Zola Taylor Net Worth – $300,000
What was Zola Taylor’s net worth at the time of her death? Did Zola Taylor lose her house?
Introduction
Zola Taylor was an American singer and performer.
She was famous through the 50s-60s for being a member of the group “The Platters.”
The band was a trailblazer for all aspiring rock & roll bands in the 50s and was among the best in that era.
The Origin Story
She was born on March 17, 1938, in LA as Zoletta Lynn Taylor.
She was popular in an era where access to personal information was limited; therefore, there are not a lot of private details about her childhood.
Taylor rose to prominence as the first female vocalist to be a member of the 1950s R&B group “The Platters.”
David Lynch, Paul Robi, Tony Williams, Zola Taylor, and Herb Reed – @Getty
Her career as a professional singer began when Herb Reed, who founded “The Platters,” came across Taylor in 1955 while she was rehearsing for an all-girl musical group.
During this time, The Platters was an all-men band and recently signed with the Mercury record label following the success of their single “Only You.”
The single topped the music Billboard charts, and while they had been experiencing tremendous success, the band’s manager thought they would benefit by adding a female vocalist to soften their voice.
Reed spoke publicly about how his first thought of Taylor was her “baby voice” and how it would be a huge hit with the rest of his band members and the fans.
Zola TAYLOR and PLATTERS – 1950 – @Getty
He was right, everyone loved her voice, proving she was the best fit for the band.
The band members were happy she turned out to be the perfect addition who charmed their growing audiences with her voice and contagious smile.
The group hit the ground running right with their new addition and pumped out their biggest hit yet, “The Great Pretender.”
The single reached the No. 1 on the R&B Billboards and Pop Music Billboards chards.
While leading the charts is a pinnacle of success only a few artists get the luxury of experiencing, an even greater accomplishment was knowing they were unknowingly encouraging many other African-American bands to choose a female as their lead vocalist.
Legal Issues
Dave Lynch, Tony Williams, Zola Taylor, Herb Reed, and Paul Robi – @Getty
During a tour in 1959, Taylor and her band were playing a show in Cincinnati, and as all musicians do, they checked into a hotel.
Four of the band members engaged in illegal activities, including the use of drugs and soliciting prostitutes, leading to arrests and criminal charges.
Due to the irreparable damage caused by this incident, the band perished in the shadows of their competition and emerging bands.
The sudden failure was hard on Taylor, but it left her with a clean slate to work off of.
Her dry spell didn’t last very long.
Husband
In 1968, she, along with two other women, sprung into the spotlight, all claiming to be the widow of a pop singer, Frankie Lymon.
On February 27, 1968, Lymon passed away from an accidental heroin overdose.
He was 25 at the time.
While his death caused tragic shockwaves across the nation, it wasn’t long for opportunistic women to seize the unfortunate event as a way of making money.
All three women claimed to be the widows of Lymon.
There is limited information about the other two women, but as for Taylor, she had family come forward to substantiate her claims.
Her nephew publicly stated that he was aware the two A-list singers got married legally in Mexico while she was on tour with The Platters before the band’s demise.
He explained that although they were legally married, they both forgot to file the wedding documents with the courts in San Diego upon arriving back home.
As such, they were long legally married in the eyes of the state of California.
Unfortunately for Taylor, the court where the dispute took place found in favor of one of the other two women embroiled in the legal battle for Lymon’s estate.
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
@Getty
Once the case was closed, Taylor was still riding the waves of Lymon’s fame as she was one of the focal points in his 1998 biopic “Why Do Fools Fall in Love.”
Taylor’s character was played by Hollywood’s A-list actress, “Halle Berry.”
In addition to this legal battle that consumed her life for a few years, she began touring a few other small bands, some of which were not signed to a record label.
This didn’t matter to Taylor because the only thing she wanted to do was to sing and perform on stage, and doing this fulfilled that wish.
She continued to tour until roughly 1996, at which point she retired from the stage.
Her nephew went on the record stating that she went on to get married two additional times, after her alleged marriage to Lymon.
Her third husband passed away in 1982, leaving her a childless widow.
She never remarried but rather just focused on her music career.
@Getty
Death
Zola Taylor passed away on April 30, 2007, in her home in Los Angeles, California.
According to her nephew, Alfie Robinson, her health declined during the latter part of her life.
She suffered a few strokes, and ultimately, untreated pneumonia caused her death.
While her death hit the hearts of her adoring and loyal fans, it wasn’t in vain.
In 1990, she and The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for paving the path for emerging rock-and-roll artists.
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@Getty
Zola Taylor – Net Worth
So, how much was Zola Taylor worth?
Taylor earned most of her wealth from her music. She was part of The Platters from 1954 to 1962,
It is unclear if she received any royalties from Why Do Fools Fall in Love.
Zola Taylor had a big house in Baldwin Hills. Zola eventually lost the house since Lymon didn’t pay the mortgage, who was instructed to do so while she was on tour. After Zola returned, the house was in foreclosure.
The house was listed in 2011 at $1.398 million. It is now worth over $3.5 million.
Therefore, at the time of her death, Zola Taylor had an estimated net worth of $300,000.
On the other hand, Frankie Lymon had an estimated net worth of $1 million.
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