He was born in
Como, Mississippi, and learned to play guitar, clarinet, saxophone and tuba while at school. He was nicknamed "Lightnin'" for his prowess on the
football field. He received further musical training while serving with the
US Navy in
World War II, when he performed with the
Fourth Fleet Band. After his discharge, he moved to
Memphis, Tennessee, and from 1947 played in Smilin' Eddie Hill's band and on local radio and TV shows. His first recordings were made for
Sam Phillips in the studios which later became the home of
Sun Records. He also recorded in
Nashville, and in 1952 joined a
Grand Ole Opry tour that performed at the
Astor Hotel in
New York City. In September 1952, he played stand-up acoustic bass on
Hank Williams' last recording sessions, which produced three No.1 country music singles—"
Your Cheatin' Heart", "
Kaw-Liga" and "
Take These Chains From My Heart". Chance played bass on many other hit records as a member of "
the Nashville A-Team". These included
Conway Twitty's "
It's Only Make Believe",
Faron Young's "
Hello Walls",
Johnny Tillotson's "
Poetry In Motion" and "
It Keeps Right On A Hurtin'", he played on the
Everly Brothers' "
Bird Dog" and "
Bye Bye Love". He also recorded with the
Louvin Brothers, the
Osborne Brothers,
Jimmy Martin, and
Marvin Rainwater. He performed extensively at the Grand Ole Opry in the 1950s and 1960s, with musicians including
Marty Robbins,
Patsy Cline, and
Willie Nelson. He was also responsible for adapting a vocal chart to be followed by studio instrumentalists who did not read music, which became known as the
Nashville Number System. He retired in 1988. He died in Nashville in 2005 at the age of 79, having suffered from cancer and
Alzheimer's disease. ==References==