Major Lance (April 4, 1942 - Sptember 3, 1994)

Major Lance was one of the leading figures of Chicago soul during the 60s and the top-selling artist for OKeh Records during the decade. During the height of his success the majority of his songs were written by Curtis Mayfield and produced by Carl Davis and the pair developed a smooth, Latin-flavored sound that was punctuated by brass and layered with vocal harmonies, usually from the Impressions. It was urban, uptown soul and while it was considerably less gritty than its Southern counterpart, its breezy rhythms and joyous melodies made songs like "The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" some of the most popular good-time R&B of its era. Major Lance's career declined significantly after he parted ways with Mayfield and Davis in the late 60s, but his classic OKeh recordings remain some of the best-loved soul music of the decade. Born in Winterville, Mississippi, in 1942, Major Lance moved to Chicago as a child. While studying at Wells High School -- where Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler also attended -- Lance began boxing but his attention soon turned to music and he formed the Floats with Otis Leavill. Although the Floats never released any records, his dancing earned him a spot on a local American Bandstand-styled program hosted by disc jockey Jim Lounsbury. The DJ helped Lance secure a one-shot single for Mercury Records in 1959, and the singer recorded "I Got a Girl", which was written and produced by Mayfield. The single disappeared and Lance spent the next three years working odd jobs. In 1962, Lance was signed to OKeh Records, based on his connections with Otis Leavill and, especially, Curtis Mayfield, who signed with the Impressions to ABC Records and had hits with his own group. Later that year, Lance recorded his first single, "Delilah", for the label. Like most of the Major's material, the song was written by Mayfield who, along with OKeh president Carl Davis and arranger Johnny Pate, developed a distinctive, Latin-tinged sound for the record, filled with sliding trombones and a light-stepping rhythms in order to distinguish Chicago soul from its counterparts in the South, New York, Detroit, and California. Though "Delilah" wasn't a hit, Lance's second single, "The Monkey Time," was a monster. Released in the summer of 1963, "The Monkey Time" reached #2 on the R&B charts and #8 on the pop charts, establishing not only Lance as a singer but the revitalized OKeh Records as a pop music force. "Hey Little Girl" was a Top 15 pop and R&B hit later that year, followed by the #5 "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um", early in 1964. This proved to be the height of Lance's popularity. Over the next year-and-a-half, he continued to turn out a series of singles but only a handful were minor pop hits. In 1978, Lance hit rock bottom when he was convicted of selling cocaine. He spent the next four years in prison. Upon his release, he began playing the beach music circuit on the Carolina coast but a 1987 heart attack prevented him from launching a full-scale comeback. In 1994, Lance gave a final, triumphant performance at the Chicago Blues Festival, which turned out to be his last. He died of heart failure on September 3, 1994 at the age of 52.