Dootone 348 (original) USA, October 1954
Words & Music by: Side A – Curtis Williams; Side B – Curtis Williams
Musicians: Dexter Tisby (tenor vocals,
lead on side A), Cleveland Duncan (tenor vocals, lead on side B), Bruce Tate (baritone
vocals), Curtis Williams (bass vocals, piano), Ted Brinson (upright bass), others
unknown
Recording sessions: Produced by
Walter “Dootsie” Williams at Ted Brinson’s home garage studio in Los Angeles,
CA, around August – September 1954
Highest chart positions: Side A – none; Side B - US #8, US R&B #1
This was the Penguins’ debut single and an instant success. “Earth Angel” was the flipside, but the radio stations started to play it, and it became a cross-over hit in the US.
Penguins’ member Curtis Williams sued Dootone Records owner Dootsie Williams for $100,000 to break their contract, claiming he signed it while underage. Dootsie countersued Mercury Records for stealing his artists. A judge ruled the Dootone contract invalid because three of the four Penguins were minors when they signed it. This allowed their new manager, Buck Ram, to legally move the group to Mercury Records in 1955.
Musicians Jesse Belvin and Gaynel Hodge asserted that the melody and lyrics of “Earth Angel” were taken from song ideas they had previously written and performed with Williams in a past group. A judge ruled that Belvin and Hodge had written most of the song. Today, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) officially splits the songwriting royalties equally between Williams, Belvin, and Hodge.
The recording session was repeatedly interrupted by a neighbour’s barking dog. Dootsie Williams had to step outside multiple times to quiet the dog down between takes.
List price: VG+ $20, NM $40; first pressing with glossy red label is VG+ $75, NM $150
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