“Duke Of Earl" was borne out of a vocal exercise. To warm up their pipes, the Chicago vocal group The Dukays would sing "ah ah ah" and "du du du" in shifting pitch. At one rehearsal, their "du du du"s sounded really good together, so they decided to develop it into a song. They needed their hook to form a real word, so "du" became "Duke." The baritone singer in the group was Earl Edwards, so "Duke" became "Duke Of Earl."
Eugene Dixon, their lead vocalist, put together some lyrics so sing while the rest of the group harmonized. The verses find him telling a girl that nothing can stop him, and she'll be safe as long as she has the Duke Of Earl by her side. Someday, she'll be his Duchess and they'll walk through his Dukedom paradise.
You can get away with "Dukedom" when the harmony vocals are so catchy!
Robert Earl Jones (February 3, 1910 – September 7, 2006),[1] sometimes credited as Earl Jones, was an American actor and professional boxer. One of the first prominent Black film stars, Jones was a living link with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. He was the father of legendary actor James Earl Jones.