The L.A. Musical History Tour
"Earth Angel" site
(recorded in the garage attached to this house)
2190 East 30th, Los Angeles (DO NOT DISTURB OCCUPANTS)
During the early 1950s, mailman Ted Brinson, a former big-band bassist,
had a small
recording studio in this garage, in which DooTone Records president Dootsie
Williams
made demos. When Brinson told Williams his nephew had a singing group, the
Penguins,
Williams offered to produce their record here, and issue it on DooTone if
it turned out well.
The result was "Earth Angel." Williams took it to top deejay Huggy
Boy, who played it
on his radio show (see DOLPHIN'S OF HOLLYWOOD) and within weeks of its release
in
early 1955, it shot to the top of the charts.
"Earth Angel" was a black breakthrough record. After it became
a rhythm and blues hit,
the Crew-Cuts, a white Canadian singing group, dutifully cut a cover version
for the white
market, as they had dome with "Sh-Boom" by the Chords a year earlier.
And although the
Crew-Cuts' version made it all the way to number three, the Penguins' original
sold nearly
as well, getting up to number eight -- a startling showing, and a sign that
black artists could
appeal to white buyers as well as black.
Besides standing as a musical national treasure, "Earth Angel"
is a prime example of the
overlooked field of West Coast doo-wop.
Other bands recorded here too, including the Medallions, and Don Julian
and the
Meadowlarks. The garage is now used for storage.