Post by Rob Durkee on Nov 8, 2012 23:06:15 GMT -5
By ROCKIN 'ROBIN
Cleveland (a/k/a Cleve) Duncan of the group the Penguins, the one-hit wonder group who scored in 1955 with "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)," died Wednesday (November 7, 2012) in the Los Angeles area. He was 77. At press time, the cause of death was unknown. According to Wikipedia, tenor Dexter Tisby, also 77, is the only surviving original Penguin member.
The Penguins followed the lead of many of their fellow all-African-American vocal groups of rock and roll music's early years in the 1950's by naming themselves after a species of a bird. Among them, for instance, we had Sonny Til and the Orioles, the Robins, the Crows, the Flamingos and the Falcons.
A brand of cigarettes became a "cool" idea for the name of Duncan's group. According to writer Wayne Jancik, Cleve once told Steve Flam and Sal Mondrone of "Bim Bam Boom" magazine, "We just couldn't come up with a name. It was comical. One of us just happened to be smoking a pack of Kools. We happened to be kidding each other about the picture of 'Willie The Penguin' on it (the pack). That's how we came up with the name." Duncan, Tisby, Curtis Williams and Bruce Tate formed the original Penguins' lineup that formed in 1953. The group would eventually have as many as 13 members.
"Earth Angel" was released after a previous single, "Ain't No News Today / When I Am Gone" bombed. "Hey Señorita" was supposed to be the A side when the single was released in late 1954. However, disc jockeys quickly decided to instead play the flip side as "Earth Angel" became a #3 hit in early 1955. The Canadian group the Crew-Cuts of "Sh-Boom" fame also recorded "Earth Angel" and admittedly also reached #3 on the Cash Box pop chart. But, over the years, the Penguins' version would get the airplay on the nation's oldies stations.
Sources disagree as to who sang lead for the Penguins on "Earth Angel." Some day it was Duncan while others claim it was Williams.
The Penguins are remembered not just for "Earth Angel," but also for one of the most important record deals of the mid-1950's. When Dootsie Williams, the owner of the Penguins' original label, DooTone, refused to give the Penguins any advance money, Duncan and his group hooked up with songwriter-producer Buck Ram. Ram would in turn get the Penguins a major record label but under one key condition. The only way Mercury Records could land the Penguins would be provided the label also took on another then-unknown Buck Ram group. Mercury agreed….and the next eight Penguins releases on the label all bombed. A re-issue of "Earth Angel" would bubble under one pop chart but that was it.
Oh, that other throw-in group that Mercury felt it had to take on? It only became the biggest group of the entire decade of the 1950's, the Platters.
The Penguins had broken up by 1963. That was the year, though, that Frank Zappa recorded a song entitled "Memories of El Monte," where Duncan would break into "Earth Angel" as one of the songs remembered from the past in the medley recording.
On Casey Kasem's favorite "American Top 40" special show, The Top 40 Disappearing Acts of All Time, the Penguins would rank #15 on the first of two shows in July, 1973. On the second show in April, 1975, the Penguins inexplicably slipped to #18.
Pinpointing the exact writer or writers of "Earth Angel" has been next to impossible. Gaynel Hodge has been mentioned. Two others have been mentioned, Curtis Williams and Jesse Belvin. According to writers Fred L. North and Steve D.Tamerius, Williams and Belvin were the same person who went by two names. North and Tamerius co-wrote the book "Elvis: His Life From A To Z." In that book, it's mentioned that Elvis Presley recorded "Earth Angel" privately while in West Germany between 1958 and 1960 (during his years in the Army). That rare recording would surface on Elvis' 1984 album, "A Golden Celebration."
Several other versions of "Earth Angel" have been recorded over the years. Gloria Mann of "Teenage Prayer" fame hit with it along with the Penguins and Crew-Cuts in 1955. A group called Barry Frank and the Four Bells also recorded the song in '55. In 1960, Johnny Tillotson reached #61. And in 1986, New Edition's version of the song from the soundtrack of "Karate Kid Part II" peaked at #37. Others to have recorded "Earth Angel" include the Crests, the Fleetwoods, the Vogues, Tiny Tim, Bobby Vinton, Blink-182, Bella Morte, Aaron Neville, Slapstick and Death Cab For Cutie. Green Day has incorporated the song in a medley done in concerts. "Earth Angel" has also been heard sung on the soundtracks of movies like "Back To The Future," "Superman III" and a movie of the same name, "Earth Angel."
Radio friend and oldies buff Ronnie Allen shared this story about Cleve Duncan with this writer: "I had the pleasure of meeting Cleveland Duncan when the Penguins performed as part of an oldies show in the Detroit area back in 2003. I was the guest of the Murmaids, who also performed on that show. I mentioned to Cleve that I thought it was humorous that Buchanan and Goodman had referred to his group as "The Pelicans" on their "Flying Saucer" break-in recording. Cleve, who I am sure totally knew that it was NOT the case, started going around the room in mock anger pointed at me and saying 'HE called us the PELICANS!' He was a very nice man."
Cleveland (a/k/a Cleve) Duncan of the group the Penguins, the one-hit wonder group who scored in 1955 with "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)," died Wednesday (November 7, 2012) in the Los Angeles area. He was 77. At press time, the cause of death was unknown. According to Wikipedia, tenor Dexter Tisby, also 77, is the only surviving original Penguin member.
The Penguins followed the lead of many of their fellow all-African-American vocal groups of rock and roll music's early years in the 1950's by naming themselves after a species of a bird. Among them, for instance, we had Sonny Til and the Orioles, the Robins, the Crows, the Flamingos and the Falcons.
A brand of cigarettes became a "cool" idea for the name of Duncan's group. According to writer Wayne Jancik, Cleve once told Steve Flam and Sal Mondrone of "Bim Bam Boom" magazine, "We just couldn't come up with a name. It was comical. One of us just happened to be smoking a pack of Kools. We happened to be kidding each other about the picture of 'Willie The Penguin' on it (the pack). That's how we came up with the name." Duncan, Tisby, Curtis Williams and Bruce Tate formed the original Penguins' lineup that formed in 1953. The group would eventually have as many as 13 members.
"Earth Angel" was released after a previous single, "Ain't No News Today / When I Am Gone" bombed. "Hey Señorita" was supposed to be the A side when the single was released in late 1954. However, disc jockeys quickly decided to instead play the flip side as "Earth Angel" became a #3 hit in early 1955. The Canadian group the Crew-Cuts of "Sh-Boom" fame also recorded "Earth Angel" and admittedly also reached #3 on the Cash Box pop chart. But, over the years, the Penguins' version would get the airplay on the nation's oldies stations.
Sources disagree as to who sang lead for the Penguins on "Earth Angel." Some day it was Duncan while others claim it was Williams.
The Penguins are remembered not just for "Earth Angel," but also for one of the most important record deals of the mid-1950's. When Dootsie Williams, the owner of the Penguins' original label, DooTone, refused to give the Penguins any advance money, Duncan and his group hooked up with songwriter-producer Buck Ram. Ram would in turn get the Penguins a major record label but under one key condition. The only way Mercury Records could land the Penguins would be provided the label also took on another then-unknown Buck Ram group. Mercury agreed….and the next eight Penguins releases on the label all bombed. A re-issue of "Earth Angel" would bubble under one pop chart but that was it.
Oh, that other throw-in group that Mercury felt it had to take on? It only became the biggest group of the entire decade of the 1950's, the Platters.
The Penguins had broken up by 1963. That was the year, though, that Frank Zappa recorded a song entitled "Memories of El Monte," where Duncan would break into "Earth Angel" as one of the songs remembered from the past in the medley recording.
On Casey Kasem's favorite "American Top 40" special show, The Top 40 Disappearing Acts of All Time, the Penguins would rank #15 on the first of two shows in July, 1973. On the second show in April, 1975, the Penguins inexplicably slipped to #18.
Pinpointing the exact writer or writers of "Earth Angel" has been next to impossible. Gaynel Hodge has been mentioned. Two others have been mentioned, Curtis Williams and Jesse Belvin. According to writers Fred L. North and Steve D.Tamerius, Williams and Belvin were the same person who went by two names. North and Tamerius co-wrote the book "Elvis: His Life From A To Z." In that book, it's mentioned that Elvis Presley recorded "Earth Angel" privately while in West Germany between 1958 and 1960 (during his years in the Army). That rare recording would surface on Elvis' 1984 album, "A Golden Celebration."
Several other versions of "Earth Angel" have been recorded over the years. Gloria Mann of "Teenage Prayer" fame hit with it along with the Penguins and Crew-Cuts in 1955. A group called Barry Frank and the Four Bells also recorded the song in '55. In 1960, Johnny Tillotson reached #61. And in 1986, New Edition's version of the song from the soundtrack of "Karate Kid Part II" peaked at #37. Others to have recorded "Earth Angel" include the Crests, the Fleetwoods, the Vogues, Tiny Tim, Bobby Vinton, Blink-182, Bella Morte, Aaron Neville, Slapstick and Death Cab For Cutie. Green Day has incorporated the song in a medley done in concerts. "Earth Angel" has also been heard sung on the soundtracks of movies like "Back To The Future," "Superman III" and a movie of the same name, "Earth Angel."
Radio friend and oldies buff Ronnie Allen shared this story about Cleve Duncan with this writer: "I had the pleasure of meeting Cleveland Duncan when the Penguins performed as part of an oldies show in the Detroit area back in 2003. I was the guest of the Murmaids, who also performed on that show. I mentioned to Cleve that I thought it was humorous that Buchanan and Goodman had referred to his group as "The Pelicans" on their "Flying Saucer" break-in recording. Cleve, who I am sure totally knew that it was NOT the case, started going around the room in mock anger pointed at me and saying 'HE called us the PELICANS!' He was a very nice man."
