Eugene Dixon was born in Chicago. In 1957, he became a member of the R&B group, The Du-kays. Their first release was climbing the charts when a rep from Veejay Records decided Eugene should be a solo act.  He changed his name to Gene Chandler, taking Chandler from actor Jeff Chandler because it “sounded romantic”.  He’ll explain how he became The Duke. And Duke Of Earl  became a hit, knocking The Twist  out of the #1 spot on the charts. Over the years, Gene has added the titles of record producer, arranger and label president to his resume. He is a double inductee in The Rhythm And Blues Hall Of Fame.  Gene is still performing because – like he says – nothing can stop The Duke Of Earl.