The Penguins
Encyclopedia
The Penguins were an American
doo-wop
group of the 1950s and early 1960s, best remembered for their only Top 40 hit
, "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)
", which was one of the first rhythm and blues
hits to cross over to the pop charts
. The song
peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
, but had a three-week run at #1 on the R&B
chart.
Duncan and Williams were former classmates at Fremont High School
in Los Angeles
, California
, and Williams had become a member of The Hollywood Flames
. In late 1953, they decided to form a new vocal group, and added Tisby and Tate. Their midtempo performance style was a cross between rhythm and blues
and rock and roll
. Williams brought with him a song, "Earth Angel," on which he had worked with Gaynel Hodge, another member of the Hollywood Flames.
The Penguins were one of a number of doo-wop groups of the period named after birds (such as The Orioles
, The Flamingos
, and The Crows
). One of the members smoked Kool cigarettes, which, at the time, had "Willie the Penguin" as its cartoon
advertising
character. They considered themselves "cool," and accordingly decided to call themselves "The Penguins."
Dootone Records released The Penguins' single
"Hey Senorita" in late 1954 as the intended A-side
, but a radio
DJ
flipped the record
over to the B-side: "Earth Angel" worked its way up to #1 on the Billboard charts (the only Penguins song ever to fly that high), and held that place for three weeks early in 1955.
Duncan sang lead on "Earth Angel." He reprised his performance a decade later on Frank Zappa's
"Memories of El Monte
," an elegiac
1963 song in which he suddenly breaks into "Earth Angel" as one of the various songs remembered. El Monte
, a city near Los Angeles, had spawned such popular performers as Tony Allan
, Marvin & Johnny
, The Shields, as well as the Penguins. Those groups were also emulated as part of Zappa's tribute to early days of rock and roll.
In a common practice of the time, radio station
s frequently featured segregated
playlists. Thus, "Earth Angel" was simultaneously recorded by the white group, The Crew-Cuts
in 1955. The Crew-Cuts cover peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 chart, five spots higher than the Penguins version. The single's success launched the Crew-Cuts' own successful career of recording "crossover"-friendly covers
of R&B hits. [Actually, the Crew-Cuts' first successful cover was
"Shboom" which hit #1 on Billboard in 1954]
The songwriting genesis for "Earth Angel" was a matter of some dispute, eventually ending up in a split credit between Penguins baritone Curtis Williams, Gaynel Hodge, and Jesse Belvin
. The song had evolved through several Los Angeles area groups, and was based on the "Blue Moon
" chord changes that were so popular with many doo-wop groups. The song was influenced by Jesse and Marvin
's #2 R&B hit "Dream Girl," which contained many of the same vocal inflections used to great effect in "Earth Angel." The "Will you be mine?" hook in "Earth Angel," which was also the song's subtitle, was borrowed from the #9 R&B hit of the same name by the Swallows. The Hollywood Flames had also recorded "I Know" in 1953, a song which has been called "a chord-for-chord blueprint for "Earth Angel," and which featured the same Curtis Williams piano
intro that Williams himself reused on the Penguins hit. The coda
of "Earth Angel," with the repeatedly harmonized word "You-oo... you-oo... you-oo... you-oo," had previously been heard in the Dominoes
' #5 R&B cover of "These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You."
to manage them. Ram's primary interest was in managing the Platters, who at that point had no hit singles, but were a profitable
touring group. With the Penguins in hand, Ram was able to swing a 2-for-1 deal with Mercury Records
, in which the company agreed to take on the Platters as a condition for getting the Penguins (the group that Mercury really wanted). Ironically, the Platters became the label's
more successful act, the Penguins never scoring a second hit single.
In 1955, Bruce Tate left the group. He was replaced by Randy Jones (who would later sing with the Cadets
). During the summer of 1956, Jones and Tisby were briefly out of the group, and were replaced by Ray Brewster and Teddy Harper, respectively. Jones and Tisby returned shortly afterwards. Curtis Williams left in December 1957, with Harper rejoining as his permanent replacement. The Penguins never had another national hit, but their 1957 cover of "Pledge of Love" reached #15 on the R&B chart.
The group performed on the PBS television special, Doo Wop 50
. Duncan, Madison, and Saulsberry also performed with Randy Jones as guest, in 2001. It was planned for Jones to appear with the Penguins the following year but he suffered a stroke while rehearsing with the group, and died shortly thereafter. Jones also performed with the reunited Jacks/Cadets in the '90s
The group is mentioned in the Paul Simon
song, "Rene and Georgette Magritte after the War."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
group of the 1950s and early 1960s, best remembered for their only Top 40 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)
Earth Angel
"Earth Angel " is an American doo-wop song, originally released by The Penguins in 1954 on the Dootone label , as the B-side to "Hey Señorita." The song became a major hit for The Crew-Cuts in 1955, reaching the Billboard charts on January 29, 1955. It peaked at #3 on the Disk Jockey chart, #8 on...
", which was one of the first rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
hits to cross over to the pop charts
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, but had a three-week run at #1 on the R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
Early career
The original members of The Penguins were:- Curtis Williams (December 11, 1934 - August 10, 1979) (bass-baritoneBass-baritoneA bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
) - Cleveland Duncan (July 23, 1935) (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
) - Dexter Tisby (March 10, 1935) (tenor)
- Bruce Tate (January 27, 1937 - June 20, 1973) (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
)
Duncan and Williams were former classmates at Fremont High School
John C. Fremont High School
John C. Fremont Senior High School is a Title 1 co-educational public high school located in Los Angeles, California, United States.Fremont is in a region known as South Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles
Cupertino, California
Cupertino is an affluent suburban city in Santa Clara County, California in the U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and Williams had become a member of The Hollywood Flames
The Hollywood Flames
The Hollywood Flames were an American R&B vocal group in the 1950s, best known for their hit, "Buzz Buzz Buzz".They formed as The Flames in 1949, in Watts, Los Angeles, at a talent show where members of various high school groups got together. The original members were Bobby Byrd , David Ford,...
. In late 1953, they decided to form a new vocal group, and added Tisby and Tate. Their midtempo performance style was a cross between rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. Williams brought with him a song, "Earth Angel," on which he had worked with Gaynel Hodge, another member of the Hollywood Flames.
The Penguins were one of a number of doo-wop groups of the period named after birds (such as The Orioles
The Orioles
The Orioles were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal bands who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound....
, The Flamingos
The Flamingos
The Flamingos were a doo wop group from the United States, most popular in the mid to late 1950s and best known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You".-Early quintet:...
, and The Crows
The Crows
The Crows were an American R & B singing group who achieved commercial success in the 1950s. The group's first single and only major hit, "Gee", released in June 1953, has been credited with being the first Rock n’ Roll hit by a rock and roll group...
). One of the members smoked Kool cigarettes, which, at the time, had "Willie the Penguin" as its cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
character. They considered themselves "cool," and accordingly decided to call themselves "The Penguins."
Dootone Records released The Penguins' single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Hey Senorita" in late 1954 as the intended A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, but a radio
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
flipped the record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
over to the B-side: "Earth Angel" worked its way up to #1 on the Billboard charts (the only Penguins song ever to fly that high), and held that place for three weeks early in 1955.
Duncan sang lead on "Earth Angel." He reprised his performance a decade later on Frank Zappa's
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
"Memories of El Monte
Memories of El Monte
"Memories of El Monte" is a metasong released in 1963 by the Penguins featuring Cleve Duncan. It was written by Frank Zappa and Ray Collins before they were in the Mothers of Invention...
," an elegiac
Elegiac
Elegiac refers either to those compositions that are like elegies or to a specific poetic meter used in Classical elegies. The Classical elegiac meter has two lines, making it a couplet: a line of dactylic hexameter, followed by a line of dactylic pentameter...
1963 song in which he suddenly breaks into "Earth Angel" as one of the various songs remembered. El Monte
El Monte, California
El Monte is a residential, industrial, and commercial city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte," and historically is known as "The End of the Santa Fe Trail." As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 113,475,...
, a city near Los Angeles, had spawned such popular performers as Tony Allan
Tony Allan
Tony Allan was a British broadcaster and voice over artist. He broadcast almost exclusively on pirate radio stations and was highly regarded for his professionalism, his distinctive voice and clear diction, and for his ability to produce highly professional commercials and...
, Marvin & Johnny
Marvin & Johnny
Marvin & Johnny was the stage name of the 1950s American doo-wop duo. It featured Marvin Phillips and Emory "Johnny" Perry , who recorded the early doo-wop single, "Cherry Pie."-Career:...
, The Shields, as well as the Penguins. Those groups were also emulated as part of Zappa's tribute to early days of rock and roll.
In a common practice of the time, radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s frequently featured segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
playlists. Thus, "Earth Angel" was simultaneously recorded by the white group, The Crew-Cuts
The Crew-Cuts
The Crew-Cuts were a Canadian vocal quartet, that made a number of popular records that charted in the United States and worldwide. They named themselves after the then popular crew cut haircut, one of the first connections made between pop music and hairstyle...
in 1955. The Crew-Cuts cover peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 chart, five spots higher than the Penguins version. The single's success launched the Crew-Cuts' own successful career of recording "crossover"-friendly covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of R&B hits. [Actually, the Crew-Cuts' first successful cover was
"Shboom" which hit #1 on Billboard in 1954]
The songwriting genesis for "Earth Angel" was a matter of some dispute, eventually ending up in a split credit between Penguins baritone Curtis Williams, Gaynel Hodge, and Jesse Belvin
Jesse Belvin
Jesse Lorenzo Belvin was an American R&B singer, pianist and songwriter popular in the 1950s, whose success was cut short by his death in a car crash aged 27.-Career:...
. The song had evolved through several Los Angeles area groups, and was based on the "Blue Moon
Blue Moon (song)
"Blue Moon"'s first crossover recording to rock and roll came from Elvis Presley in 1956. His cover version of the song was included on his self-titled debut album Elvis Presley....
" chord changes that were so popular with many doo-wop groups. The song was influenced by Jesse and Marvin
Jesse Belvin
Jesse Lorenzo Belvin was an American R&B singer, pianist and songwriter popular in the 1950s, whose success was cut short by his death in a car crash aged 27.-Career:...
's #2 R&B hit "Dream Girl," which contained many of the same vocal inflections used to great effect in "Earth Angel." The "Will you be mine?" hook in "Earth Angel," which was also the song's subtitle, was borrowed from the #9 R&B hit of the same name by the Swallows. The Hollywood Flames had also recorded "I Know" in 1953, a song which has been called "a chord-for-chord blueprint for "Earth Angel," and which featured the same Curtis Williams piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
intro that Williams himself reused on the Penguins hit. The coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
of "Earth Angel," with the repeatedly harmonized word "You-oo... you-oo... you-oo... you-oo," had previously been heard in the Dominoes
Dominoes
Dominoes generally refers to the collective gaming pieces making up a domino set or to the subcategory of tile games played with domino pieces. In the area of mathematical tilings and polyominoes, the word domino often refers to any rectangle formed from joining two congruent squares edge to edge...
' #5 R&B cover of "These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You."
After 'Earth Angel'
Coming off the success of "Earth Angel," the Penguins approached Buck RamBuck Ram
Buck Ram was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger.-Biography:...
to manage them. Ram's primary interest was in managing the Platters, who at that point had no hit singles, but were a profitable
Profit (economics)
In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total opportunity costs of a venture to an entrepreneur or investor, whilst economic profit In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total...
touring group. With the Penguins in hand, Ram was able to swing a 2-for-1 deal with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, in which the company agreed to take on the Platters as a condition for getting the Penguins (the group that Mercury really wanted). Ironically, the Platters became the label's
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
more successful act, the Penguins never scoring a second hit single.
In 1955, Bruce Tate left the group. He was replaced by Randy Jones (who would later sing with the Cadets
The Cadets (doo wop)
The Cadets are an American doo wop group. The group began as a gospel group, the Santa Monica Soul Seekers, in the late 1940s. The members were Lloyd McCraw, Willie Davis, Austin "Ted" Taylor, Aaron Collins, Glendon Kingsby, and Will "Dub" Jones. In 1955, the group auditioned for Modern Records,...
). During the summer of 1956, Jones and Tisby were briefly out of the group, and were replaced by Ray Brewster and Teddy Harper, respectively. Jones and Tisby returned shortly afterwards. Curtis Williams left in December 1957, with Harper rejoining as his permanent replacement. The Penguins never had another national hit, but their 1957 cover of "Pledge of Love" reached #15 on the R&B chart.
Later years
The group broke up in 1962. Cleveland Duncan continued recording as "The Penguins", with new member Walter Saulsberry and a backing group, the Viceroys. Later, the group was Duncan, Saulsberry, Vesta and Evelyn King, and Vera Walker. (Duncan and the King sisters had recorded a record as "Cleve Duncan and the Radiants" in 1959.) By the late 60s, the group was being billed as the "Fabulous Penguins", and featured Duncan, Walker, and new member Rudy Wilson. By the 1970s, the members were Duncan, the returning Walter Saulsberry, and new member Glenn Madison, formerly of the Delco's (Indiana). This is the current lineup of the group.The group performed on the PBS television special, Doo Wop 50
Doo Wop 50
Doo Wop 50 was a PBS pledge drive special created and produced for PBS member station WQED-TV by TJ Lubinsky, grandson of Herman Lubinsky...
. Duncan, Madison, and Saulsberry also performed with Randy Jones as guest, in 2001. It was planned for Jones to appear with the Penguins the following year but he suffered a stroke while rehearsing with the group, and died shortly thereafter. Jones also performed with the reunited Jacks/Cadets in the '90s
The group is mentioned in the Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
song, "Rene and Georgette Magritte after the War."