Led in the early days by Louis Locatelli aka Thierry Vincent, French rock band Les Pingouins was formed in the eastern suburbs of Paris in 1962. In addition to its leader, the band, originally called Les Hooligans, included guitarists Alain Fournier and Christian Prunier, bassist Dominique Blanc-Francard and drummer Gérard Hugé. Success came with their first record for the Decca label, featuring "Regarde le ciel" and "Oh, les filles!", an adaptation of Marty Robbins' American hit "Sugaree", which would be covered by the group Au Bonheur des Dames ten years later. After a second EP, released in April 1962 and including "Cherche", based on The Coasters' "Searchin' ", singer Thierry Vincent had to leave the group to do his military service. He was not replaced, and an instrumental line-up, featuring guitarist Alain Legrand and drummer Michel Santangeli, recorded two more super singles, Dansez Twist et Madison (July 1962) and Shuffle (July 1963). Thierry Vincent embarked on a solo career before his death on October 14, 1990 at the age of 47, while Dominique Blanc-Francard became a renowned producer and Michel Santangeli a much sought-after drummer. Christian Prunier became a painter and died in 2002. In 2019, a compilation published by RDM Éditions brings together the twelve tracks of the short-lived group.
