Lincoln Chase

Lincoln Chase
Birth name	Lincoln R. Chase
Born	June 29, 1926
Origin	New York City
Died	October 6, 1980 (aged 54)
Genres	Pop, R&B
Occupation(s)	Songwriter, singer
Years active	1951-1973
Labels	Decca, RCA, Dawn, Liberty, Columbia, Paramount
Associated acts	LaVern Baker Shirley Ellis

Lincoln R. Chase (June 29, 1926 – October 6, 1980) was an African-American songwriter and occasional recording artist. As a writer, his most notable songs were "Such a Night", "Jim Dandy", and several of Shirley Ellis' hits in the early 1960s including "The Name Game" and "The Clapping Song".

Chase was born in New York City, the only child of West Indian immigrants. Lorenzo, his father, was born in Cuba and his mother, Edith (or Elizabeth), was a native of the British West Indies. He was raised in New York City. His wife was Monica D. Chase. His children are Alton D Chase, Leland E. Chase, and Melanie D. Chase. His grandchildren include Nadira and Ansar Chase.

He studied at the American Academy of Music in New York City, and signed as a recording artist for Decca Records in 1951. However, his single releases for Decca and, later, other labels including RCA, Dawn, Liberty and Columbia were unsuccessful.

As a songwriter, early recordings of his songs included "Rain Down Rain" by Big Maybelle, and "Salty Tears" by Chuck Willis (both 1952), and "Mend Your Ways" by Ruth Brown (May 1953). His first real success came when his song "Such a Night" was recorded by The Drifters, featuring Clyde McPhatter, in November 1953. The song reached #2 on the Billboard R&B chart in early 1954, and was covered by Johnnie Ray, whose version reached #1 on the UK singles chart. A version recorded by Elvis Presley in 1960 also became a hit in 1964, and the song has subsequently been recorded by many other musicians.

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