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The Penguins were an American Doo-Wop group of the 1950s and 60s, best remembered for their only top 40 hit, "Earth Angel", which was one of the first rhythm and blues hits to cross over to the pop charts. They were one of a number of Doo-Wop groups of the period named after birds (such as The Orioles, The Flamingos, and The Crows). Singers Cleveland Duncan, Curtis Williams, Dexter Tisby, and Bruce Tate, all students at Fremont High in Los Angeles, CA, formed the quartet in 1954. They broke up in 1959.
Cleve Duncan sang lead on "Earth Angel" and reprised his performance on Frank Zappa's "Memories of El Monte," (1964) an elegiac song in which he suddenly breaks into "Earth Angel" as one of the songs remembered.
The Penguins released "Earth Angel", also done by the "white" group The Crewcuts in 1955 on Doo-Tone records. It was a cross between rhythm and blues and the new rock and roll played by white performers and enjoyed by teenagers. Cleve Duncan, the lead singer, made popular El Monte in the city near Los Angeles, which also featured performers like The 5 Satins, Tony Allan, Marvin and Johnny, The Shields and the Penguins. In early '60s, the group did a tribute to "(Memories of) El Monte". Those groups were emulated by the Penguins as part of the tribute to early days of rock and roll. The song "Hey Senorita" was released as the hit side but a radio dejay flipped the record over and the "B" side played "Earth Angel", which became popular. Also, the Penguins did the less popular "Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild".
External links
"The Penguins"