Gene & Eddie

Gene & Eddie were an R&B vocal duo from Silver Spring, Maryland who fell short of nationwide fame, but enjoyed regional success in the mid-'60s and later developed a following among collectors of classic soul rarities. Gene & Eddie were Eugene Alton Dorsett and Eddie Best, Jr., a pair of journeyman singers who had been working in Maryland and Washington D.C. when they crossed paths with <a href="spotify:artist:66FLgeWLMt38yiag6hrnC5">the Nightcaps</a>, an R&B-influenced show band led by guitarists Jeff Rubin and Norman Rich. <a href="spotify:artist:66FLgeWLMt38yiag6hrnC5">The Nightcaps</a> had recently parted company with their lead singer, and the pair were recruited to front the combo. Gene & Eddie were African-American, and <a href="spotify:artist:66FLgeWLMt38yiag6hrnC5">the Nightcaps</a> were white, and at a time when integration and civil rights were on the minds of many young people, the group's racial mix made them popular in progressive circles, and earned them a gig at a party at the White House. At the same time, Gene & Eddie's vocal skills gave <a href="spotify:artist:66FLgeWLMt38yiag6hrnC5">the Nightcaps</a>' greater strength and credibility, and they were soon doing a steady business at teen clubs and private functions. Best was a songwriter as well as a singer, and in 1965, he and Dorsett went into the studio with <a href="spotify:artist:66FLgeWLMt38yiag6hrnC5">the Nightcaps</a> to record a single for Best's Tonjo Records label. Their recording of "It's So Hard," written by Gene & Eddie, attracted little notice, but in 1967, the duo took another stab at hitmaking with the help of <a href="spotify:artist:0OEN0UvNjRYtNwOJUPtDY5">Joe Quarterman</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:0OEN0UvNjRYtNwOJUPtDY5">Quarterman</a> was a Baltimore-based songwriter, producer, and arranger who also performed under the name <a href="spotify:artist:0OEN0UvNjRYtNwOJUPtDY5">Sir Joe</a> and ran the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ru-Jac+Records%22">Ru-Jac Records</a> label. In 1967, the same year Gene & Eddie cut ties with <a href="spotify:artist:66FLgeWLMt38yiag6hrnC5">the Nightcaps</a>, they released their first single for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ru-Jac%22">Ru-Jac</a>, "I Would Cry" b/w "I'll Tell You." Between 1967 and 1971, Gene & Eddie released several singles through <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ru-Jac%22">Ru-Jac</a>, including a new version of "It's So Hard" that became a local hit, but despite <a href="spotify:artist:0OEN0UvNjRYtNwOJUPtDY5">Quarterman</a>'s promotional efforts and the quality of the material, the duo never came close to breaking out nationally, and after 1971's "Darling I Love You" b/w "Why Do You Hurt Me," the pair broke up. Best worked with other artists as a producer and vocalist, while Dorsett went on to a career in electronics. In 2016, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Omnivore+Recordings%22">Omnivore Recordings</a> released True Enough: Gene & Eddie with Sir Joe at Ru-Jac, a collection of their <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ru-Jac%22">Ru-Jac</a> sides, as well as several tracks sung by <a href="spotify:artist:0OEN0UvNjRYtNwOJUPtDY5">Sir Joe</a>. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi