This includes bands that use the term "penguin" in their name, as well as various albums where they are mentioned in song titles or lyrics.
I got these pictures from Hedwig's Penguin Page, which features an impressive penguin collection and lots of links to other penguin enthusiast sites (yours truly included.) The CD pictured was a promotional item given away at a zoo.
Duke Ellington must have a thing for penguins. These covers are for the "Bug Music" albums. The second "Bug Music" album was released by Don Byron, which features a different cover.
Dredg is some of the most original music I've heard in ages. They played a concert at the Roxy recently, and their live performance, with the number of different instruments they play, is pretty amazing. They've got a thing for penguins, too, as evidenced by the T-shirts sold on their website (my favorite is the origami penguin) and the song "Triangle" on the "El Cielo" album. Penguins are first referenced in their "Leitmotif" album on the song "Penguins in the Desert".
This is a strange band with some interesting music and lyrics. I have their album, "Damn", although from reviews I've read on Amazon, their best one is "Extreme Gaming."
That crazy bassist John McVie from Fleetwood Mac supposedly had a ton of penguin figurines on the houseboat he used to own. He was also an associate member of the London Zoological Society and would often go to the London Zoo to photograph the penguins, who fascinated him.
There's a song on this album called "Drunken Penguin Tango."
This intensely ugly guy once married Julia Roberts, for reasons beyond anyone's comprehension. I like his "Penguins" song on the "I Love Everybody" album. It reminds me of sitting indoors near a fireplace while watching snowflakes fall by the window.
I have no idea what this band represents. Despite its anti-penguin rhetoric, Magnet's "Don't Be A Penguin" album still fits in with the penguin music category, at least until I ferret out what the song is all about. There's a former Velvet Underground band member in the crew, Mo Tucker.
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra is difficult to classify, although most retailers place it in the New Age section. It's more like a combination of classical/orchestral minimalism. They integrate "found music" into their harmonies; like the sounds of a telephone dialing, etc. Somewhere online I read it's the musical equivalent of your subconscious dreams. I bought a used edition of the album "Preludes, Airs & Yodels" which put me right to sleep, so I guess it's an accurate description.
This old album includes the song, "Do the Funky Penguin." I'm unclear as to what that particular dance move looks like, but it can't be pretty.
This band immortalized itself with the hit single, "Earth Angel", which was featured prominently in the movie Back to the Future.