MAJOR LANCE
Okeh Records, Chicago, Illinois. Where the trombone was the backbone! That's how it was, at least, according to Carl Davis. He and his arrangers intentionally used horn sections in all of the label's productions in the 1960s. Trumpets and, more prominently, trombones, along with heavy use of strings and a touch of Latin influence gave Davis's brand of "Chicago Soul" its own distinctive sound, so it would be easily recognizable and stand apart from the music of Detroit's Motown, Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway, L.A.'s Philles, or the Memphis groove of Stax-Volt. More than just about any other act, those trombones were the trademark of Major Lance's string of hits. Major (his real first name) grew up on the northwest side of Chicago ... MORE ››
