My Father in Lites by Bryan A. Record Sr.

This is a biography on Grammy Award winning songwriter, Eugene Record. He was also founding member, lead singer, songwriter, and producer for The Hollywood Walk of Fame Original Chi-Lites. He has produced countless others including, Jackie Wilson, Gene “The Duke of Earl” Chandler, The Staples, The Dells and more. Icons have performed his music like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kanye West, MC Hammer & Smokey Robinson. Now his story is finally being told. This book starts with the humble beginnings of Eugene's ancestors and draws the audience to the beginning of his grandfather who inspired Eugene to play guitar – the instrument he later used to write his most famous songs. It also shows how Eugene’s parents raised him in a Christian environment which included his oldest sister, an accomplished pianist, who helped Eugene with his natural tone, and his big sister, the schoolteacher, who supported him academically. It introduces the reader to the people who inspired some of his most popular songs such as "Have You Seen Her" and "Oh Girl." This book vividly explains how Eugene went through financial hardships going from one job to the next trying to care for a growing family, and how the disappearance of his first wife set off a rage of hits from Eugene’s heart that would change their life forever. Once he overcame this struggle, he found himself faced with the challenges of juggling fatherhood and the demands of a successful music career. It shares with its readers the heart-wrenching details of Eugene's high school sweetheart relationship, his romance with his writing partner, and how he met and fell in love with his second wife. Simultaneously, it gives firsthand knowledge on what it was like having to share your dear father with the world of music entertainment from a son's point of view. Living a lavish lifestyle as a child growing up with a famous father and having the opportunity to hang out with the stars, but at the same time missing your parent and not having anyone to fill that void quite like he would. Expressing how those precious moments when Eugene was able to spend time with his children in between shows and tours was something special and remarkable. The book spotlights various musicians and arrangers that were involved in creating some of his most memorable songs. Eugene’s catalog consists of over 300 songs and if you were to hear some of them, you would probably not realize that Eugene had written them. For example, like the song, “Soulful Strut,” which is one of the first songs Eugene created for Brunswick for the group, Young-Holt Unlimited in 1968. With the success of this song, it opened many doors for Eugene. The song has now become a live band standard for practically all musicians. When “Soulful Strut” was released, Eugene also with co-writer, Barbara Acklin, created Acklin’s first hit single, Love Makes a Woman, which Eugene himself sang the background.  These two acts established Eugene as a successful songwriter which was his passion.  It also covers the physical abuse of the artists, the fall of Brunswick, and the tax evasion from the IRS that put Eugene and his family in financial turmoil and his only choice being to leave the company and find new grounds. He managed to do just that with Warner Brothers. With short-lived success as a solo artist with Warner Bros., he found himself back with the Chi-Lites and a new label, Chi-Sound Records which released the hit single, “Hot On A Thing.” It gained some notoriety, but the Chi-Sound label would never fill the shoes of the Brunswick era. The Chi-Lites recorded an album, “Bottoms Up” with LARC Records. Later, Eugene would record his final album, “Steppin’ Out,” with the Chi-Lites on the Private I label. In 1988, Eugene broke ties with his longtime group, the Chi-Lites, and would then pursue a gospel career. He was inspired to travel abroad writing his gospel album, “Let Him In.” His songs continue to be remade and sampled which extends Eugene’s legacy of music.