sticking to the classic “blueprint.” Balboni makes sure each new talent that joins the group has the right sound, yet will encourage further growth as well.
“There was a blueprint that The Platters kind of had for their unique sound back in the day,” Balboni said. “It was kind of known as the Tin Pan Alley sound, which back then was kind of groundbreaking. It’s a hybrid between R&B and rock and roll. So what we do is we try to maintain the harmonization of the group, coming through with that R&B and rock and roll hybrid. So we keep to the original blueprint of the sound of the group, but we contemporize it as we create new music.”
The current lineup is recording an album to be released next year, which will be the first new music from The Platters in 50 years.
“We actually have a new album coming out in 2022, which we’re really excited about, that has brand new original music that’s kind of founded in that sound, however it’s contemporary, so it will appeal to cross-generational audiences,” Balboni said. “We tested one of the songs, called ‘It’s My Time.’ We played it for the past three years internationally and domestically in our shows. Nobody had ever heard it but it was getting great response. It was getting a response from the younger people there, all the way up to people who are well over 80. It kind of has that rock flavor with the R&B tone around it. It’s a very uplifting and vibrant kind of sound that maintains the integrity of the group and then brings it contemporary.”
Laughlin audiences get the chance to see the current group when The Platters — Very Merry Christmas Show returns to the Riverside Resort at 7 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, Dec. 15-19.
“They can expect to hear a lot of their favorites and we’re going to share some of our favorite holiday hits, so it’s going to be a really good time,” Bryant said. “We’re looking forward to seeing all of our fans out there — we love coming to Laughlin.”
Come to the show and feel like you’re a guest at The Platters’ Christmas party.
“The way I envision it is that they’re having a Christmas party and everybody’s at it,” Balboni said. “The audience are the guests and it’s truly a fun experience. Back in the day they use to have television specials where the set would be like a family setting and everybody would be singing Christmas songs and gather around the tree. This is a contemporary version of that, so it balances that retro/contemporary feel.”
The Platters’ songs are digitally available on various streaming platforms, such as YouTube and Apple Music. You can listen to the album directly on our website here.
For videos visit our YouTube channel with new videos added frequently.
About the Band
The Platters® – Many Voices ONE Name, is the official music website of the legendary rock & roll band that produced countless hits in the 50s and 60s. Today, The Platters(c) are still highly relevant to popular music culture, with timeless melodies loved by millions of fans across the globe and streams on Spotify alone surpassing three million every month. Prominent placements, such as the Sony Playstation Now ad campaigns, or the highly anticipated Marvel Studio / Disney Plus series WandaVision, are a testimony to the lasting success of one of Americas greatest romantic rock & roll bands. To experience The Platters® live, make sure to check out our tour schedule.
The groundbreaking success of the recently released Marvel Studios, Disney+ WandaVision series trailer prominently featuring The Platters timeless hit “Twilight Time” has prompted the acclaimed international vocal group to release a new single. Below you will find the lyrics to the full song.
LYRICS Heavenly shades of night are falling It’s twilight time Out of the mist your voice is calling ‘Tis twilight time
When purple colored curtains Mark the end of the day I hear you my dear at twilight time
Deepening shadows gather splendor As day is done Fingers of night will soon surrender The setting sun
I count the moments darling Till you’re here with me Together at last at twilight time
Here in the afterglow of day We keep our rendez-vous beneath the blue Here in the sweet and same old way I fall in love again as I did then
Deep in the dark your kiss will thrill me Like days of old Lighting the spark of love that fills me With dreams untold
Each day I pray for evening just To be with you Together at last at twilight time
Here in the afterglow of day We keep our rendez-vous beneath the blue Here in the sweet and same old way I fall in love again as I did then
Deep in the dark your kiss will thrill me Like days of old Lighting the spark of love that fills me With dreams untold
Each day I pray for evening just To be with you Together at last at twilight time Together at last at twilight time
The song is digitally available on various streaming platforms, such as YouTube and Apple Music. You can listen to the album directly on our website here.
For videos visit our YouTube channel with new videos added frequently.
About the Band
The Platters® – Many Voices ONE Name, is the official music website of the legendary rock & roll band that produced countless hits in the 50s and 60s. Today, The Platters(c) are still highly relevant to popular music culture, with timeless melodies loved by millions of fans across the globe and streams on Spotify alone surpassing three million every month. Prominent placements, such as the Sony Playstation Now ad campaigns, or the highly anticipated Marvel Studio / Disney Plus series WandaVision, are a testimony to the lasting success of one of Americas greatest romantic rock & roll bands. To experience The Platters® live, make sure to check out our tour schedule.
We are proud to announce the release of our latest single “Twilight Time” by the legendary “Many Voices ONE Name” vocal group and band The Platters®. The song premiered October 17th, 2020 and is currently digitally available through The Platters® YouTube Channel and Apple Music.
The groundbreaking success of the recently released Marvel Studios, Disney+ WandaVision series trailer prominently featuring The Platters timeless hit “Twilight Time” has prompted the acclaimed international vocal group to release a new single.
The song is digitally available on various streaming platforms, such as YouTube and Apple Music. You can listen to the album directly on our website here.
For videos visit our YouTube channel with new videos added frequently.
About the Band
The Platters® – Many Voices ONE Name, is the official music website of the legendary rock & roll band that produced countless hits in the 50s and 60s. Today, The Platters(c) are still highly relevant to popular music culture, with timeless melodies loved by millions of fans across the globe and streams on Spotify alone surpassing three million every month. Prominent placements, such as the Sony Playstation Now ad campaigns, or the highly anticipated Marvel Studio / Disney Plus series WandaVision, are a testimony to the lasting success of one of Americas greatest romantic rock & roll bands. To experience The Platters® live, make sure to check out our tour schedule.
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