Major Lance - The Very Best Of Major Lance (2000)

With his warm and silky vocal style, Major Lance was the epitome of urbane Chicago soul in the 1960s. He had a good run of hit singles for OKeh Records in the early part of the decade, most of them penned by Curtis Mayfield and featuring background harmonies from the Impressions. This set highlights the OKeh years, and includes Lance's biggest hits like 1963's "The Monkey Time" and "Hey Little Girl" and 1964's "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (which was again a hit when Lance revived it during the disco era some ten years later), making this compilation a decent introduction to the singer's peak period. © Steve Leggett