Editing The Penguins (section)

==Early career==
The original members of The Penguins were tenor<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/arts/music/cleve-duncan-1954-hitmaker-with-earth-angel-dies.html|title=Cleve Duncan, 1954 Hitmaker With 'Earth Angel,' Dies|last=Martin|first=Douglas|date=2012-11-14|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2017-09-26|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Cleveland Duncan (July 23, 1935 – November 7, 2012), Curtis Williams (baritone/bass)(December 11, 1934 – August 10, 1979), Dexter Tisby (tenor)(March 10, 1935 – May 2019) and Bruce Tate (baritone)(January 27, 1937 – June 20, 1973).<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> Duncan and Williams were former classmates at [[John C. Fremont High School|Fremont High School]] in [[Cupertino, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]],<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|pages=1931/2}}</ref> 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.<ref name="goldberg">{{Cite web|url=http://home.att.net/~marvy42/Penguins/penguins.html|title=Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - The Penguins|date=9 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909205615/http://home.att.net/~marvy42/Penguins/penguins.html|access-date=3 October 2021|archive-date=2009-09-09}}</ref>

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 (cigarette)|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".<ref name="goldberg" />

[[Dootone Records]] released The Penguins' [[single (music)|single]] "Hey Senorita" in late 1954 as the intended [[A-side and B-side|A-side]], but a [[radio station|radio]] [[Disc jockey|DJ]] flipped the [[gramophone record|record]] over to the B-side: "Earth Angel" worked its way up to No. 1 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' R&B chart (the only Penguins song to chart that high) and held that place for three weeks early in 1955. By 1966, the disc had sold four million copies.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book| first= Joseph| last= Murrells| year= 1978| title= The Book of Golden Discs| edition= 2nd| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| location= London| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/70 70]| isbn= 0-214-20512-6| url-access= registration| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/70}}</ref> The Penguins followed up this hit with a Christmas release "A Christmas prayer" with "Jingle Jangle."<ref>The Mercury Labels: The 1945-1956 era Michel Ruppli, Ed Novitsky - 1993 - Page 538 "THE PENGUINS: Cleveland Duncan, Dexter Tisby (tenor vo) Bruce Tate (baritone vo) Curtis Williams (bass vo) with ts, p & rhythm. Mercury Sound Studio, NYC. November 12, 1955, 12409 12410 A Christmas prayer Jingle jangle Merc.70762 ..."</ref>

The Penguins performed for the eleventh famed [[Cavalcade of Jazz]] concert held at [[Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)|Wrigley Field]] in Los Angeles which was produced by [[Leon Hefflin, Sr.|Leon Hefflin, Sr]]. on July 24, 1955. Also featured [[Big Jay McNeely]], [[Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra|Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra]], [[The Medallions]] and [[James Moody (saxophonist)|James Moody]] and his Orchestra.<ref>"11th Cavalcade of Jazz – Wrigley Field July 24" Article Los Angeles Sentinel June 30, 1955.
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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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arf.ru/Notes/Cucamonga/memel.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327130012/http://www.arf.ru/Notes/Cucamonga/memel.html|url-status=dead|title=ARF: Notes and Comments: CUCAMONGA YEARS: Memories Of El Monte (Zappa-Collins)|archive-date=27 March 2012|website=Arf.ru|access-date=3 October 2021}}</ref> [[El Monte, California|El Monte]], a city near Los Angeles, had spawned such popular performers as Tony Allan, [[Marvin & Johnny]], and 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 [[Racial segregation|segregated]] playlists. Thus, "Earth Angel" was simultaneously recorded by the white group [[The Crew-Cuts]] in 1955. The Crew-Cuts cover peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart, five spots higher than the Penguins version. The single's success contributed to the Crew-Cuts' own successful career of recording [[Crossover (music)|crossover]]-friendly [[cover version|covers]] of R&B hits.

The songwriting genesis for "Earth Angel" was a matter of some dispute, eventually ending up in a split credit between Penguins bass-baritone Curtis Williams, Gaynel Hodge, and [[Jesse Belvin]].