MA Residents Pay Homage To A Musical Icon

Massachusetts residents probably remember seeing his group perform at The Big E. In neighboring New York, he was a fixture in Sullivan county's southern Catskills and at various venues in Connecticut. We were saddened by the sudden loss of Larry Chance, the Earls lead singer as the quintet continued to remain active on the music scene until recent health setbacks with their lead singer put those musical spots on hold.

It is with a heavy heart that I have to write this article as Larry passed away on Tuesday due to complications from cancer. He was 82 years old. I received the news via private message on Facebook as my reaction was numb in nature. Last year, I featured Larry in a recent talk segment where our chat resonated well with our south county audience. After all these years, he STILL remembered our days when meeting up in person as his mind was sharp as a tack. We also reminisced about his music acting as an elixir for those who remembered the good old days (present company included) and scaled back his touring due to health issues.

When he was a teenager, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native headed north to my ol' hometown of New York City where he got together with a trio of singers and formed a group simply known as The Earls. This was the most successful song that scored well on the charts and I remember blasting this one from my transistor radio and eventually would play this gem on the air way back when.

Larry's lead vocals shined brightly in this rendition of a standard classic which was a favorite with his faithful audience:

Larry also showed his comical side as he was featured as Geraldo Santana Banana on WNBC's Imus In The Morning Show:

His musical efforts and talents earned him a place at The Bronx Walk of fame in 2008. A similar accolade can found in the Garden State of New Jersey. I STILL fondly remember the days when he would come up to New York's southern Hudson Valley during my stint as an oldies personality as he shared center stage with us with his unique brand of performing savvy. We lost a musical LEGEND! Larry's memory will ALWAYS remain and everlasting to this day as he was a trailblazer in keeping traditional music alive and well to this day!

(Photo images of Larry Chance courtesy of his web site, www.larrychanceandthe earls.com and www.facebook.com)