A real oldie but goodie: Musician Herb Reed sees age as a platter half-full
In 1953, when bass singer Herb Reed needed a name for the group of four singers he wanted to assemble, he didn't have to look far for inspiration. A radio disc jockey called the records he was spinning, platters, and that spawned "The Platters" moniker.
The group's name remains widely familiar over 50 years later, but in the early days, singers Herb Reed, Joe Jefferson, Cornell Gunther and Alex Hodge were just having fun. They never dreamed of having such long lasting renown. They started out entering amateur shows and, while at one of these competitions, Ralph Bass from Federal Records knew he was seeing a successful combination when he watched the group perform. Reed was singing lead. On the spot, Bass signed the group to its first recording contract.
Success, as well as changes in band members, followed. "Lives got in the way," was the reason, Reed says.
But over the years, The Platters (with an ever-changing cast of singers) recorded just under 400 songs, sold 89-plus million records, performed in over 91 countries and received at least 230 awards from all over the world. They also appeared in 27 movies, including "Rock Around The Clock," "The Girl Can't Help It" (with Jane Mansfield), "Europe By Night" and "Girls Town" (with Paul Anka).
Although the original members of the group parted company over time, Reed continued to manage, perform and tour as The Platters or Herb Reed and The Platters since he founded the group and coined its name. His current group, now under the name Herb Reed's Platters, is the only one that includes a member of the original group. It's made up of Reed, Wayne Miller, DD Martin, William Newton and Billy Cox. There have been and still are many spin-off groups that perform The Platters' signature songs.
Age not a factor
Herb Reed isn't about to reveal his birth date, but simple math says he's in his late 70s or early 80s. He voices, with conviction, his thoughts on the matter.
"Age has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with music," he says. "I had never heard anything about age until the last two years. All of a sudden people start asking me about age. I don't tell," he says.
"I think it's ridiculous. All of your very successful scientists, doctors, scholars, surgeons, writers, music directors, orchestra leaders, movie directors, whatever, are all in their 70s. So what's the story about age?
This rock and roll icon isn't going to gripe about playing at smaller venues, because he's thrilled to be able to continue performing. In fact, he's currently recording his famous hits on a new record label.
"A record today is just a form of recognition as to who you are, the new kid on the block, that kind of thing that allows you to be paired with other shows," he says.
Reed is on the road a lot these days, doing just that. He's been covering Connecticut and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina with other oldies bands, such as The Drifters, as well as performing on 15 to 18 cruises each year. During his down time, he enjoys his home in Winchester, the home, he says, with the "beautiful view of the pond - with geese, ducks and swans out there all the time."
In addition to his home, he still owns the first piece of property he ever bought - a condo in Arlington, one that he isn't willing to sell at any price.
"This is where I met all of the people I know … all of my peers of 20 years," Reed says. "I was offered a fortune to sell it, but there are too many memories involved."
For now, he uses the condo as a central location before a tour (limo pickup is easier, he says) and also for band practices. He considers the room we sit in as his "junk room," although it is clear that everything inside this room is of value: framed gold and platinum records, such as "Only You," hang on the walls. Clocks line the space above the records, keeping time in Tokyo, Aruba, Moscow, Las Vegas, Paris, Berlin and London. They attest to his extensive travels, during which Reed says age was viewed differently than in America.
"America is age oriented," Reed says. "They equate your music to your birthday. How does this help me at all?"
He claims the age factor has interfered with life.
"Whose business is it anyway?" he says. "I'm not training to be a pilot."
Reed says, in Europe, he never was asked how old he was, unlike in America, where it's been a constant question.
"I don't understand this in America," he adds. "I have done every major television station and newspaper in the world [aside from America]. Nobody ever, ever, ever asked me my age."
As his music is recycled generation after generation, Reed has noticed that, in the past 20 years, more and more young people have been showing up for his performances.
"They're really digging it," he says of his music's popularity with today's generation.
And this is what keeps Reed young. He always has something to look forward to, even when ill; once he hits the stage, Reed says he forgets how he feels until he walks off.
"As a performer, you have to get up at a certain hour, go to the airport … you've got no time to feel sick," he explains of his belief in mind over matter. "You've got no time to feel any way but to do what you've got to do. As a result of that, it carries throughout the year and you keep on truckin'," he says.
Youth is more about a person's life work, Reed says.