Gene Chandler
Encyclopedia
Gene Chandler also known as "The Duke of Earl" or simply "The Duke", is an American
R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record executive. He is one of the leading exponents of the 1960s Chicago soul
scene. He is best known for his million-selling hits, "Duke Of Earl
," and "Groovy Situation
," and his associations with the Dukays, the Impressions and Curtis Mayfield
. A Grammy Hall Of Fame inductee, and winner of the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers Producer of the Year Award, and the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
's Pioneer Award, and one of the few artists to chart hit records during the Doo-Wop
, R&B, Soul
, and Disco
eras.Chandler has had more than thirty chart hits.
High School on Chicago
's south side. He began performing in the early 1950s with the Gaytones. In 1957 he joined a doo-wop
group, The Dukays, with James Lowe, Shirley Jones, Earl Edwards and Ben Broyles, soon becoming their lead singer. After his draft into the US Army
he returned to Chicago in 1960 and rejoined the Dukays.
by Nat Records and recorded a single, "The Girl Is a Devil" (1961), followed by two other singles including "Nite Owl". "Nite Owl" entered the charts and he recorded with The Dukays under the name 'Gene Dixon' and as a solo act as Gene Chandler. Vee-Jay Records
released the Dukays recording of "Duke of Earl" but credited the song solely to Chandler. "Duke of Earl" sold a million copies in just over one month.
After spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Magazine charts, Chandler purchased a cape
, a monocle
, a top hat
and a cane and became "The Duke of Earl". Chandler can be seen in the full 'Duke' outfit singing "The Duke of Earl" in the movie
Don't Knock the Twist
1962, starring Chubby Checker
. His concert
s became popular and he performed encores, usually "Rainbow '65," one of his collaborations with Curtis Mayfield
. This song was recorded by Chandler three times during his career, becoming a hit each time.
Chandler left Vee Jay
and recorded for Constellation Records
, Chess
and Brunswick Records
: these companies alternated with each other when releasing Chandler's recordings. He had a Top 20 Pop hit with "Just Be True" (1964), produced by Curtis Mayfield
. "Nothing Can Stop Me" (1965), also written by Mayfield, became a Top 20 pop hit as well. More hits followed such as "What Now", "Rainbow", "I Fooled You This Time", "Think Nothing About It"', "A Man's Temptation", "To Be A Lover", "Rainbow '65" (recorded live at Chicago's Regal Theatre), "Bless Our Love", and "You Can't Hurt Me No More", during the next five years. These songs helped Gene to successfully shed his "Duke Of Earl" typecasting, and become a major R&B star. Chandler also had success with his hit cover
of James Brown
's "There Was A Time" and "You Threw A Lucky Punch", which was released as an "answer" song to Mary Wells
's Motown
hit "You Beat Me To The Punch". In 1970, Chandler recorded the album Gene and Jerry: One on One, with Jerry Butler
.
After a number of years on the road, Chandler decided to become more involved with production of music. He produced, wrote, arranged and had a major hit with "Groovy Situation" (1970), which reached #12 on the pop charts pop and #8 on the R&B charts, becoming his second biggest hit since "Duke Of Earl". "Groovy Situation" sold more than a million copies, and received a gold disc
awarded by the R.I.A.A.
in November 1970.
The hits he recorded and produced earned him The National Association of Television and Radio Announcers Producer of the Year Award in 1970, against competition from other esteemed nominees including Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Norman Whitfield
. He also appeared with The Impressions and Curtis Mayfield on the live album
Curtis in Chicago
(1973). Chandler appeared on Arthur Louis
's album Knocking on Heaven's Door (1974) alongside Eric Clapton
. Later he had success with disco
music, creating hits such as "Get Down" (1978), "When You're #1", "Does She Have A Friend?" and "Rainbow '80". During this time he was also the Executive Vice President of Chi Sound Records
and worked with reggae
star Johnny Nash
. In the late 1970s an interest in older musicians inspired US DJ
Wolfman Jack
put together a tour including vintage acts featuring Chandler.
"Duke of Earl" was sampled
by Cypress Hill
, on the song "Hand on the Pump" from their album Cypress Hill
(1991) and also Chandler's song "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" for their album Black Sunday
(1993). In Argentina, Cris Morena was the host of a popular teenage programe 'Jugate Conmigo' the song was included on the main intro on the fiction novel, inside the program called: "Life College" (1994). In 1997 Chandler was inducted as a Pioneer Award honoree into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
.Chandler's "Tomorrow I May Not Feel the Same" was sampled by Reflection Eternal
on the song "Ghetto Afterlife" from Train of Thought
(2000).
In 1988 "Duke of Earl" was included on the soundtrack of Hairspray."Groovy Situation" appeared on Anchorman: Music from the Motion Picture
(2004). In the same year "Duke Of Earl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame. Groovemaster K. & 88 Keys sampled Chandler's "When You're #1" for their song "Frisco Disco".
Chandler still performs in Chicago, Las Vegas
and elsewhere in the US.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record executive. He is one of the leading exponents of the 1960s Chicago soul
Chicago soul
Chicago soul is a style of soul music that arose during the 1960s in Chicago. Along with Detroit, the home of Motown, and Memphis, with its hard-edged, gritty performers , Chicago and the Chicago soul style helped spur the album-oriented soul revolution of the early 1970s.The sound of Chicago...
scene. He is best known for his million-selling hits, "Duke Of Earl
Duke of Earl
"Duke of Earl" is a 1962 number-one song, originally by Gene Chandler. It is the best known of Chandler's songs, and he subsequently dubbed himself 'The Duke of Earl'. The song was penned by Bernice Williams, Eugene Dixon, and Earl Edwards....
," and "Groovy Situation
Groovy Situation
Groovy Situation was a 1970 hit single by Gene Chandler, issued on Mercury Records. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a Top 10 Billboard R&B hit, peaking at #8. It was also an RIAA Certified Million-Seller, the Gold Record being awarded to Gene in November 1970...
," and his associations with the Dukays, the Impressions and Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
. A Grammy Hall Of Fame inductee, and winner of the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers Producer of the Year Award, and the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
Rhythm and Blues Foundation
The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
's Pioneer Award, and one of the few artists to chart hit records during the Doo-Wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
, R&B, Soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
, and Disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
eras.Chandler has had more than thirty chart hits.
Early years
Chandler attended Englewood Technical Prep AcademyEnglewood Technical Prep Academy
Englewood Technical Prep Academy or sometimes referred to as simply Englewood High School , part of the Chicago Public School system, served the Englewood community on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois....
High School on Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's south side. He began performing in the early 1950s with the Gaytones. In 1957 he joined a doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
group, The Dukays, with James Lowe, Shirley Jones, Earl Edwards and Ben Broyles, soon becoming their lead singer. After his draft into the US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
he returned to Chicago in 1960 and rejoined the Dukays.
Career
The Dukays were offered a recording contractRecording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
by Nat Records and recorded a single, "The Girl Is a Devil" (1961), followed by two other singles including "Nite Owl". "Nite Owl" entered the charts and he recorded with The Dukays under the name 'Gene Dixon' and as a solo act as Gene Chandler. Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
released the Dukays recording of "Duke of Earl" but credited the song solely to Chandler. "Duke of Earl" sold a million copies in just over one month.
After spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Magazine charts, Chandler purchased a cape
Cape
Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...
, a monocle
Monocle
A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the vision in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string. The other end of the string is then connected to the wearer's clothing to avoid losing...
, a top hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
and a cane and became "The Duke of Earl". Chandler can be seen in the full 'Duke' outfit singing "The Duke of Earl" in the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Don't Knock the Twist
Don't Knock the Twist
Don't Knock the Twist is a 1962 film starring Lang Jeffries. It is the sequel to the 1961 film Twist Around the Clock-Plot summary:Many twist dancers' meet in preparation for the TV variety show called "The Twist." While the special is still in the production stages, jealousies lead to problems -...
1962, starring Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"...
. His concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s became popular and he performed encores, usually "Rainbow '65," one of his collaborations with Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
. This song was recorded by Chandler three times during his career, becoming a hit each time.
Chandler left Vee Jay
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
and recorded for Constellation Records
Constellation Records
Constellation Records is an influential Montreal, Quebec independent record label known for its contributions to experimental genres of music. It is most famous for releasing the albums of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, and Do Make Say...
, Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
and Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
: these companies alternated with each other when releasing Chandler's recordings. He had a Top 20 Pop hit with "Just Be True" (1964), produced by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
. "Nothing Can Stop Me" (1965), also written by Mayfield, became a Top 20 pop hit as well. More hits followed such as "What Now", "Rainbow", "I Fooled You This Time", "Think Nothing About It"', "A Man's Temptation", "To Be A Lover", "Rainbow '65" (recorded live at Chicago's Regal Theatre), "Bless Our Love", and "You Can't Hurt Me No More", during the next five years. These songs helped Gene to successfully shed his "Duke Of Earl" typecasting, and become a major R&B star. Chandler also had success with his hit cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
's "There Was A Time" and "You Threw A Lucky Punch", which was released as an "answer" song to Mary Wells
Mary Wells
Mary Esther Wells was an American singer who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s...
's Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
hit "You Beat Me To The Punch". In 1970, Chandler recorded the album Gene and Jerry: One on One, with Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler (singer)
Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
.
After a number of years on the road, Chandler decided to become more involved with production of music. He produced, wrote, arranged and had a major hit with "Groovy Situation" (1970), which reached #12 on the pop charts pop and #8 on the R&B charts, becoming his second biggest hit since "Duke Of Earl". "Groovy Situation" sold more than a million copies, and received a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
awarded by the R.I.A.A.
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in November 1970.
The hits he recorded and produced earned him The National Association of Television and Radio Announcers Producer of the Year Award in 1970, against competition from other esteemed nominees including Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Norman Whitfield
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
. He also appeared with The Impressions and Curtis Mayfield on the live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Curtis in Chicago
Curtis in Chicago
Curtis in Chicago is a 1973 live album by Curtis Mayfield and others. Mayfield is joined by The Impressions, Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler and others in a review of Mayfield's then-fifteen years as a recording artist.- Track listing :...
(1973). Chandler appeared on Arthur Louis
Arthur Louis
Arthur Louis is of British nationality. His surname is pronounced as luːɪs in British and American English and he is known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. In his late teens he attended Michigan State University where he joined and toured extensivly withTerminal Stations...
's album Knocking on Heaven's Door (1974) alongside Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
. Later he had success with disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music, creating hits such as "Get Down" (1978), "When You're #1", "Does She Have A Friend?" and "Rainbow '80". During this time he was also the Executive Vice President of Chi Sound Records
Chi Sound Records
Chi-Sound Records is an independent record label set up in 1976 by established Chicago record producer Carl Davis. He had been involved in the music industry since the early 1960s working with locally-based labels including Vee-Jay and Okeh, a subsidiary of the major Columbia Records. He produced...
and worked with reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
star Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash
John Lester "Johnny" Nash, Jr. is an American pop singer-songwriter, best known in the US for his 1972 hit, "I Can See Clearly Now". He was also the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.-Life and career:...
. In the late 1970s an interest in older musicians inspired US DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Wolfman Jack
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith, known commonly as Wolfman Jack was a gravelly voiced US disc jockey who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early career:...
put together a tour including vintage acts featuring Chandler.
"Duke of Earl" was sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
by Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
, on the song "Hand on the Pump" from their album Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill (album)
Steve Huey of Allmusic calls Cypress Hill's debut "a sonic blueprint that would become one of the most widely copied in hip-hop."In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums...
(1991) and also Chandler's song "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" for their album Black Sunday
Black Sunday (album)
Black Sunday is the second album by rap group Cypress Hill. It was released on July 20, 1993. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 selling 261,000 copies in its first week, recording the highest Soundscan for a rap group at the time. The album went Triple platinum in the U.S...
(1993). In Argentina, Cris Morena was the host of a popular teenage programe 'Jugate Conmigo' the song was included on the main intro on the fiction novel, inside the program called: "Life College" (1994). In 1997 Chandler was inducted as a Pioneer Award honoree into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
Rhythm and Blues Foundation
The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
.Chandler's "Tomorrow I May Not Feel the Same" was sampled by Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. They released their first album, Train of Thought, in 2000...
on the song "Ghetto Afterlife" from Train of Thought
Train of Thought (Reflection Eternal album)
Train of Thought is the debut album of American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal, released October 17, 2000 on Rawkus Records. Collaborating as a duo, rapper Talib Kweli and DJ and hip hop producer Hi-Tek recorded the album during 1999 to 2000, following their individual musical work that gained...
(2000).
In 1988 "Duke of Earl" was included on the soundtrack of Hairspray."Groovy Situation" appeared on Anchorman: Music from the Motion Picture
Anchorman: Music from the Motion Picture
Anchorman: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. The album is a compilation of the songs used in the film, with Will Ferrell in character as Ron Burgundy giving a brief introduction to each song .-Track listing:# "A Life, a...
(2004). In the same year "Duke Of Earl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame. Groovemaster K. & 88 Keys sampled Chandler's "When You're #1" for their song "Frisco Disco".
Chandler still performs in Chicago, Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
and elsewhere in the US.
External links
- Gene Chandler on the Future Rock Legends website
- Gene Chandler interview
- Gene Chandler fan page
- Rainbow 65 (live on stage) - Gene Chandler - YouTube
- Duke Of Earl vintage 1962 video- YouTube
- Nothing Can Stop Me - Gene Chandler (1965) YouTube video
- There Was A Time (live in England- early 1990s)-by Gene Chandler - YouTube video
- Duke Of Earl -by Gene Chandler (live-early 2000s)
- Gene Chandler - A history on the Soulwalking U.K. website