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Listen to The Penguins, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!

The Penguins

Pop

The next The Penguins concert is scheduled for Sunday, July 20, 2025 at La fabrica in Celrà, Spain. See all 5 upcoming concerts
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Top Songs By The Penguins

Listen to Memories of el Monte by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
Memories of el MonteThe Penguins
Listen to Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) [No. 1] by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) [No. 1]The Penguins
Listen to Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) [No. 2] by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) [No. 2]The Penguins
Listen to Earth Angel by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
Earth AngelThe Penguins
Listen to Devil That I See by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
Devil That I SeeThe Penguins
Listen to Ookey Ook by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
Ookey OokThe Penguins
Listen to Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
Love Will Make Your Mind Go WildThe Penguins
Listen to My Troubles Are Not at an End by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
My Troubles Are Not at an EndThe Penguins
Listen to You're an Angel by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
You're an AngelThe Penguins
Listen to Hey Señorita (Digitally Remastered) by The Penguins, see lyrics, music video & more!
Hey Señorita (Digitally Remastered)The Penguins

Upcoming Concerts for The Penguins

  • Jul
    20
    Jul 20, 2025
    La fabrica
    Celrà
  • Aug
    03
    Aug 03, 2025
    Aparcament de l'Hort de la Rectoria
    Alella
  • Sep
    06
    Sep 06, 2025
    L'Estruch
    Sabadell
  • Sep
    21
    Sep 21, 2025
    Plaça Mercadal
    Balaguer
  • Oct
    11
    Oct 11, 2025
    The Monumental Bullring of Barcelona
    Barcelona

About The Penguins

Listen to The Penguins, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Hometown
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Formed
1954
Genre
Pop
Best known for their hit single "Earth Angel," the doo wop quartet the Penguins were never able to replicate the success of their only Top 40 hit, but the song nevertheless became a rock & roll classic. The Penguins formed in 1953, when the group's members -- Cleveland Duncan (lead tenor vocal), Curtis Williams (bass-baritone vocal), Dexter Tisby (tenor vocal), and Bruce Tate (baritone vocal) -- were all attending Fremont High School in Los Angeles, CA. Although he wasn't the lead singer, Williams was the leader of the group. He learned "Earth Angel" from vocalist Jesse Belvin -- some sources claim that Williams wrote the song alone, others say he co-wrote the song with Belvin, while others claim Gaynell Hodge, a member of the doo wop group the Turks, wrote the song with the duo (in fact, Hodge won a lawsuit filed in 1956 that gave him a co-writing credit) -- and had the Penguins sing the song. Around 1954, the Penguins signed with the local Los Angeles independent label Dootone Records. The group's first single was going to be the uptempo "Hey Sinorita," and the ballad "Earth Angel" was going to be the B-side. Upon the release of the single in the latter half of 1954, Los Angeles radio stations were receiving more requests for "Earth Angel" than "Hey Sinorita," and the song soon became the record's A-side. By the beginning of 1955, the single had scaled the national charts, spending three weeks at the top of the R&B charts and peaking at number eight on the pop charts. For the next few years, the Penguins continued to record singles for Dootone Records. Shortly after the success of "Earth Angel," Tate left the group and Randolph Jones became their baritone vocalist. Around 1956, the Penguins left Dootone Records and signed with Mercury Records. After cutting some sides for Mercury, the group moved to Atlantic Records, where they had their second and final hit, "Pledge of Love," which climbed to number 15 on the R&B charts in the summer of 1957. That same year, the group released its only album, The Cool, Cool Penguins. By 1959, the Penguins had returned to their hometown of Los Angeles; shortly after their relocation, they broke up. Over the next four decades, Cleveland Duncan led various incarnations of the Penguins through reunion tours and re-recordings of their hits. In 1963, Duncan, Tisby, and two new members recorded "Memories of El Monte," a song future Mothers of Invention members Frank Zappa and Ray Collins wrote specifically for the group; the single failed to make any impact. Duncan went back to leading new incarnations of the Penguins, while Tisby briefly joined the Coasters. Tisby subsequently retired from music and the other three members of the Penguins have since died, Tate in 1973, Williams in 1979, and Duncan in 2012. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Members of The Penguins include, or have included, Randolph Jones, Curtis Williams, and Ray Brewster.

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