THE EARLS - “REMEMBER THEN“ (1962)

Although ’Remember Then’ was their only hit, the Earls were one of the most accomplished white doo-wop groups of the early 60s. The lead singer Larry Chance (Larry Figueiredo, 19 October 1940, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) formed the group in New York’s Bronx area in the late 50s. The other members were first tenor Robert Del Din (b. 1942), second tenor Eddie Harder (b. 1942), baritone Larry Palumbo (b. 1941) and bass John Wray (b. 1939). For their first single, the group revived the Harptones’ 1954 R&B hit ’Life Is But A Dream’, released by the local Rome label in 1961. The following year, the group moved to another New York label, Old Town, and made ’Remember Then’ which reached the Top 30. The Earls continued to release singles on Old Town until 1965, but the only record to make an impact was a maudlin version of ’I Believe’, dedicated to Palumbo, who had died in a parachute accident. With various personnel changes, including the addition of Hank DiScuillo on guitar, Chance continued to lead the group on occasional records for Mr G and ABC Records. With their big hit on numerous oldies compilations during the 70s, the Earls appeared on rock revival shows. ’Remember Then’ was a UK Top 20 hit in 1979 for revivalist band Showaddywaddy.