Born in Decatur, Alabama in 1935, Earl got started in music singing demo recordings for Nashville songwriter Ted Jarrett. This led to a gig as singer, and sometimes drummer, with Louis Brooks and The Hi-Toppers in the mid 1950s. Their first effort was the Jarrett penned “It’s Love Baby (24 Hours A Day)” on Excello Records. The song was a smash hit in 1955, going to #2 on the R&B charts. Earl took this opportunity to go solo. He joined the “1955 R&B Caravan Of Stars” when it came through Nashville. The tour wound up at Carnegie Hall in New York with Joe Turner headlining. Earl recorded three more singles for Excello Records under his own name, but none were hits.

In 1957, Earl hooked back up with Ted Jarrett and recorded four singles for his Champion and Poncello labels between 1957 and 1961. Again, no hits were forthcoming, but Earl kept busy on the road, most notably as vocalist with Bill Doggett’s band. He also stayed busy as a session drummer. He played on the classic “Baby Let’s Play House” by Arthur Gunther and did sessions with Tom “ Shy Guy” Douglas, Christine Kittrell, The Skylarks and many Gospel sessions at Nashboro Records. He did a remake of “It’s Love Baby (24 Hours A Day)” for Excello in 1962 before entering into a management/production deal with Bill “Hoss” Allen in 1965. Together they recorded the classic “Best Of Luck To You” LP (wrongly credited to Earl Gains) in late 1965/early 1966. The album, featuring Johnny Jones & The Imperial Seven and Frank Howard & The Commanders, was released by HBR Records in 1966. The title tune was a hit (#28 R&B) and was a real boost to Earl’s career. The entire unit became the musical backbone of Allen’s syndicated television show "The !!! Beat". In addition to performing on the program, Earl also drove Mr. Allen to and from Dallas each week. HBR was a short-lived label and Hoss took Earl and several of his other artists to Hollywood/Deluxe Records in 1967. Earl recorded prolifically for the label through 1972. In 1973, Earl signed with Sound Stage 7 Records and had a few minor hits, including a cover of The Mighty Hannibal’s “Hymn Number 5”. He did one single for Johnny Vincent’s Ace label in 1975, and didn’t resurface until 1989 with the “House Party” LP on Meltone Records. It seems he had been working as a long haul truck driver during the lean years of the 1970s and 1980s. In the early 1990s he made a comeback in earnest, recording outstanding records throughout the decade for Appaloosa, Magnum, Black Top and Cannonball Records, both under his own name and as “The Excello Legends” with Roscoe Shelton. In recent years he has been recording again with Ted Jarrett, though nothing so far has been released.