Gene Chandler was born Eugene Dixon on July 6, 1940 in Chicago, Ilinois. This great R&B singer took his last name from his favourite movie star, Jeff Chandler.In high school, he was a member of the Gaytones and later joined a neighbourhood group, The Dukays, in 1956. Upon his release from the U.S. Army after serving from 1957-60, he re-joined The Dukays. They recorded for a small independent label NAT Records, including songs Nite Owl, The Girl's A Devil and Duke Of Earl. Vee-Jay Records purchased the master recording of Duke Of Earl and re-released it on Vee-Jay crediting the artist as Gene Chandler. So an inadvertant way to start a solo career indeed!
Gene Chandler has had 25 charted records with four Top Twenty hits. This week on the Treasure Island Oldies radio show, Voice Your Choice spotlights Gene Chandler with two of his biggest hits: Duke Of Earl and Groovy Situation, both Gold records.
Have a preference for one of the songs? Come to Treasure Island Oldies and click on the Voice Your Choice button, make your selection and sit back and relax. We'll play the song with the most votes in Hour 3 of this week's show.
