Polemonium Reptans

Earl "Speedo" Carroll (November 2, 1937 – November 25, 2012) was the lead vocalist of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs.^[1] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

Carroll died on November 25, 2012, of complications from a stroke and diabetes.^[2][3]