Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1974 by brothers Dwight and James Dukes, Heaven and Earth was a vocal quartet that released four albums between 1976 and 1981 but were never fully appreciated until years after their breakup in 1982. Originally members of high school vocal group Soul Majestics, the first line-up of Heaven and Earth was comprised of Dwight Dukes (falsetto), James Dukes (bass), Michael Brown (tenor), and Keith Steward (tenor). The group caught the attention of promoter Lil Schneider and producer Clarence Johnson. They soon signed to the G.E.C. label, which Johnson ran with his partner Lucky Cordell. Their debut album, I Can’t Seem to Forget You, in 1976. The following year, Clarence Johnson sacked Michael Brown and replaced him with Dean Williams, who had sung with the other group members during their early days as the Soul Majestics. In 1978, the group signed to Mercury Records and released their second album, Heaven and Earth. Due to frictions within the band, Dean Williams departed and was replaced by Greg Rose. The group recorded one more album for Mercury – Fantasy (1979) – before leaving the label. After one more album, That’s Love (1981), Dwight Dukes left the group, followed by Keith Steward a short time later. Heaven and Earth officially called it quits in 1982.
