There Was a Time – Gene Chandler
The first time I heard Gene Chandler, I didn’t know it was Gene Chandler. All I knew was that I loved track 40 on Bad Boy Bill’s Bangin’ the Box Vol.3 (CZR’s remix of “Chicago Southside” features a sample from Chandler’s disco track “When You’re #1”). You can imagine my surprise years later when I discovered that Gene Chandler was actually Gene “The Duke” Chandler, the guy who sang “Duke of Earl.”
As I dug deeper into the world of Gene Chandler, I realized just how far-reaching this guy’s musical legacy extended. If you want to understand the depth and range of Chicago Soul, Gene Chandler is a great starting point. His roots are in doo-wop, but he had a long and fruitful career as a funky soul singer. He also went on to make some amazing disco tracks that still hold up today. Above all else, though, Gene Chandler was a true showman, and that’s the vibe you get when you listen to “There Was a Time.”
Chandler started performing in the early 1950s. In 1957, he joined a doo-wop group called The Dukays. While with the DuKays, Chandler co-wrote a song with Bernice Williams and Earl Edwards that would end up being the biggest hit of his career – “Duke of Earl.” Vee-Jay records didn’t want to put the song out as a group record, so Chandler ended up recording the song as a solo artist in 1961. The smash hit gave Chandler his modern-day duke persona, and he changed his name to Gene “The Duke” Chandler in 1962. To this day, Chandler still performs with a cape, top hat and cane.
When Chandler left Vee-Jay Records in 1963, he began a long collaboration with Chicago soul legend Curtis Mayfield and producer Carl Davis. The team would go on to produce some sweet soul and R&B records for Constellation, Brunswick and Chess.
By 1970, Chandler was at Mercury putting out pop-friendly R&B jams like “Groovy Situation.” He would eventually team up with Carl Davis at Chi-Sound Records (where he became the executive vice-president in 1979) to produce timeless disco classics like “Get Down” and “When Your # 1.” These dance floor-filling thumpers proved to be very influential to early house music producers in Chicago.
“There Was a Time” was released on the Brunswick label in 1968. It’s a James Brown cover that attacks you with a hammer-fist of funk. If this bangin’ track doesn’t fire you up, you might as well give up now and reach for your Kenny Loggins collection. “There Was a Time” is an avalanche of bounce, horn stabs and dance moves. JB stands alone as the Godfather of Soul and the originator of Funk, but Chandler does this track some serious justice. If you ever wanted to know what hard, funky Chicago almost-house music sounded like 40 years ago, this is it.
And that’s the coolest thing about Chandler. He’s the Chicago link that ties doo-wop to soul to funk to disco to house music. With Chandler, you get to see the musical evolution of a city unfold over a period of decades.
Gene Chandler, aka The Duke, aka The Woman Handler, is still performing. If you have chance to catch this soul legend on stage, don’t miss it. He can still put on a great show.
Here's a link to download the track: There Was a Time - Gene Chandler