Zola Taylor - Misplaced Pages

American musician (1938–2007)

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Zola Taylor
Taylor in 1955
Background information
Birth name	Zoletta Lynn Taylor
Born	(1938-03-17)March 17, 1938 Los Angeles, California, United States
Died	April 30, 2007(2007-04-30) (aged 69) Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Rock and roll, blues, R&B
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1951–1967

Musical artist

Zoletta Lynn Taylor (March 17, 1938 – April 30, 2007) was an American singer. She was the original female member of The Platters from 1954 to 1962, when the group produced most of their popular singles.

Litigation

Zola Taylor was a member of The Platters until 1962, when she was replaced by singer Barbara Randolph. Taylor was the second of Frankie Lymon's three wives. In 1984, on behalf of Emira Lymon, a lawyer and artists' agent sued to wrest the copyright of Frankie's hit song "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" away from the current owner. The case became confused when it looked like Lymon had a second and possibly a third widow. Elizabeth Waters claimed to have married Lymon in 1964 in Virginia. However, it turned out she had been married to someone else at the time. As Waters' claim went to court, Taylor claimed that she had been sexually active with Lymon as early as the "Biggest Rock 'n' Roll Show of 1956" tour. She claimed to have married Lymon in Mexicali, Mexico around 1965, but could not produce a marriage license. The first hearing, held in Philadelphia, was decided in favor of Waters being Lymon's first wife. Emira Eagle, his third wife, appealed and won a reversal based on her claim that she was Lymon's first wife.

Accomplishments, death and legacy

Taylor appeared with The Platters in the first rock'n'roll film, Rock Around the Clock. In 1990, Taylor was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Platters. Zola Taylor died in Riverside, California at age 69, from pneumonia, following a series of strokes. Taylor is portrayed by Halle Berry in the 1998 film Why Do Fools Fall in Love.

References

"Zola Taylor of The Platters dies at 69". USA Today. May 1, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
"Rock Around the Clock (1956)". IMDb. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
"Zola Taylor, 69, R&B Singer, Is Dead". The New York Times. May 2, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2016.

External links

Zola Taylor at IMDb

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"

The Platters

Wayne Miller
Valerie Victoria
Frank Pizarro
Cheo Bourne

Singles

v t e Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Class of 1990
Performers	Hank Ballard Bobby Darin The Four Seasons Tom DeVito, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi, Frankie Valli Four Tops Renaldo Benson, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Lawrence Payton, Levi Stubbs The Kinks Mick Avory, Dave Davies, Ray Davies, Pete Quaife The Platters David Lynch, Herb Reed, Paul Robi, Zola Taylor, Tony Williams Simon & Garfunkel Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon The Who Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend
Early influences	Louis Armstrong Charlie Christian Ma Rainey
Non-performers (Ahmet Ertegun Award)	Gerry Goffin and Carole King Holland–Dozier–Holland Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland

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