Major Lance’s “The Monkey Time” Changes The Face Of Music History

Major Lance was in the recording studio today (May 8, 1963), where he recorded the Curtis Mayfield penned tune “The Monkey Time.”

This track is special in many ways. The song was also originally supposed to be for Gene Chandler.

Curtis Mayfield had written two tunes: One titled “Nothing Can Stop Me,” which was supposed to be for Major Lance and “The Monkey Time,” which was for Gene Chandler.

But producer Carl Davis felt “The Monkey Time” was better for Major Lance, so he persuaded Mayfield to give “Nothing Can Stop Me” to Gene Chandler.

It was also the first time that legendary producer Carl Davis worked with famed arranger Johnny Pate.

“After that first recording with Major Lance, I then began working with Curtis Mayfield, and I did alot over at ABC,” Johnny Pate revealed. “Paramount Records then hired me as an in-house producer, and that lead to further accomplishments in my career…Had it not been for him, approaching me to do the recording dates with Major Lance, I probably wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near the accomplishments that I did.”

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