Bobby Lance lost both of his parents by age 11, and within two years the Brooklyn-born teenager had co-written a song that would become one of Aretha Franklin's most celebrated recordings. Decades later, that same songwriter would spend his career not chasing stardom but teaching middle schoolers to sing in a Westchester County classroom.
After losing his parents, Lance moved in with his sister, Fran Robins, who was 17 years his senior and a classical pianist. She taught him guitar, and he began writing songs, according to Startefacts. At 13, Lance wrote The House That Jack Built, inspired by an old nursery rhyme, with his sister helping shape the song, per the same report.
Aretha Franklin's label initially rejected the song, the outlet reports, so Lance and Robins gave it instead to R&B singer Thelma Jones, who cut the original version. Jones's recording, released on Barry Records in early 1968, climbed to No. 132 on the Billboard pop charts, according to Wikipedia, well before Franklin's own version reached the public.
Franklin's Camp Takes a Second Look
Despite the earlier rejection, Franklin's camp went on to record The House That Jack Built, and Lance had wanted her to sing it all along, the Startefacts report notes. Atlantic Records released Franklin's version in July 1968 as a single backed with I Say a Little Prayer, which itself climbed to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, per Wikipedia. Franklin's rendition of Lance's song reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the R&B chart, the outlet reports.
The song later earned lasting recognition: Rolling Stone ranked The House That Jack Built No. 25 among Aretha Franklin's 50 greatest recordings, according to Startefacts. It stands among a catalog that included two of Franklin's career No. 1 hits, Respect and her duet with George Michael, the outlet notes.
Lance later told ABC7 that his whole life musically changed knowing Aretha, and that she was much more than just a great singer. He shared those reflections after her death in 2018, according to the Startefacts report. In a separate 2022 interview with his alma mater, Mercy University, reported by Parade, Lance recalled watching Franklin lead sessions at Atlantic Studios, noting she instructed session players on rhythm placement and feel beyond her own vocal duties.
A Record Deal and Two Solo Albums
The success of The House That Jack Built earned Lance his own record deal, according to Startefacts. His 1971 debut solo album, First Peace, was released on Atlantic's Cotillion imprint, according to AllMusic.
Lance released a second solo album, Rollin' Man, under the name B. Lance in 1972, also on Atlantic, according to Musoscribe. In February 2015, archival label Real Gone Music reissued both albums together on CD for the first time, per AllMusic, decades after their original release. Lance also briefly performed as lead singer for the vocal group the Escorts.
Trading the Studio for the Classroom
When his run as a recording artist ended, Lance earned a master's degree in education, according to Startefacts. He earned a master's degree in education, according to Musoscribe.
Lance became a middle school music teacher, ultimately teaching at Richard J. Bailey Middle School in the Greenburgh Central School District in Westchester County for roughly two decades until his retirement in June 2019, according to a Facebook post from the district. Startefacts describes his work as teaching music in Tarrytown, New York, and reports that he wrote most of the songs his students performed.
Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner publicly praised Lance as a world-class musician who inspired local middle schoolers through music literacy, according to a 2015 report from Daily Voice. Fran Robins, the sister who taught him guitar and helped write the song that launched his career, died in 2014, according to Startefacts — a year before that local recognition, and long after the song they wrote together as siblings had become part of Aretha Franklin's enduring legacy.
