In the 1950s, Gene Chandler was using his real name, Eugene Dixon, and was a member of the musical group The Gaytones. He left them to join another group called the Dukays in his native Chicago.
In 1960, Chandler and the Dukays reunited after he had done a stint in the U.S. Army. He and the members of the Dukays recorded the song "The Girl Is A Devil" on Nat Records. Producers Carl Davis and Bill "Bunky" Sheppard were so impressed by the Dukays, they had them record four more songs in August 1961. One of the songs was "Nite Owl," which did OK as a regional R&B hit. But there was another song they shopped around.
It was a soulful, playful tune called "Duke Of Earl." Davis and Sheppard shopped the song around to other record labels until Vee-Jay Records liked it enough to take it on. One thing, though – they did not want the song to be a record by "The Dukays." They wanted it to be a solo record for Dixon, who co-wrote the song with Bernice Williams and Earl Edwards. Taking the surname of an actor named Jeff Chandler, "Duke Of Earl," a song born out of a "warm-up, doo-wop" session with other members of the Dukays, was released and hit No. 1 for the man known as Gene Chandler.
It's a song – and name for that matter – that is synonymous with Chandler since 1962 when the song hit the top. And after hitting No. 1, he would have four more Top 40 hits as a solo performer, the last being "Nothing Can Stop Me" in June 1965, peaking at No. 18.
But that was it for Chandler. No more hits as the 1960s slowly faded away. Nine songs hit the Billboard Hot 100 and none of them found the Top 40. And though Chandler had some success on the R&B chart, he decided to give his vocal chords a rest and work as a producer in the late 1960s.
In late 1969, Chandler earned his first huge success as a producer, working the board behind the Mel & Tim smash Top 10 hit "Backfield In Motion." But there was another song that the duo did that Chandler was impressed with. That song was called "Groovy Situation."
Suddenly, Chandler had an urge to put his stamp of approval on the song. It was written by Russell Lewis and Herman Davis and Chandler moved into the recording duo to record the song. Two things are noted about "Groovy Situation." The first was the backdrop melody of "a-tisket, a-tasket" at the beginning of the song and then near the end. The second was the muted trumpets that gave it a stifled sound, almost like a French horn.
Chandler hit the song out of the park. And on the week of August 8, 1970, "Groovy Situation" leaped 22 notches to land in the Top 40 at No. 40, the first Top 40 hit for him in five years. The song had a slow takeoff, though – it moved up from No. 40 to No. 36 to No. 34. Then on the week of August 29, it jumped nine places to No. 25. But it slowed up again, making a one-point move to No. 24.
That, though, was a temporary "setback" as "Groovy Situation" was becoming more and more groovy each week. It was in the Top 20 at No. 20 the week of September 12. Then it got to No. 17 and then No. 12, two steps from the doorstep of the Top 10, a place he had not been since "Duke Of Earl." Unfortunately, "Groovy Situation" wasn't so groovy anymore as it held at No. 12 the week of October 3, 1970. The next week, it dropped back to No. 24 and began its descent down the chart.
Though a setback, Chandler's work was praised: He won the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers Producer of the Year because of that song and "Backfield In Motion," beating the likes of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and Norman Whitfield.
Still, nothing "groovy" came after "Groovy Situation" for Chandler. He would have only four Hot 100 singles the rest of his career, none any higher than the 1978 release "Get Down," which peaked at No. 53 and would prove to be his last Top 10 R&B hit, peaking at No. 3, the last of eight Top 10 hits on that chart.
Then in 2004, "Groovy Situation" found a new home – in the movie and on the soundtrack of the Will Ferrell comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
And every now and then, Chandler, born July 6, 1937, goes out touring and always gives the fans a kick when he dresses up in a crown like a king as he performs "Duke Of Earl" and "Groovy Situation" among his songs.
For Chandler, it's been a worthwhile 60-year career that he has never taken for granted, from the time he was with the Gaytones to the time with the Dukays and then solo. He's also been placed in the Grammy Awards Hall of Fame.
In other words, his situation for a long time has been "groovy."
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