The Penguins

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Penguins were an American doo-wop group from Los Angeles, active in the 1950s and early 1960s. The original members were tenor Cleveland Duncan, Curtis Williams as baritone and bass, tenor Dexter Tisby and baritone Bruce Tate. Duncan and Williams had been at Fremont High School together. At the end of 1953 they founded the group. The name came from Willie the Penguin, the cartoon character in the advertising for Kool cigarettes, and suited a group that thought of itself as cool. Many doo-wop groups then bore a bird name, such as The Orioles, The Flamingos and The Crows.

Music and breakthrough

In 1954 Dootone Records released the single Hey Senorita, but a radio DJ turned the record over and played the B-side: Earth Angel. That song, which Williams had worked on with Gaynel Hodge, spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard R&B chart in early 1955. By 1966 four million copies had been sold. It remained their only big hit.

Influence

Earth Angel is a quiet, swaying song with a slow piano accompaniment and the soft harmony singing for which doo-wop is known. The group played a style between rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll. The song was one of the first R&B songs to also reach the pop charts, and shows how black vocal groups found a wider audience in the 1950s.

Listening

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  Earth Angel · The Penguins, 1954
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