Northern Soul Part Two

©Cubillos

6x 6"

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Major Lance, born April 4, 1939 in Winterville, Mississippi was an American R&B/Northern soul singer.

As a grom, Lance relocated to Chicago, attending the same school as Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler. His interests soon veered towards music and this new interest led him to form the group The Floats with Otis Leavill and Barbara Tyson (could not find a link on her). Major Lance was quite a dancer too, his rug cutting earned him a spot on a local program hosted by disc jockey Jim Lounsbury.

His 1959 Mercury release, "I Got A Girl", was written and produced by Mayfield, but his career did not take off until he signed with OKeh Records in 1962. Another Mayfield song, "The Monkey Time", the partnership with Mayfield continued with further hits, including "Um Um Um Um Um Um".

Lance had less success after breaking his relationships with Mayfield and OKeh, releasing records on several record labels into the early 1970s, including Osiris Records, which he set up with Al Jackson. He then moved to England for two years in the 1970s, and after returning to the U.S., he served a prison term for cocaine possession. Due to a heart attack in 1987, Lance made rare appearances and in 1994, at the age of 55, he died as a result of heart disease.

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Music — Major Lance — Um Um Um Um Um Um