Person · Male
Earl Carroll
r&b vocalist
- From
- New York, United States
- Active
- 1937–2012
- Releases
- 0
About
Earl "Speedo" Carroll (November 2, 1937 – November 25, 2012) was the lead vocalist of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs. The group's biggest hit was "Speedoo", which with a minor spelling change became Carroll's subsequent nickname. It was released in 1955. He joined The Coasters in 1961, leaving the group in the early 1980s to permanently reform The Cadillacs.
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In 1982, Earl took a job as a custodian at the PS 87 elementary school in New York City and worked there until retiring in 2005. A popular figure with the students, he was chosen to be the subject of a children's book, That's Our Custodian, by Ann Morris (Brookfield, Connecticut: Millbrook Press). The publicity helped him to revive his career. He became a mainstay of the PBS series honoring doo wop, hosted by Jerry Butler and continued performing until the early 2010s when deteriorating health forced him to retire.
Member of
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The Coasters tenor vocals
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The Cadillacs lead vocals
Links
Reference
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 2e9db41a-c6e2-4f56-9b2d-a03c874289a4
- ISNI
- 000000046342306X
- IPI
- 00005351719
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 15 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.