Heaven & Earth

Originally known as the Soul Majestics, the vocal quartet featured brothers Dwight Dukes handling falsetto and lead tenor alongside James Dukes on bass, with Keith Steward as tenor and Michael Brown in the baritone position. Clarence Johnson produced their work, resulting in four albums issued as Heaven & Earth—one on General Entertainment Corporation (GEC), three on Mercury (Phonogram), and one on WMOT. Michael Brown appeared on the initial release before leaving in 1978, after which Dean Williams joined. Dean Williams performed on the second album and then departed, with Greg Rose taking his place. The ensemble struggled to keep a compatible baritone, whose contribution remained essential to their sound. Dwight Dukes exited in 1982 to form the trio Cashmere with McKinley Horton and Daryl Burgee for releases on Philly World Records. Later that year Keith Steward joined the trio, and Heaven & Earth soon disbanded. Although the Chicago-based quartet never impacted the charts substantially, their recordings maintained strong quality, especially the material written and produced by Rodney G. Massey and Lawrence Hanks. Vintage R&B listeners will find Heaven & Earth essential.