Major Lance
Major Lance | |
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) | |
Major Lance (April 4, 1939,
Early life
There has been some dispute over Major Lance's birth year; some sources claimed he was born in 1941.[4][5][8] or in 1942 (as Lance claimed).[6][7] However, 1939 appears to be the correct year of his birth. In the 1940 U.S. Census, "Mager" Lance is listed in Washington County, Mississippi, as the one-year-old son of Lucendy Lance, a widow.[3] Lance's gravestone also confirms he was born in 1939.[9] 'Major' was his given name, not a nickname or stage name.[10]
Lance, who was one of 12 children,
Lance was also a baseball player.[11] Lance and Otis both did boxing, and also singing as members of the Five Gospel Harmonaires.[17][18][19] The two of them also worked together at a drug store.[13]
Career
Beginnings
Lance and Otis Leavill formed a group named the Floats in the mid-1950s but broke up before recording any material. Lance became a featured dancer on a local television show, Time for Teens,[20] and presenter Jim Lounsbury gave him a one-off record deal with Mercury Records. Mercury released his single "I Got a Girl", written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, in 1959; it was not successful. Lance worked at various jobs over the next few years.[17]
Okeh Records
In 1962 he signed with
The second Okeh single, "The Monkey Time" (also written by Curtis Mayfield), was Major Lance's first hit,[21] became a No. 2 Billboard R&B chart and No. 8 pop hit in 1963. "The Monkey Time" became Okeh's first hit single in 10 years.[22] "That was my introduction with working with Carl Davis," Pate said. "We had a ball, making some very great music."[23]
A succession of hits followed quickly, including "Hey Little Girl", "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (his biggest hit, reaching No. 5 in the US pop chart and No. 40 in the UK, where it was his only chart success), "The Matador" (the only one not written by Mayfield), "Rhythm", "Sometimes I Wonder", "Come See", and "Ain't It a Shame".[24][25]
In 1965 Pate left Okeh, and Mayfield began to concentrate on working with his own group. Lance and Davis continued to work together; "Too Hot to Hold" was a minor hit, but they had diminishing success before Davis in turn left the company.[17]
Touring in the United Kingdom
During the 1960s, Lance toured the UK, where he was supported by Bluesology, a band including pianist Reggie Dwight, later known as Elton John.[10][26]
Over the next two years he worked with several producers, with only "Without a Doubt" becoming a minor hit in 1968. Soon afterwards Lance left Okeh and moved to Dakar Records, where he had the Top 40 R&B hit "Follow the Leader." He then moved to Mayfield's
In 1972, he relocated to England so as to capitalize on the success of his older records among fans of
Later career
Lance returned to
Personal life
Major Lance was married to Christine (née Boular) Lance. He fathered nine (9) children by different women.[29]
Lance died in 1994 in his sleep
His daughter (with Sylvia Robinson—not the singer/songwriter and co-founder of All Platinum Records and Sugar Hill Records), Keisha Lance Bottoms, was the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia from 2018 to 2022.
Other
He was arrested twice in his lifetime. In 1965, he was arrested in violation of the Paternity Act. A Chicago woman, Para Lee Thomas, claimed she had a son by Lance, Ronnie Maurice Lance, born [31]
January 13, 1964 . She asserted that Lance had promised to pay her doctor and hospital bills of around $375 but had defaulted on these payments. Judge Benjamin J. Kanter issued a warrant for Lance's arrest, setting Lance's bond at $1,000.After recording briefly for the Motown subsidiary label Soul, he was convicted of cocaine possession in 1978 and served a four-year prison term.[17][32]
In 1987, Lance had a
Other media
On February 28, 1995, shortly after Lance's death,
Discography
Albums
- The Monkey Time (Okeh, 1963)[19]
- Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um (Okeh, 1964)[19]
- Major's Greatest Hits (Okeh, 1965)
- The Rhythm of Major Lance (Okeh, 1968)[19]
- Major Lance's Greatest Hits Recorded Live at the Torch (Contempo, 1973)[19]
- Now Arriving (Soul, 1978)[19]
- The Major's Back (1983)[19]
- Live at Hinkley (1986)[19]
- The Very Best of Major Lance (Epic/Legacy EK 62243, 2000)
- Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um (Collectables 2003)[19]
Singles
Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Label & Cat. No. |
Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US R&B [34] |
US [34] |
UK
[25] | ||||
1959 | "I've Got a Girl" b/w "Phyllis" |
Mercury 71582 | —
|
—
|
—
|
Non-album tracks |
1962 | "Delilah" b/w "Everytime" (Non-album track) |
Okeh 7168 | —
|
—
|
—
|
The Monkey Time |
1963 | "The Monkey Time" b/w "Mama Didn't Know" |
Okeh 7175 | 2
|
8
|
—
| |
"Hey Little Girl" b/w "Crying In The Rain" (Non-album track) |
Okeh 7181 | 12
|
13
|
—
|
Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um - The Best of Major Lance | |
1964 | "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" b/w "Sweet Music" (from Major's Greatest Hits) |
Okeh 7187 | 1[A]
|
5
|
40
| |
"The Matador" b/w "Gonna Get Married" (Non-album track) |
Okeh 7191 | 4[A]
|
20
|
—
|
Major's Greatest Hits | |
"Girls" / | Okeh 7197 | 25[A]
|
68
|
—
| ||
"It Ain't No Use" | 33[A]
|
68
|
—
| |||
"Think Nothing About It" b/w "It's Alright" Release planned, but never pressed or issued. |
Okeh 7200 | —
|
—
|
—
|
Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um - The Best of Major Lance | |
"Rhythm" b/w "Please Don't Say No More" (Non-album track) |
Okeh 7203 | 3[A]
|
24
|
—
|
Major's Greatest Hits | |
1965 | "Sometimes I Wonder" b/w "I'm So Lost" (Non-album track) |
Okeh 7209 | 13
|
64
|
—
| |
"Come See" b/w "You Belong to Me My Love" (Non-album track) |
Okeh 7216 | 20
|
40
|
—
| ||
"Ain't It a Shame" b/w "Gotta Get Away" |
Okeh 7223 | 20
|
91
|
—
| ||
"Too Hot to Hold" b/w "Dark and Lonely" |
Okeh 7226 | 32
|
93
|
—
|
Non-album tracks | |
"Everybody Loves a Good Time" b/w "I Just Can't Help It" |
Okeh 7233 | —
|
109
|
—
| ||
1966 | "Investigate" b/w "Little Young Lover" |
Okeh 7250 | —
|
132
|
—
| |
"It's the Beat" b/w "You'll Want Me Back" (from Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um - The Best Of Major Lance) |
Okeh 7255 | 37
|
128
|
—
| ||
1967 | "Ain't No Soul (In These Old Shoes)" b/w "I" |
Okeh 7266 | —
|
—
|
—
| |
"You Don't Want Me No More" b/w "Wait Till I Get You in My Arms" |
Okeh 7284 | —
|
—
|
—
| ||
1968 | "Without a Doubt" b/w "Forever" |
Okeh 7298 | 49
|
—
|
—
| |
"Do the Tighten Up" b/w "I Have No One" |
Dakar 1450 | —
|
—
|
—
| ||
1969 | "Follow the Leader" b/w "Since You've Been Gone" |
Dakar 608 | 28
|
125
|
—
| |
"Sweeter as the Days Go By" b/w "Shadows of a Memory" |
Dakar 612 | —
|
—
|
—
| ||
1970 | "Stay Away from Me (I Love You Too Much)" b/w "Gypsy Woman" |
Curtom 1953 | 13
|
67
|
—
| |
"Must Be Love Coming Down" b/w "Little Young Lover" |
Curtom 1956 | 31
|
119
|
—
| ||
1971 | "Girl Come On Home" b/w "Since I Lost My Baby's Love" |
Volt 4069 | —
|
—
|
—
| |
"I Wanna Make Up (Before We Break Up)" b/w "That's the Story of My Life" |
Volt 4079 | —
|
—
|
—
| ||
1972 | "Ain't No Sweat" b/w "Since I Lost My Baby's Love" |
Volt 4085 | —
|
—
|
—
| |
1974 | "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (New version) b/w "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" |
Playboy 6017 | 59
|
—
|
—
| |
1975 | "Sweeter as the Days Go By" (New version) b/w "Wild and Free" |
Playboy 6020 | 58
|
—
|
—
| |
"You're Everything I Need" b/w "You're Everything I Need" (Instrumental) |
Osiris 001 | 50
|
—
|
—
| ||
"I've Got a Right to Cry" b/w "You Keep Me Coming to You" |
Osiris 002 | —
|
—
|
—
| ||
1977 | "Come On, Have Yourself a Good Time" b/w "Come What May" |
Columbia 10488 | —
|
—
|
—
| |
1978 | "I Never Thought I'd Be Losing You" b/w "Chicago Disco" |
Soul 35123 | —
|
—
|
—
|
Now Arriving |
1982 | "I Wanna Go Home" b/w "I Wanna Go Home" (Instrumental) |
Kat Family 3024 | —
|
—
|
—
|
The Major's Back |
"Are You Leaving Me" b/w "I Wanna Go Home" |
Kat Family 4182 | —
|
—
|
—
| ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Notes
See also
- Guests on Soul Train
- Keisha Lance Bottoms (Daughter, Mayor of Atlanta)
- List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand
- List of disco artists (L-R)
- List of soul musicians
References
- ^ a b "Major Lance profile". Oldies.com. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Major Lance, 55, Soul Singer in 60s". The New York Times. September 5, 1994. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ a b "Sixteenth Census of the United States (1940)[database on-line], Beat 3, Washington County, Mississippi, Enumeration District: 76-25, Sheet: 10B, Line: 67, household of Lucendy Lance". United States: The Generations Network. May 7, 1940. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
- ^ a b "Major Lance". tsimon.com. 2005. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
- ^ a b Soul music A-Z 1995 p. 185
- ^ a b The golden age of American rock 'n roll: Volume 3; 2002 p. 556
- ^ ISBN 9780816069804.
- ISBN 9780634066931.
- ^ "Major Lance's Gravestone". Find a Grave. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Biography at The Northern Soul Nightshift". home.iprimus.com.au. Archived from the original on January 9, 2006. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Billboard. August 10, 1963. p. 16
- ISBN 9780857121172.
- ^ a b c d Jack Kirby, Michael. "Major Lance". Way Back Attack. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ISBN 978-0252062599.
- ^ Contemporary Black, Volume 43, p. 136
- ^ Williams, Richard (September 13, 1994). "Obituary: Major Lance". The Independent. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Major Lance: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
- ^ Hamilton, Andrew. "Biography of Otis Leavill Cobb". AllMusic. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Major Lance Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ISBN 9780252065064.
- ^ "New York Beat". Jet Magazine. Vol. 24, no. 20. Johnson Publishing Company. September 1963. p. 65.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music. Random House Digital, Inc. p. 173.
"The Monkey Time" not only became Okeh's hit in 10 years
- ISBN 9780983131724.
- ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-429-1.
- ^ Buckley, David (2007). Elton: The Biography. p. 47.
- ^ "Soul Brothers Top 20". Jet Magazine. Vol. 38, no. 26. Johnson Publishing Company. October 1970. p. 65.
- ^ Billboard. September 7, 1974. p. 18
- ^ "Major Lance: "Monkey Time" singer". Seattle Times. September 4, 1994.
- ^ a b "Major Lance". Soulful Kinda Music. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ^ "Issue Warrant For Major Lance In Paternity Case". Jet Magazine. Vol. 28, no. 23. Johnson Publishing Company. September 1965. p. 59.
- ^ The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, vol 3, p. 2070.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Everyone Loves a Good Time: The Best of Major Lance". AllMusic. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- ^ a b "Major Lance - Charts and Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013.
External links
- Major Lance discography at Discogs
- Major Lance at IMDb
- Major Lance at Find a Grave