Songwriter As a young man he graduated from law school, passed the bar, but never practiced. A self-taught violinist, he moved to New York and became a music arranger. He traveled with various musicians and bands, such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Ina Ray Hutton. He discovered Ella Fitzgerald in an amateur show. He wrote songs for such acts as the Coasters, Drifters, Ike and Tina Turner, but he was best known for his long association with the Platters. He wrote their most famous songs, including "The Great Pretender," "Only You (And You Alone)," and "Magic Town," and produced all of their recordings for the Mercury record label. Initially, Mercury wanted to issue the Platters' recordings on their purple "race music" label, but Ram persuaded the company to issue them on their regular label. This move helped to break down racial barriers in the recording industry. Other songs he wrote and/or collaborated on included "I'll Be Home For Christmas," "I'm Sorry," "Remember When," "Sweet Sixteen," "Rock All Night," "Enchanted" and "Heaven On Earth." He was a member of ASCAP from 1940, also writing under the names Ande Rand and Lynn Paul.
Songwriter As a young man he graduated from law school, passed the bar, but never practiced. A self-taught violinist, he moved to New York and became a music arranger. He traveled with various musicians and bands, such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Ina Ray Hutton. He discovered Ella Fitzgerald in an amateur show. He wrote songs for such acts as the Coasters, Drifters, Ike and Tina Turner, but he was best known for his long association with the Platters. He wrote their most famous songs, including "The Great Pretender," "Only You (And You Alone)," and "Magic Town," and produced all of their recordings for the Mercury record label. Initially, Mercury wanted to issue the Platters' recordings on their purple "race music" label, but Ram persuaded the company to issue them on their regular label. This move helped to break down racial barriers in the recording industry. Other songs he wrote and/or collaborated on included "I'll Be Home For Christmas," "I'm Sorry," "Remember When," "Sweet Sixteen," "Rock All Night," "Enchanted" and "Heaven On Earth." He was a member of ASCAP from 1940, also writing under the names Ande Rand and Lynn Paul.
Bio by: James Lacy
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