Larry Chance was a doo-wop singer and band leader whose band, Larry Chance and the Earls, had a series of minor hits in the 1960s and later became a fan favorite in the oldies revival scene.
- Died: September 6, 2023 (Who else died on September 6?)
- Details of death: Died in Monticello, New York, at the age of 82.
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Larry Chance’s legacy
Born Larry Figueiredo in the Bronx, New York City, but raised in Philadelphia, Chance moved back to New York City to launch a career in music under his new stage name. At age 17, he formed the doo-wop group the High Hatters, but band members didn’t like the name and changed it to The Earls.
Chance and the Earls had their first big hit in 1962 with “Remember When,” which went to No. 24 and spent nine weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. A series of regional hits followed, with “Never,” “I Believe,” and “Life is But a Dream” becoming popular in the northeast. Chance launched a solo career in the late 1960s but didn’t rise to prominence until the oldies revival of the 1980s.
From then on, he and the Earls became favorites on the revival scene, playing hundreds of shows and continuing to record music together. In 2019, he received a Distinguished Citizen Award from Sullivan County, New York legislators for his contributions to the local arts.
Tributes to Larry Chance
Full obituary: Mid Hudson News
