Sonny Turner
- January 13, 2022
- 83 years
About Sonny Turner
Sonny Turner, 83, American singer (The Platters), throat cancer.
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Full Biography
|Sonny Turner (September 24, 1939 – January 13, 2022) was an American singer. He was best known for replacing Tony Williams as the lead singer of rhythm and blues vocal group The Platters.
Life and career
Prior to his work with The Platters, Turner was the lead singer of a local vocal group called The Metrotones. While performing in a local club in Cleveland as the opening act for Redd Foxx, Turner was approached by local DJ Bill Crane and asked if he would be interested in auditioning for The Platters, as their lead singer Tony Williams was soon to be leaving the group. Turner was chosen out of 100 hopeful auditioners to replace Williams in late 1959. Turner, whose friend and mentor was Jackie Wilson, breathed new life into The Platters with three hit singles: "I Love You 1000 Times" (1966), "With This Ring" (1967), and "Washed Ashore" (1968). He also re-recorded many of The Platters hits of the 1950s, and it is Turner's vocals that are heard on the soundtracks for films such as The Nutty Professor 2 and Hearts in Atlantis.
Turner died from throat cancer in Los Angeles on January 13, 2022, at the age of 82.
Discography
- Albums
- Standing Ovation (1974)
- Celebrate The New Year At Harvey's Lake Tahoe (1983)
- Sings At Lake Tahoe (1983)
- Celebrate The New Year '88 At Harvey's, Lake Tahoe (1988)
- Singles and EPs
- "Atlanta" / "Interstate 65" (1969)
- "Chicago Woman" / "Now That You're Gone" (1972)
- "I Want A Guarantee" / "Now That You're Gone" (2016), with Maxine Brown
- "That's Why (I Love You So)"
- "The Touch"
- "Special Little Woman"
- "I'll Be Around" (2020)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Turner
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Sonny Turner's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was Sonny Turner born?
- A.September 24, 1939correct
- B.August 24, 1938
- C.January 13, 2022
- D.October 14, 1940
Sonny Turner was born on September 24, 1939.
Source: biographical header
2.Which vocal group did Sonny Turner lead before joining The Platters?
- A.The Metrotonescorrect
- B.The Drifters
- C.The Temptations
- D.The Impressions
Prior to joining The Platters, Sonny Turner was the lead singer for a local group called The Metrotones.
Source: life and career section
3.Who was the lead singer of The Platters that Sonny Turner replaced?
- A.Tony Williamscorrect
- B.Jackie Wilson
- C.Bill Crane
- D.Redd Foxx
Sonny Turner was chosen to replace Tony Williams as the lead singer of The Platters.
Source: life and career section
4.In which city was Sonny Turner performing when he was discovered as a potential replacement for The Platters?
- A.Los Angeles
- B.Clevelandcorrect
- C.Chicago
- D.Atlanta
Sonny Turner was performing in a local club in Cleveland when he was approached to audition for The Platters.
Source: life and career section
5.Who was the individual that approached Sonny Turner about auditioning for The Platters?
- A.Redd Foxx
- B.Bill Cranecorrect
- C.Jackie Wilson
- D.Tony Williams
Local DJ Bill Crane approached Sonny Turner and asked if he would be interested in auditioning for The Platters.
Source: life and career section
6.How many other people auditioned to replace Tony Williams in The Platters along with Sonny Turner?
- A.75
- B.100correct
- C.50
- D.25
Sonny Turner was selected out of 100 hopefuls to become the lead singer of The Platters.
Source: life and career section
7.Who does the biography identify as a friend and mentor to Sonny Turner?
- A.Bill Crane
- B.Redd Foxx
- C.Jackie Wilsoncorrect
- D.Tony Williams
Sonny Turner's friend and mentor was Jackie Wilson.
Source: life and career section
8.Which of these is a hit single recorded by The Platters featuring Sonny Turner?
- A.Atlanta
- B.Chicago Woman
- C.I Love You 1000 Timescorrect
- D.The Touch
Sonny Turner breathed new life into The Platters with the hit single 'I Love You 1000 Times' in 1966.
Source: life and career section
9.In what year was the hit single 'With This Ring' released by The Platters featuring Sonny Turner?
- A.1967correct
- B.1968
- C.1969
- D.1966
The Platters released the hit song 'With This Ring' in 1967 featuring Sonny Turner.
Source: life and career section
10.Which film soundtrack features the vocals of Sonny Turner?
- A.Jersey Boys
- B.The Great Gatsby
- C.The Nutty Professor 2correct
- D.American Graffiti
Sonny Turner's vocals are heard on the soundtrack for the film The Nutty Professor 2.
Source: life and career section
11.What was the cause of Sonny Turner's death?
- A.Pneumonia
- B.Throat cancercorrect
- C.Stroke
- D.Heart failure
Sonny Turner passed away from throat cancer.
Source: biographical header
12.Where did Sonny Turner die?
- A.Los Angelescorrect
- B.Lake Tahoe
- C.Cleveland
- D.Atlanta
Sonny Turner died in Los Angeles on January 13, 2022.
Source: life and career section
13.Which of the following albums was released by Sonny Turner in 1974?
- A.Atlanta
- B.Chicago Woman
- C.Standing Ovationcorrect
- D.Sings At Lake Tahoe
Standing Ovation was released as an album by Sonny Turner in 1974.
Source: discography section
14.In what year was the single 'I'll Be Around' released by Sonny Turner?
- A.1988
- B.1983
- C.2016
- D.2020correct
The single 'I'll Be Around' by Sonny Turner was released in 2020.
Source: discography section
15.With which artist did Sonny Turner collaborate for the single 'I Want A Guarantee'?
- A.Jackie Wilson
- B.Redd Foxx
- C.Tony Williams
- D.Maxine Browncorrect
Sonny Turner released the single 'I Want A Guarantee' in 2016 with Maxine Brown.
Source: discography section
16.At what age did Sonny Turner pass away?
- A.84
- B.82correct
- C.83
- D.81
Sonny Turner died at the age of 82.
Source: life and career section
People who died on January 13
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