Major Lance facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Major Lance
Lance in 1965
Born	April 4 (year disputed, most likely 1939) Winterville, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	September 3, 1994 (aged between 52–55) Decatur, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1959–1994
Spouse(s)	Christine Boular
Children	9, including Keisha Lance Bottoms
Musical career
Genres	Soul, pop, R&B
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Mercury Okeh Dakar Curtom Volt Playboy Osiris Columbia Soul (Motown)

Major Lance (born April 4, 1939 – died September 3, 1994) was an American R&B singer. R&B stands for Rhythm and Blues, a popular music style. In the 1960s, he had many hit songs in the United States, like "The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um". Later, in the 1970s, he became very famous in Britain among fans of Northern Soul music. Northern Soul is a type of soul music that was popular in dance clubs in the UK. Even though he stopped recording new music in 1982, Major Lance kept performing live until he passed away in 1994. His daughter, Keisha Lance Bottoms, later became the 60th mayor of Atlanta.

Growing Up

There was some confusion about Major Lance's exact birth year. Some thought he was born in 1941 or 1942. However, records from the 1940 U.S. Census show he was born in 1939. His gravestone also confirms this year. His first name, 'Major', was his real name, not a stage name or a nickname.

Major Lance was one of 12 children. When he was young, his family moved to a tough neighborhood in Chicago called the Cabrini-Green projects. There, he became good friends with Otis Leavill. Both of them went to Wells High School. This was the same school that famous musicians Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler also attended. Curtis Mayfield once said that Major Lance was a "sparkly fellow" and a great basketball player. Mayfield also mentioned that Lance looked through his songs, often picking ones that Mayfield didn't want for his own group, the Impressions.

Major Lance was also a talented baseball player. Both he and Otis enjoyed boxing. They also sang together in a group called the Five Gospel Harmonaires. Besides music and sports, they both worked at a drug store.

Music Career

Starting Out in Music

In the mid-1950s, Major Lance and Otis Leavill formed a music group called the Floats. However, the group broke up before they could record any songs. Later, Major Lance became a dancer on a local TV show called Time for Teens. The show's host, Jim Lounsbury, helped him get a one-time record deal with Mercury Records. In 1959, Mercury released his first song, "I Got a Girl." This song was written and produced by Curtis Mayfield. Unfortunately, it wasn't a hit. For the next few years, Major Lance worked different jobs.

Success with Okeh Records

In 1962, Major Lance signed with Okeh Records. This happened because Curtis Mayfield recommended him. Major Lance often visited the Okeh offices, offering to help Carl Davis with errands. He also told Davis about his previous record and how he and Curtis Mayfield were childhood friends. His first song with Okeh, "Delilah," wasn't a hit. But it started his important partnership with the songwriting and arranging team of Mayfield, Carl Davis, and Johnny Pate. Members of Mayfield's group, the Impressions, often sang backing vocals. Together, they created a special sound with a Latin feel. This sound became a key part of Chicago soul music.

Major Lance's second song for Okeh, "The Monkey Time," became his first big hit in 1963. It was written by Curtis Mayfield. The song reached number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 8 on the pop chart. "The Monkey Time" was Okeh's first hit song in 10 years. Johnny Pate said working with Carl Davis on this song was "a ball" and they made "some very great music."

After this, Major Lance had many more hits quickly. These included "Hey Little Girl" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um." "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" was his biggest hit, reaching number 5 on the US pop chart. It also reached number 40 in the UK, which was his only song to chart there. Other hits were "The Matador" (the only one not written by Mayfield), "Rhythm," "Sometimes I Wonder," "Come See," and "Ain't It a Shame."

In 1965, Johnny Pate left Okeh. Curtis Mayfield then started focusing more on his own group, the Impressions. Major Lance and Carl Davis continued to work together. They had a small hit with "Too Hot to Hold," but their success began to fade. After a while, Carl Davis also left the company.

Touring and Later Recordings

During the 1960s, Major Lance toured the United Kingdom. He was supported by a band called Bluesology. This band included a pianist named Reggie Dwight, who later became famous as Elton John.

Over the next two years, Major Lance worked with different producers. Only one song, "Without a Doubt," became a small hit in 1968. Soon after, Lance left Okeh Records and joined Dakar Records. There, he had a Top 40 R&B hit called "Follow the Leader." He then moved to Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label. This led to his last two Top 40 R&B hits: "Stay Away from Me (I Love You Too Much)" and "Must Be Love Coming Down." "Stay Away from Me" was also listed as number 4 in Jet Magazine's "Soul Brothers Top 20." He left Curtom in 1971 and briefly recorded for the Volt and Columbia labels.

In 1972, Major Lance moved to England. He wanted to take advantage of how popular his older songs were with Northern Soul fans. These fans went to dance clubs that played mostly rare American soul and R&B records. One writer said that Major Lance's performances in the UK were "truly phenomenal and unforgettable." In 1972, while in England, he recorded a live album called Major Lance's Greatest Hits Recorded Live at the Torch. It was recorded at the Torch, a club in Stoke on Trent. This album has been called "perhaps the best Northern Soul album ever made."

Final Years in Music

Major Lance returned to Atlanta in 1974. He recorded a new, disco version of "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" for Playboy Records. He also started a new record label called Osiris with Booker T and the MG's drummer Al Jackson. However, this wasn't very successful, and his career slowed down. He briefly recorded for Motown Records, releasing his last single on their Soul Records label, "I Never Thought I'd Be Losing You," in 1978.

Later, he discovered that his music was very popular on the beach music scene in the Carolinas. Beach music is a style of music popular in coastal areas. He continued to perform live there. He recorded a comeback album called The Major's Back and some songs for the Kat Family label. His very last performance was in June 1994 at the 11th Chicago Blues Festival.

Personal Life

Major Lance was married to Christine (née Boular) Lance. He had nine children.

Major Lance passed away in 1994 in his sleep from heart disease in Decatur, Georgia. He is buried at Washington Memory Gardens Cemetery in Homewood, Illinois.

His daughter, Keisha Lance Bottoms, was the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia from 2018 to 2022.

Health Challenges

In 1987, Major Lance had a heart attack. Later, he almost lost his eyesight due to glaucoma. Because of these health issues, he stopped making new recordings.

Other Media

Cover art for The Very Best of Major Lance CD collection

On February 28, 1995, shortly after Major Lance's death, Sony released a CD collection. It was called Everybody Loves a Good Time: Best of Major Lance. This collection included 40 of his recordings for Okeh from 1962 to 1967, spread across two discs. A reviewer from AllMusic, Richie Unterberger, gave the CD a high rating. He called it a "Delightful 40-song, double-CD compilation of Lance's best work." Sony later released a shorter version of this CD collection, titled The Very Best of Major Lance.

Discography

Albums

• The Monkey Time (Okeh, 1963)
• Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um (Okeh, 1964)
• Major's Greatest Hits (Okeh, 1965)
• The Rhythm of Major Lance (Okeh, 1968)
• Major Lance's Greatest Hits Recorded Live at the Torch (Contempo, 1973)
• Now Arriving (Soul, 1978)
• The Major's Back (1983)
• Live at Hinkley (1986)
• The Very Best of Major Lance (Epic/Legacy EK 62243, 2000)
• Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um (Collectables 2003)

Singles

See Also

• Guests on Soul Train
• Keisha Lance Bottoms (Major Lance's daughter, former Mayor of Atlanta)
• List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand
• List of disco artists (L-R)
• List of soul musicians