Lawrence Figueiredo (October 19, 1940 – September 5, 2023), better known as Larry Chance, was an American musician and the lead singer and driving force of the 1960s doo-wop group Larry Chance and the Earls, originally known as The Earls.
Larry Chance was born in The Bronx, New York, and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended high school with Chubby Checker, Frankie Avalon, and Danny Rapp of Danny & the Juniors. But it was not until 1957 that he moved with his parents to the Bronx after high school, that his musical career took off. Chance formed a group at the Tecumsa Social Club, known as the Hi-Hatters. The group would later become the Earls and became of the New York City doo-wop success stories. Discovered singing on the street corner in front of subway station, the Earls took the original black doo-wop street corner harmony sound, and refined and expanded it for new audiences. The Earls were known for their "Baby Talk" styling of their background harmony riffs.
The Group was originally composed of Chance, Bob Del Din, Eddie Harder, Larry Palombo and John Wray. In 1961, Larry Palombo died in a military-related skydiving accident; he was around 17 or 18 years old. That same year Rome released their debut record, "Life is But a Dream". The group then performed with Murray the K and on Dick Clark's American Bandstand show. They released another record that year, "Looking For My Baby". In 1962, the group hooked up with Stan Vincent and recorded "Remember Then" for Old Town Records. It was a hit, peaking at #24 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1963. Chance co-wrote the group's next single "Never". The group scored another hit in 1963 on Old Town with "Eyes".
Chance later had a brief solo career, recording "Let Them Talk". He returned to the Earls who, at that time, had two new members – Bob Moricco and Ronnie Calabrese. The group started playing their own musical instruments and, in 1967, recorded "If I Could Do It Over", and a track for ABC Records, "Its Been a Long Time Coming".
Finally in 1968 the group disbanded and returned in 1973 as a nine-piece band called Smokestack but from 1975 to the present day they keep to the doo wop sound . In 1977 they released a disco version of the Velvets'"Tonight (Could Be the Night)." By 1983, the group members were Chance, Ronnie Calabrese, Colon Rello, Bobby Tribuzio and Tony Obert, and they recorded Larry Chance and the Earls – Today.
From 1989 to 1993, the group consisted of: Larry Chance, Bobby Tribuzio, Bob Coleman, Art Loria (formerly of the Belmonts) and T.J. Barbella. This roster continued a busy performance schedule and studio works. In 1989, they were on Broadway performing in the original production of A Bronx Tale, a one-man play by Chazz Palminteri. They recorded the theme song of the production "Streets of the Bronx", which was slated to appear on the soundtrack of the motion picture A Bronx Tale, however a different version of the song was eventually chosen. Two albums were released: Larry Chance and the Earls (Live!) and Earl Change. They were nominated as "Best Musical Act" in Atlantic City for their eight-week run at The Claridge Hotel, starring with Sal Richards.
Loria and Barbella left the group in 1993. Chance, Tribuzio and Coleman remained as the group's core with a rotation of members rounding out the act. They continued to perform and record and were considered to be popular on the doo wop / oldies revival circuit. If Chance never had major recording success, he sustained a career far longer than most of his early contemporaries. He went from low-budget marathon rock ’n’ roll package bus tours to nightclubs to the Catskills to casinos, often working six nights a week and in 2000 he was diagnosed with throat cancer, but went successfully through chemotherapy. He performed at the 2001 DOO WOP special in Pittsburgh, and told his fans about his experiences with his illness, before he sang "I Believe".
In
2008, the group was honored with a place on The Bronx Walk of Fame. Former
member Art Loria died on October 23, 2010 who had performed and recorded with the
group for eight years in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was the co-writer
with Barbella of the group's tribute to Presley, "Elvis: He's Alive".
The song was recognized by Billboard magazine and BMI and the group was
presented with an award for recognition of a song worthy to keep an ear out for. Larry Chance later went on to record
"Elvis: He's Alive" on his solo album, Larry Chance Sings Country.
Original bassist and baritone, John "Jack" Wray (born June 19, 1939) died on November 30, 2020, at the age of 81. Bobby Coleman, a 35-year member of the Earls, died unexpectedly on December 7, 2020.
In 2019, Larry Chance received a Distinguished Citizen Award from Sullivan County, New York legislators for his contributions to the local arts. He died from lung cancer in Orlando, Florida, on September 5, 2023, at the age of 82. He had performed his last concert in June that year.
(Edited from Wikipedia, David Hinckley & Legacy)