The Chicago soul scene in the 60's was ruled benignly by Curtis Mayfield. He wrote and produced many of the city's biggest hits. One artist who operated within his sphere of influence was Gene Chandler. Beginning his career with the Du-Kays, Chandler released the group's "Duke Of Earl" as a solo recording on Vee Jay Records. The tongue-in-cheek doo wop song went to #1 in 1962. Chandler quickly moved beyond doo wop, spending most of his career as a journeyman soul singer and scoring a number modest hits for a number of labels (including Vee Jay, Brunswick, and Mercury). Many of his early hits (most notably "Rainbow" and "Just Be True") were written for Chandler by Curtis Mayfield, but his biggest post-Duke hit - just missing the Top 10 - came later with "Groovy Situation" (1970).

Nothing Can Stop Me: Gene Chandler's Greatest Hits (Varese, 1994) collected nearly all of Chandler's singles, running from "Duke Of Earl" through "Does She Have A Friend For Me," recorded for tiny Chi-town Records in 1980. It's the the only CD to accomplish that task, and it has been long deleted and is exceedingly rare. Collectors are left to rummage through a plethora of label-specific compilations, including The Duke Of Earl: The Best Of Gene Chandler (Vee Jay); The Duke Of Soul: The Brunswick Years; and Get Down With The Get Down (Chi-Town). "Groovy Situation" appears on none of those; pick it up on Rhino's strongly recommended series, Soul Hits Of The 70's.