September 12, 2002

Platters spinning in to town this weekend
By Roberto Scalese, Staff Writer, 09/12/2002
You never, never guess who's playing at the Regent Theatre on Town Day Saturday - Herb Reed and The Platters.

Reed, who moved to Arlington in 1980, has played in town once before, at Arlington High School in 1998. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said living in Arlington for the last 22 years has been great.

" It's the craziest place of all. The town is so laid back," said Reed. "What better place can you live?"

Reed said his move from Los Angles to Arlington came after years of performing around the world.

" Touring New England, I fell in love with Massachusetts and the musical people who live in Arlington," said Reed. "It's been a love affair ever since."

The Platters show will cap off Town Day in style, and start off the Regent's season with a bang.

" Herb Reed was supposed to perform at last year's Town Day, but it got cancelled because it was so close to Sept. 11," said Regent Owner Gary Adelson. "We wanted to kick our season off in a special way and what better way than with Herb Reed and The Platters?"

After recording their first album with Federal Records in 1953, The Platters ran off a string of hits, including "Only You," "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," "My Prayer," and "Magic Touch."

The group still tours the globe though Reed is the last of the original members still performing.

" We still do a lot of cruise ships and play all over the world," said reed. "We work whenever available and if not I relax and enjoy Arlington."

The band was a major influence on popular music. According to The Platters Web site, the group has sold more than 89 million albums. The Platters have multiple gold records to its credit, although Reed isn't exactly sure how many.

" I've stopped counting to tell you the truth," said Reed.

Reed said performing in front of neighbors is a different experience.

" I get a chance to see a lot of the people in Arlington who are friends of mine and it's fun to do," said Reed. "It's a new experience and a fun experience."

The extraordinary success of the group has created a bit of a problem for Reed. Several knock-offs have toured under The Platters' name without permission from Reed or with any sort of authenticity. The group that sang "The Great Pretender" has some not-so-great pretenders feeding from their plate.

" You get a lot of groups calling themselves The Platters," said Reed. "They are phonies and sell themselves cheap and the worst part is they're no good."

To protect his name, Reed was able to copyright the group's name, so the phony Platter peddlers no longer have a legal right to trading on Reed's success.

" You still have trouble," said Reed. "It's still something you see all over the place. The best thing to do is to get the word out."

Reed is one of a number of area performers coming to the Regent. According to Regent Marketing and Promotions Director Leland Stein, the venue didn't realize how much local talent there was until they starting booking groups.

" In a sense there's a focus on local performers, but it was almost inadvertent," said Stein. "It makes you wonder, who else lives in Arlington? There are a ton of creative types here and I don't think we've even scratched the surface."