Chandler attended Englewood High School (later known as Englewood Technical Prep Academy) on Chicago's south side. He began performing in the early 1950s with The Gaytones. In 1957 he joined a doo-wop group called The Dukays with James Lowe, Shirley Jones, Earl Edwards and Ben Broyles, quickly becoming their lead singer. He was drafted by the U.S. Army to Germany for three years, returned to Chicago in 1960, and rejoined his bandmates. Through music industry contacts, the Dukays were offered a recording contract by the Chicago based Nat Records. The first single was titled "The Girl Is a Devil." In 1961, Nat Records released a song titled "Nite Owl", and the band went back to the recording studio to record once more.
The Duke is born
At the time, Nat Records wanted to release the new song "Duke of Earl", but was unable to. An executive with Vee-Jay Records, Calvin Carter, heard the song and wanted it for distribution as a song on his record label, but only as a Gene Chandler record. Vee-Jay were not interested in The Dukays.
Meanwhile, the previously recorded "Nite Owl" was on the charts, putting Chandler in a dilemma. He thus recorded with The Dukays under the name 'Gene Dixon' and recorded solo as 'Gene Chandler'.
When VeeJay was finally able to release "Duke of Earl", it sent it out as by Chandler, even though the Dukays had recorded it. The song sold a million copies in just over one month."The Duke" was born. Chandler can be seen in the full 'Duke' outfit singing "The Duke of Earl" in the 1962 movie, Don't Knock the Twist, starring Chubby Checker.
The Duke lives on
After spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Magazine charts, Chandler got a cape, a monocle, a top hat and a cane. He simply became "The Duke of Earl" and his concerts drew a large crowd. Occasionally he would come out for an encore, usually "Rainbow." "Rainbow" was one of Chandler's collaborations with Curtis Mayfield, and the only song Chandler has ever recorded three times. Each time the song has been re-recorded, it became a hit all over again.
Chandler left Vee Jay and recorded for Constellation Records and then for Chess and Brunswick Records. He wound up recording for Chess and Brunswick at the same time. This left the record labels with having to work out a compromise. It was decided that the companies would alternate Chandler's releases, a new one from Brunswick, followed by a release from Chess. In 1964, he had a Top 20 pop hit with the Curtis Mayfield produced "Just Be True"; another Top 20 pop hit in 1965 with "Nothing Can Stop Me", another Mayfield song, and hits throughout the 1960s with the songs "What Now", "A Man's Temptation", "Bless Our Love", and "You Can't Hurt Me No More". He also had success with his cover of James Brown's "There Was A Time" (taken from his 1968 Brunswick album of the same name); and "You Threw A Lucky Punch" - Chandler's answer song to the Mary Wells' Motown hit "You Beat Me To The Punch". Almost all of these songs were Top 5 R&B hits. To date, Chandler has had more than 30 chart hits. Throughout his career, he has maintained a close personal friendship with Mayfield, Butler, and the other members of The Impressions (Sam Gooden and Fred Cash), and they could be frequently heard as background singers on his recordings. In the late 1960s he also recorded a couple of reasonably successful duets with Barbara Acklin.
In 1970, Chandler teamed with Butler for the album Gene and Jerry: One on One on the Mercury label . He also guest starred with Mayfield, Butler and the group on the live album: Curtis in Chicago (1973).
After a number of years on the road, Chandler decided to become more involved with the business end of the music industry. He produced, wrote, arranged, and he had another major hit in 1970 on Mercury. "Groovy Situation", was a pop and R&B success (reaching #12 and #8 respectively), his second biggest hit after "Duke Of Earl". This disc sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the R.I.A.A. in November 1970.
The hits he recorded and produced earned him The National Association of Television and Radio Announcers 'Producer of the Year' award in 1970. It should be noted that Chandler was nominated with Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Norman Whitfield, who were successful producers at that time, working with The Temptations and the Philadelphia soul sound.
Chandler went on to have a number of disco era hits, including "Get Down," "When You're #1," "Does She Have A Friend?" and "Rainbow '80."[1] Most of these were more popular in the United Kingdom. At that time, he was also the Executive Vice President of Chi-Sound Records, and worked with reggae star, Johnny Nash.
Revival
In the late 1970s, even whilst he was placing hits on the disco chart, the nostalgia craze began. DJ Wolfman Jack put together a traveling show of "oldies" acts, and Chandler joined them in the travels around the country.
In 1997 Chandler was inducted as a Pioneer Award honoree into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
In 2002, his #1 hit recording of "Duke Of Earl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame.
He still performs in Chicago, Las Vegas and elsewhere around the U.S.
"Duke of Earl" was played in the 1988 film, Hairspray. It was also sampled by Cypress Hill, on the song "Hand on the Pump" on their 1991 album, Cypress Hill. Equally, Chandler's song "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" was also sampled by Cypress Hill, on the song "Legalize It" on their 1993 album, Black Sunday. "Groovy Situation" appeared on 2004's Anchorman: Music from the Motion Picture
Nite Owl
Gene Chandler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eleven o'clock, eleven-thirty
Curfew time
Nite owl strolling down the
Street about the break of day
Oh, nite owl, listen, boy
What you think your mama gonna say
Wait til you get in the door
Mama told you once before
Whoa, whoa, nite owl
Nite owl strolling with his
Keys swinging in his hand
Oh, owl, the nite owl strutting
Up the stairs like a natural man
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Boy, you must be out your mind
Ain't you heard of curfew time
Whoa, whoa, nite owl
Your daddy told you long ago
Not to come in late no more
Running over town just like a clown
But you think that he's a square
And you feel you've been everywhere
Wait til tomorrow, you'll sit down
Oh, nite owl strolling with
His dark glasses on his eyes
Oh, owl, nite owl, listen, boy
Don't you dare tell daddy no lie
Hey, hey, hey
I said that you were such a silly jerk
Your daddy ought to make you work
Whoa, whoa, nite owl
Your daddy told you long ago
Not to come in late no more
Running over town just like a clown
But you think that he's a square
And you feel you've been everywhere
Wait til tomorrow, you'll sit down
Oh, nite owl strolling with
His dark glasses on his eyes
Oh, owl, nite owl, listen, boy
Don't you dare tell daddy no lie
Hey, hey, hey
I said that you were such a silly jerk
Your daddy ought to make you work
Whoa, whoa, nite owl
Whoa, nite owl
You better come in, boy
It's getting late, i told you
Bout staying out all times of night
Hey, hey, hey
In Gene Chandler's song "Nite Owl," he paints a picture of a young man who likes to stroll around at night, breaking curfew, and not listening to his parents. The song speaks to the universal experience of adolescent rebellion, where the teenager wants to be independent and forge their own path, but at the same time, they want to avoid the consequences of their actions. The lyrics suggest that the Nite Owl is not heeding the advice of his mama and daddy, who have warned him about the dangers of staying out all night. Chandler captures the essence of the youth's angst, where they feel that they know everything and that their parents are out of touch with reality.
The song takes us through the experience of the Nite Owl's evening, where he starts his wandering at ten o'clock and continues well past curfew time. As he strolls, he wears dark glasses and swings his keys, showing off his independence and carefree attitude. However, as he enters the building, we can sense that his bravado is slipping away, and he fears what his parents will say once he gets home. We can feel the tension mount in the song, where the Owl's parents' voices become louder, and his anticipation and fear of punishment start to take over. However, in the end, he realizes that he has to listen to his parents and come in before it gets too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Ten o'clock, ten-thirty
The time is late in the evening, close to curfew time.
Eleven o'clock, eleven-thirty
The time is getting even closer to curfew time.
Curfew time
The time when one is expected to be home, as defined by their parents or guardians.
Nite owl strolling down the
Someone who is out late at night, leisurely walking down the street.
Street about the break of day
It is nearing dawn, and the person is still out and about.
Oh, nite owl, listen, boy
Addressing the person who is out late, potentially in a condescending manner.
What you think your mama gonna say
Questioning the person about how their parent will react to them being out so late.
Wait til you get in the door
Implying that the person is going to be in trouble when they return home.
Mama told you once before
The person has been warned about staying out too late previously.
Nite owl strolling with his
The person is walking with something in their hand.
Keys swinging in his hand
The person is carrying keys and they are swinging back and forth.
Oh, owl, the nite owl strutting
The person is walking with confidence and pride.
Up the stairs like a natural man
The person is walking up stairs with ease and confidence.
Boy, you must be out your mind
Suggesting that the person must be crazy to be out so late.
Ain't you heard of curfew time
Reminding the person of the established curfew time.
Your daddy told you long ago
The person has been warned about staying out too late by their father in the past.
Running over town just like a clown
The person has been going all over town and acting foolishly.
But you think that he's a square
The person believes their father is old-fashioned and out of touch with the times.
And you feel you've been everywhere
The person feels as though they have experienced and explored everything there is to do in the town.
Wait til tomorrow, you'll sit down
Implying that the person will be reprimanded or punished for their actions the next day.
His dark glasses on his eyes
The person is wearing sunglasses.
Don't you dare tell daddy no lie
Advising the person not to lie to their father about their whereabouts night.
I said that you were such a silly jerk
The singer is expressing frustration with the person's actions.
Your daddy ought to make you work
Suggesting that the person should face consequences for their behavior.
Whoa, nite owl
Reiterating the nickname given to the person who is out late at night.
You better come in, boy
Urging the person to go home.
It's getting late, i told you
Reminding the person that they have been out for too long.
Bout staying out all times of night
Expressing frustration with the person's habit of staying out late at night.
Contributed by Colin S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.