Published: 12:00 AM, Thu Oct 22, 2009
A starry night: Supergroup singers' concert will help the troops
Staff writer
By Rodger Mullen
Myles Savage's gift for musical mimicry led to a career fronting one of early rock 'n' roll's legendary groups.
Savage was appearing in the musical revue "Bubbling Brown Sugar," which called on him to impersonate both Billy Eckstine and Johnny Mathis. One night, Tony Williams, original lead singer of The Platters, was in the audience.
"Tony came back after the show, and he said, 'You did an impersonation of Billy Eckstine and Johnny Mathis, I was just wondering if you could do an impersonation of myself,' " Savage said. "I sang, 'Only youuuuu,' and he said, 'You're hired. We want you to join the Platters.' "
That backstage encounter led to decades appearing with latter-day versions of the vocal group, which lit up the charts in the 1950s with songs such as "Only You," "The Great Pretender" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."
Today, Savage performs with a tribute band supergroup of sorts. It's dubbed The Stars from the Platters, Coasters, Drifters and Temptations, and it features a singer from each of those ensembles.
The group will perform Saturday in Reeves Auditorium on the campus of Methodist University. The concert, billed as a "salute to the troops," will raise money for the Veterans of Foreign Wars posts 670 and 6018.
Along with Savage, the groups are represented in The Stars by Barry Gunn, (Coasters), Ira Greig, (Drifters) and Wolf Johnson (Temptations).
Behind the music
Savage's love of music began early. Growing up in Chicago in the 1950s, he belted out the theme song from the "Davy Crockett" television show.
"Mama noticed I had a voice at only 3 years old," Savage said in a telephone interview.
Savage's vocal talents eventually led him to the stage, where he performed on Broadway in "Porgy and Bess" and "The Wiz." In 1976, Savage met Williams, and his career took a new path.
The Platters were one of the premier vocal groups of the mid- and late 1950s, specializing in lush romantic ballads. Williams sang lead on most of their hits, which also included "Twilight Time" and "Harbor Lights."
By the 1960s, the classic Platters lineup had splintered, and the hits had stopped coming, but the group's name and signature smooth sound remained concert draws. Today, according to the Allmusic Web site, there are more than 100 versions of The Platters on the oldies circuit.
Savage said he alternated performances with The Platters with his stage work. About eight years ago, Savage said, he was performing with The Platters at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, along with tribute versions of the Temptations, Coasters and Drifters when he hit on the idea of combining vocalists from the four groups.
"It's been working out very well," Savage said. "The people love it because they get four shows in one."
The group has no shortage of material to draw from. The Coasters specialized in humorous songs such as "Yakety-Yak" and "Charlie Brown." The Drifters had hits with romantic tunes, including "Under the Boardwalk" and "Up on the Roof." And The Temptations spanned the 1960s and '70s with songs such as "My Girl," "Just My Imagination" and "Ball of Confusion."
Savage said he typically starts off the show with a latter-day Platters hit, "With this Ring," then launches into "Only You."
"I say, it's prom night 1956, and everybody's dancing," said Savage, an ebullient man who breaks into song several times during the course of a short interview. "It's all about bringing back some fantastic memories."
Although the audience spans the age spectrum, Savage said some are old enough to remember when the songs were hits.
"The people will come in their walkers, they'll come in their canes," he said. "I've seen people throw down their canes and do the shake, rattle and roll with us. The music is so healing."
Staff writer Rodger Mullen can be reached at mullenr@fayobserver.com or 486-3561.