On this day in 1956 one of the great early songs of the Rock Era, "My Prayer" from the Platters, was #1 on the U.S.R&B chart.
"My Prayer" is a 1939 popular song with music by the famous salon violinist Georges Boulanger and lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title "Avant de Mourir" in 1926. The lyrics for this version were added by Kennedy in 1939. Glenn Miller recorded the song that year for a #2 hit and The Ink Spots' version featuring Bill Kenny reached #3 as well that year.
It has been recorded many times since, but the biggest hit version was a revival in 1956 by The Platters on Mercury Records reaching #1 on the Billboard Top 100 number-one singles chart. It was featured in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The Ink Spots' version of the song was featured in the 1992 movie, Malcolm X. The song also became a tango in the Italian version by Norma Bruni and Cinico Angelini's orchestra (1940), "Sì, voglio vivere ancor!".
The Platters were one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre. The act went through several personnel changes, with the most successful incarnation comprising lead tenor Tony Williams, David Lynch, Paul Robi, Herb Reed, and Zola Taylor. The group had 40 charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1955 and 1967, including four # 1 hits. (Info Wiki)
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