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The Penguins music biography continued...

consisted of lead vocalist Cleveland "Cleve" Duncan, Bruce Tate (baritone), Curtis Williams (first tenor) and Dexter Tisby (second tenor). Shortly after forming, the Penguins signed with the local Los Angeles independent label Dootone Records. The group's first single was going to be the up-tempo "Hey Sinorita," while the ballad "Earth Angel," which Williams learned from Los Angeles R&B vocalist Jesse Belvin, was going to be the B-side. Thought there was a question as to who actually penned the tune, there was no doubt that it was a hit. Los Angeles area radio listeners repeatedly asked to hear the song, and by the beginning of 1955, it had scaled the national charts, spending three weeks at #1 on the R&B charts and peaking at #8 on the pop charts. For the next few years, the Penguins continued to record singles for Dootone Records. After a lineup change, they left for Mercury and then 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 their only album, The Cool, Cool Penguins. The group split up in 1959, but a few years later was resurrected by Duncan with varying lineups, and still performs on the oldies circuit. The Penguins were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, as the industry formally acknowledged one of the coolest groups around.