Robert Hover
“Earth Angel”—The Penguins (1954)
Recorded in eight or nine takes, amid the bicycle pumps and scrap wood in a neighbor’s backyard garage, the song “Earth Angel” has become one of the most cherished rock ‘n’ roll records. The tune is also considered one of the first rhythm and blues records to creep into the nation’s Top 10 pop chart.
Lead singer Cleve Duncan and tenor singer Dex Tisby formed the Penguins with bass singer Curtis Williams and baritone singer Bruce Tate in 1954. After a lot of rehearsal, the quartet approached the owner of Dootone Records to record a song that Curtis Williams had written called “Earth Angel.” The group’s name came from “Willie the Penguin” of Kool cigarettes fame.
Before “Earth Angel”, Dootone issued two Penguin tracks “No, There Ain’t No News
Today” and “When I Am Gone.“
“It was really a demo that was for someone else,” Duncan explained. “Dootone had the rights on it and when we did it, it was strictly a demonstration recording. After “Earth Angel” was released, I imagined that we had gotten somewhere within the Top 10, and the group became in need of a small advance on royalties. Dootsie Williams denied the group and would not advance us any money whatsoever—not even $50!”
Discouraged and angered, the Penguins sought out the help of Buck Ram who was manager of their friends the Platters who recorded for Mercury Records in Chicago. Ram signed on as their representative and negotiated a record deal with Mercury for the Penguins as part of the agreement.
The then-unsuccessful Platters were tossed into the deal. In the interim, Dootone issued two follow-ups (“Ookey Ook” and “Baby, Let’s Make Some Love“) that both flopped. Bruce Tate left the group after being involved in an automobile accident that hit a pedestrian. His replacement was Buddy Harper.
Between Mercury and their Wing subsidiary label, they eventually issued eight disks by the group, including a re-recording of “Earth Angel” in August of 1958. Not one of these records garnered any notice. Atlantic Records issued one single by the Penguins (a cover version of Ken Copeland’s “Pledge of Love” that showed a little promise on the Rhythm and Blues charts.
Later, the Penguins returned to Dootone in Los Angeles. After one single was issued, Curtis Williams left the group to be replaced by Randolph Jones. Dootone issued two more singles, an extended-play 45 and a long-play album (“The Cool, Cool Penguins”) in 1958. The group broke up in 1963.