Biography
Born as Chris Morris in 1940 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, the grammar-school pupil focused on classical piano until a guitar arrived as his Christmas present in 1956. Rejecting a Welsh university scholarship, he took casual work at London’s celebrated 2I’s coffee bar, where manager and impresario Larry Parnes heard him sing in 1959. Although Parnes never represented him, he bestowed the stage name Lance Fortune, earlier attached to Clive Powell before that singer and pianist became Georgie Fame. Fortune cut his debut single “Be Mine,” an Adam Faith-styled pop song backed by John Barry’s musicians; released on Pye, it rose to number 4 in the UK. Joe Meek served as producer and engineer on what was his first entirely solo project. While the record climbed the British charts, Fortune toured with his idol Gene Vincent. Follow-up “This Love I Have For You” reached the Top 30, but no further success arrived and sustained fame never materialized for Fortune.