Earth Angel

“Earth Angel”, occasionally referred to as “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)”, is a song by American doo-wop group the Penguins. Produced by Dootsie Williams, it was released as their debut single in October 1954 on Dootone Records. The Penguins had formed the year prior and recorded the song as a demo in a garage in South Central Los Angeles. The song’s origins lie in multiple different sources, among them songs by Jesse Belvin, Patti Page, and the Hollywood Flames. Its authorship was the subject of a bitter legal dispute with Williams in the years following its release. Although the song was going to be overdubbed with additional instrumentation, the original demo version became an unexpected hit, quickly outstripping its A-side. The song grew out of Southern California and spread across the United States over the winter of 1954–55. “Earth Angel” became the first independent label release to appear on Billboard’s national pop charts, where it peaked within the top 10. It was a big hit on the magazine’s R&B charts, where it remained number one for several weeks. A cover version by white vocal group the Crew-Cuts peaked higher on the pop charts, reaching number three. More cover versions followed, including recordings by Gloria Mann, Tiny Tim, and Johnny Tillotson. The Penguins’ only hit, it eventually sold in excess of ten million copies. The original recording of the song remained an enduring hit single for much of the 1950s, and it is now considered to be one of the definitive doo-wop songs. In 2005, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, deeming it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important.” In 1998, the Penguins’ 1954 recording of “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)” on Dootone Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“Earth Angel” is largely composed of elements from earlier doo-wop songs, among them “Blue Moon” and “Dream Girl”. Problems playing this file?
The Penguins—composed of lead vocalist Cleveland Duncan, bass Curtis Williams, tenor Dexter Tisby, and baritone Bruce Tate—formed at Fremont High School in Los Angeles, California in 1953. The group named themselves after the Kool cigarette advertising mascot. Williams and Gaynel Hodge were previously members of The Hollywood Flames, where they began writing “Earth Angel” with mentor Jesse Belvin, a Jefferson High graduate. Belvin had previously had a hit single in “Dream Girl”, a 1952 ballad credited to Jesse & Marvin (saxophonist Marvin Phillips). The song echoes “Earth Angel” in its melodic refrain: “Dream girl, dream girl…”Its “why-oh” hook was adapted as a background chant within “Earth Angel”. The “Will you be mine?” hook was borrowed from the R&B hit of the same name by the Swallows. The Hollywood Flames were hired that year by Jessie Mae Robinson to record a demo of “I Went to Your Wedding”, later recorded by Patti Page. Hodge later noted that the group lifted the bridge from that song for “Earth Angel”. The song also contains elements of the Flames’ 1953 recording of “I Know” in its piano introduction and chord progressions, which were closely based on the Rodgers & Hart standard “Blue Moon”. Williams reportedly wrote the song for his wife, Marlene, and Duncan rewrote the melody, as he disliked the original. “Earth Angel” was recorded as a literal garage demo—it was recorded in a home garage at the Los Angeles home of Ted Brinson (a relative of Williams who had played bass for the Jimmie Lunceford and Andy Kirk bands). The home was located at 2190 West 30th Street in South Central Los Angeles. The garage was used as the primary recording space of Dootsie Williams for all of his Dootone artists, and had been used to record demos for Jessie Mae Robinson. It was recorded on a single-track Ampex tape recorder, owned by Brinson, who performs bass on the track. The drums were muffled with pillows so as to not overwhelm the vocals. A neighbor’s pet dog stopped many takes by barking. “Every time the dog barked next door, I’d have to go out and shut him up, and then we’d do another take,” remembered Williams. Curtis Williams, in addition to singing, performed piano on the track, with an unknown drummer. Preston Epps reportedly played bongos on “Hey Senorita” (though this is unconfirmed). The song is composed in the key of A-flat major and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 76 beats per minute. Duncan’s vocal range spans from F3 to G4. The first five seconds of the intro are cut off of the recording by accident.