The Penguins, "Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild" c/w "Ookey Ook," Dooto 45-353 (rel. 12/1954)

The Penguins are among the most beloved of the classic Black doo-wop vocal groups, but they had little chart success. Their second single “Earth Angel” got onto the pop charts in 1954—it made the Top 10—but none of their follow-ups got anywhere near that rung on the ladder of success. The pop charts were segregated in 1954, so a white vocal group, The Crew Cuts, rushed out a soundalike cover of the song and got a more lasting hit with it.

That a Black doo-wop group got some success in the mainstream was a miracle in 1954. To repeat that feat was impossible; by decade’s end, Black groups were more accepted, despite racism being endemic to American life, as it is now. Thus, excellent record after excellent record failed to make an impact.

This was due, in part, to their nefarious manager, Buck Ram. His misdeeds have been covered here in the past—from taking credit for songs he didn’t write to underhanded business coups that damaged the reputations of his clients. Among that latter category were The Penguins.

Their hit was, at first, with Dootsie Williams’ Dootone (later Dooto) label. Williams was a classic small-time music hustler, and his business practices were sketchy at best. Though “Earth Angel” was a chart-topping r&b hit and Top 10 in pop, the group, who’d written the song, had no financial reward from his success. They complained, and Williams balked. He wouldn’t give them advances on their royalties. Buck Ram stepped in, finagled the group a good deal at Mercury Records, where he’d placed The Platters with success. He had the group re-record their early Dootone material—today’s record included—and make the move. This irked Dootsie, as you might imagine, and he tried to make this single fail. (Marv Goldberg notes that he did one publicity event for its up-tempo B-side, which purports a dance craze that never quite happened.)

Williams still retained the rights to the material he’d recorded with the group, and released singles, Eps and LPs into 1958. Meanwhile, the Mercury singles of The Penguins fizzled, despite their uniform excellence. To say the group was manipulated and mismanaged is erring on the side of politeness.

Let’s step away from the ugly machination of the music business and enjoy two exceptional sides by this fine group. “Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild” is one of my favorite mid-tempo vocal group sides. Lead singer Cleve Duncan teams with Dexter Tisby (two cool names!) to a sparse backing of upright piano, simple percussion and stand-up bass. The group’s superb harmonies do the heavy lifting here.

Penned by Curtis Williams, who co-wrote “Earth Angel,” this philosophical look at the ups and downs of infatuation is delivered with soul and spirit by all parties involved. That simple piano backing gives this 1954 recording a clarity and focus that’s magnificent.

Apologies for the BLUMP at the one-minute mark. With that, a brief aside about my relationship with this single. I came across several destroyed copies of this record over the past few years. Last summer, a local seller had a clean copy in his stall for three bucks. I bought it, eager to play it, but as I lowered the record onto the turntable, it snapped in two, like dried clay.

I wanted the dang record, but all online copies were priced above 20 dollars. I waited it out, and this very fine copy showed up on eBay for four bucks. The seller had under-graded it, and aside from that one click, it’s pristine. I’m grateful to have this single and to share it here with you today.

Cash Box didn't review this single until four months after its release, but they made sure it got a prominent spot in the r&b reviews for March 3, 1955. I freshened up the photo, since the original one had deteriorated.

“Ookey Ook” is lead by Curtis Williams and is one of the best up-tempo r&b sides of its year. It swings like mad and, again, the spartan arrangement shows off the group at their best.

The sax solo is a surprise—given the B-side status of this song—but it bolsters an already-swell mover/shaker. Dig how the drums drop out for a whole verse after the sax solo. The Penguins’ sense of rhythm is rock-solid, as is their ear. Never a bum note from these guys. Seventy-one years after its release, “Ookey Ook” still packs a punch and just might be my favorite side by this gifted combo. (Well, one of many favorites.)

The Mercury takes of these two sides remained unissued until 1986, when Bear Family Records put out an LP of The Penguins’ finest sides. They got a much-belated US issue on the 1996 Mercury CD The Best of The Mercury Years—an excellent comp that gets my thumbs-up. One listen will make you a fan and there are several outstanding songs amongst its 21 tracks.

I recently acquired a 1963 Penguins single with a Frank Zappa-penned song on its A-side. That’ll make the rounds here sometime soon. I try not to play the same artists too often for variety’s sake.

Tomorrow: more early r&b vocal group excellence with the rarest of the three singles made by The Eagles for Mercury Records. A longtime want picked up at this year’s Colby Record Extravaganza!