Gene Chandler was born in Chicago in 1937. His real name was Eugene Drake Dixon. Whilst still at school, he formed the Gaytones, a Doo-Wop vocal harmony group, in 1955. Two years later, he joined his brother in the Dukays, and became lead singer, before his call-up to military service, which included a posting to Germany. In 1960, he resumed singing duties with the Dukays, who signed to Nat Records and cut their first single “The Girl Is a Devil” in 1961, with production duties shared by Carl Davis and Bill Sheppard. Later that same year the group recorded four more songs including “Nite Owl” and “Duke of Earl”. The first was released by Nat Records and reached number seventy-three on the Pop chart. The second was picked up by Vee-Jay and released in 1961, under the name of Gene Chandler.
Gene Chandler: The Duke of Earl
Photo: John Mathew Smith & www. Celebrity-photos.com (Wikimedia Commons)
“Duke of Earl” sold a million copies in just a few weeks, spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles Charts and gaining gold certification. It didn’t take long for Chandler to become the Duke. He created his new persona with a long cape, a top hat, a cane and a monocle, cementing the image in the eyes of the public by appearing in a 1962 film with Chubby Checker called Don’t Knock the Twist.
Four more Gene Chandler singles were released by Vee-Jay Records over the next two years, which entered the Pop charts, but failed to hit the heights of “Duke of Earl”. The best of the songs are “Rainbow”, written by Curtis Mayfield, and “Wonderful, Wonderful (Baby That’s Love)”, a bouncy Pop song produced by Johnny Pate.
There is a clear development of Chandler’s style from 1961 to 1963. The early material is very influenced by Doo-Wop, then the tempo slows, and the ballads become more romantic. Finally, there is a move to more up-tempo songs. All of the singles are aimed firmly at the Pop market. Vee-Jay put out an album in 1962, “Duke of Earl” (produced by Bill Sheppard), which contains all the early material, mixing Dukays’ tracks with Chandler’s solo songs. Several extended versions have been released, with all the later Vee-Jay songs added.
In the Autumn of 1963 Chandler moved from Vee-Jay to Constellation Records, to continue working with Bill Sheppard and Ewart Abner. He was only at Vee-Jay for two years, but the success of “Duke of Earl” strengthened Vee-Jay considerably and may have helped bring the Four Seasons and the Beatles to the label just a few years later.
