The Dukays were offered a recording contract by Nat Records and recorded a single, "The Girl Is a Devil" (1961), with producers
Carl Davis and
Bill "Bunky" Sheppard. This was followed by a session in August 1961 which resulted in four songs, including "Nite Owl" and "Duke of Earl". Nat Records released "Nite Owl", and it became an R&B success by the end of the year. Davis and Sheppard shopped "Duke of Earl" to
Vee-Jay Records, which released it in 1962 by Dixon (known as Gene Chandler). "Duke of Earl" sold one million copies in a little over a month, and was awarded a
gold disc by the
RIAA. After the song spent three weeks at
number one on the
Billboard charts, Chandler purchased a cape,
monocle, cane and top hat and advertised himself as the Duke of Earl. He appeared in costume singing "Duke of Earl" in ''
Don't Knock the Twist'', a 1962 film featuring
Chubby Checker. Chandler's concerts became popular, and he performed encoresusually "
Rainbow", a
Curtis Mayfield song. Chandler left Vee-Jay in the autumn of 1963 and recorded for
Constellation Records, another Chicago company. After Constellation went bankrupt in 1966, he was contracted to
Chess and then to
Brunswick Records; for a time, Chess and Brunswick alternated in releasing Chandler's recordings. He had Top-20 hits with Constellation with "Just Be True" (1964) and "Nothing Can Stop Me" (1965), both written by Curtis Mayfield and produced by Carl Davis. Other successes included "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 Theater), "Bless Our Love" and "You Can't Hurt Me No More." Chandler was also successful with his
cover version of
James Brown's "There Was a Time" and "You Threw a Lucky Punch", released as an
answer song to
Mary Wells'
Motown hit "
You Beat Me to the Punch". After several years performing concerts, Chandler decided to become more involved with music production. He formed a production company and two record labels: Bamboo and Mister Chand. Chandler produced a hit with "Groovy Situation", released on
Mercury Records in 1970, which reached number 12 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the
Billboard R&B charts: his second-greatest success, after "Duke of Earl". "Groovy Situation" sold more than a million copies and was certified gold by the RIAA in November of that year. Chandler had produced "Backfield in Motion" in 1969 for
Mel and Tim on Bamboo Records, which reached number three on the R&B chart and the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. He followed this in 1970 with "Good Guys Only Win in the Movies" for the duo; the song reached number 17 on the R&B chart and number 45 on the pop-music chart. Later that year, Chandler recorded the album
Gene and Jerry: One on One with fellow Chicago artist
Jerry Butler. He also was featured along with
the Impressions,
LeRoy Hutson and Curtis Mayfield on the live album
Curtis in Chicago (1973). Chandler sang on
Arthur Louis's album ''Knocking on Heaven's Door'' (1974), with
Eric Clapton. A period with
Curtom Records, a label co-founded by Mayfield, resulted in four self-produced singles; none charted. Chandler had some success with disco-style music during the late 1970s, making records with his former producer Carl Davis which included "Get Down", "When You're #1" and "Does She Have a Friend?" Appointed executive vice-president of Davis'
Chi-Sound Records, he worked with reggae singer
Johnny Nash. During the mid to late 1970s, a resurgence of interest in 1950s music and
pop culture inspired
disc jockey Wolfman Jack to organize a tour by vintage acts, including Chandler. "Duke of Earl" was
sampled by
Cypress Hill on "Hand on the Pump" from their album
Cypress Hill (1991), and Chandler's song "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" was sampled on their album
Black Sunday (1993). In 1997, he received a Pioneer Award from the
Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 1988, "Duke of Earl" was included on the soundtrack of
Hairspray; "Groovy Situation" appeared on
Anchorman: Music from the Motion Picture (2004). In 2002, "Duke of Earl" was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame. "Duke of Earl" was selected by the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of its "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". In 2016, Chandler was honored in his hometown of Chicago by having a street named after him for his industry accomplishments, hit records, and his civic and philanthropic efforts for the city and its people. His son, Defrantz Forrest, sings with the Motown group
The Originals. ==Discography==