The Delfonics are a pioneering
Philadelphia soulFor the American arena football team, see Philadelphia Soul.Philadelphia soul, sometimes called the Philadelphia Sound or Sweet Philly, is a style of soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featuring sweeping strings and piercing horns...
singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "
La-La (Means I Love You)"La-La " is a 1968 song originally performed by The Delfonics. It was written by Thom Bell and William Hart and produced by Bell and Stan Watson....
", "
Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)"Didn't I " is a 1970 single by The Delfonics, produced by Thom Bell and released on his Bell record label. The recording is considered one of the most notable early Philly soul singles to be released and is regarded as a classic, winning a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group...
," "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "
Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)"Ready or Not Here I Come " is a well-known single from The Delfonics, produced by Thom Bell and released in 1968. The song peaked at number 35 on the U.S. pop chart, number 14 U.S. R&B, and number 41 in the UK. The song has been sampled by several rappers, most notably by Missy Elliott in her hit...
". Their songs are written by lead vocalist and founder William Hart and have been used extensively in numerous film soundtracks, the most notable being
Quentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s he was an independent filmmaker whose films used nonlinear storylines and aestheticization of violence...
's movie
Jackie BrownJackie Brown is a 1997 crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch by American novelist Elmore Leonard, but reworks it to create an homage to 1970s blaxploitation films. The film stars Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson,...
, in which their music ("La-La (Means I Love You)" and "Didn't I Blow Your Mind") is used as a pivotal part of the plot to underscore the relationship between
Pam GrierPamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She came to fame in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison films and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film...
and
Robert ForsterRobert Forster is an American actor.-Early life:Forster was born in Rochester, New York...
. The film helped create a border-line cult following for the songs and this group. Their songs have been
sampledIn music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also...
extensively by various
hip-hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
and rap artists including: The Fugees ("Ready or Not"),
The Notorious B.I.G.Christopher George Latore Wallace , popularly known as Biggie Smalls , Frank White , and by his primary stage name The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper.Raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, Wallace grew up during...
,
NasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones , who performs under the mononym Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was born and raised in the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City...
,
Boyz II MenBoyz II Men is a Grammy Award-winning American group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Initiated during 1988 as a quintet which originally included Marc Nelson, Boyz II Men found fame as a quartet, with members Nathan Morris, Michael McCary, Shawn Stockman,and Wanya Morris on Motown Records during...
,
Missy ElliottMissy "Misdemeanor" Elliott is an American recording artist, producer and actress. With record sales of over seven million in the United States, she is the only female rapper to have six albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one double platinum Under Construction.Elliott is known for a...
and
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh PrinceDJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince is a hip hop group that was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The vocalist, Will Smith , met Jeff Townes while trying to make a name for himself in West Philadelphia's local hip hop scene. After joining forces with Clarence Holmes aka Ready Rock C, the team members...
. These William Hart songs have been
coveredIn popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by numerous other performers, including
Aretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as "The Queen of Soul". Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock, soul, blues, pop, R&B and Gospel music...
,
The Jackson 5The Jackson 5 were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
,
Patti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte , best known by her stage name of Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter and actress. She fronted two groups, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, which received minor success on the pop charts in the 1960s, and Labelle, which received acclaim and a...
,
New Kids on the BlockNew Kids on the Block is an American pop group that enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a boy band which went on to sell 80 million albums worldwide. Assembled in Boston in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr, the members consist of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre,...
,
Todd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American musician, singer-songwriter and record producer.-Early career:Rundgren was born in Upper Darby, PA. He began his career in Woody's Truck Stop, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based group based on the model of Paul Butterfield Blues Band. However, he left the band to...
,
PrincePrince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
,
Swing Out SisterSwing Out Sister are a British "sophisti-pop" group best known worldwide for their 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game" and a remake of "Am I the Same Girl?" Though their album sales in the U.S. and Europe have leveled off since the 1980s, they...
and
The Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of both...
, among others.
Career
Original group members were William and Wilbert Hart, Samuel Edlightoon, Ritchie Daniels, Merfhab Isvardsoon and Randy Cain whom they met at
Overbrook High SchoolOverbrook High School may refer to:*Overbrook High School *Overbrook High School in Pine Hill, New Jersey...
in the 1960s. Their first recording, "He Don't Really Love You", was for Moon Shot in 1967. Daniels was drafted and left for the service in 1968 and Edlightoon and Merfhab left the group few weeks later. At Cameo producer Stan Watson introduced them to producer
Thom BellThom Bell was the record producer behind much of the Philadelphia soul subgenre of soul music in the 1970s. Born in Jamaica he moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
, then working with
Chubby CheckerChubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter best known for popularizing the The Twist with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"...
. With Cameo they recorded a popular tune called "You've Been Untrue". The group's first album, released on Watson's own Philly Groove
record labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, featured the smash hit "La-La (Means I Love You)" in 1968. Four more Bell-produced albums appeared in the next few years:
The Sexy Sound of Soul, The Delfonics Super Hits, The Delfonics and
Tell Me This Is a Dream. Among the Delfonics' popular hits were the Grammy-winning "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)", "(For The Love) I Gave To You", "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)", and "Hey Love". Prior to the release of "La-La (Means I Love You)", they had a hit with "He Don't Really Love You" on the small Moonshot
record labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in 1966. The Delfonics and Bell had to work with a basic budget on the first creation as Thom explained "when I took them into the studio we didnt have any money to pay for string players & an orchestra so i played most of the instruments myself!" A far cry from the full classical productions from 68' to the beginning of the seventies
Randy Cain left the group in 1971, and in 1973 had a hand in formulating
Blue MagicBlue Magic can refer to:* Blue Magic is a R&B and soul music vocal quintet.*"Blue Magic" is a song from rapper Jay-Z's album American GangsterOthers* A type of magic in the Final Fantasy video game. See Final Fantasy magic....
, best known for their classic "Sideshow," when he brought singer-songwriter Ted Mills in to do some writing for W.M.O.T. (We Men Of Talent), and the remaining future members of Blue Magic came in for an audition. Cain was replaced by
Major HarrisMajor Harris is an American R&B singer associated with the Philadelphia soul sound.-Career:...
; by then, however, Thom Bell had moved on to produce
The StylisticsThe Stylistics were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and comprised lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine at Allmusic, "after The Spinners and The O'Jays, the...
and later, The Spinners, all artists in the mold of the Delfonics. The Delfonics swiftly produced another album,
Alive and Kicking, produced by Stan Watson. However, in the absence of Thom Bell, the Delfonics' career declined sharply, and with the exception of the aforementioned "Hey Love" and the minor hits "When You Get Right Down to It", "I Don't Want To Make You Wait" and "I Told You So", success eluded them after 1975. ("(For The Love) I Gave To You", although popular, was never released as a
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
.) Most of their songs at this point were written by lead singer William Hart.
Split
The group split around 1975; one group featured Major and Wilbert, with new member
Frank WashingtonFrank Washington is a former outfielder in minor league baseball who, along with Carl Long, broke the color barrier in the Carolina League city of Kinston, North Carolina. Washington made his debut for the Kinston Eagles on April 17, 1956. During the year, he batted .254 with 9 home runs and 40...
, formerly of the Futures. (Major Harris also had major success with the solo recording "Love Won't Let Me Wait".) The other group featured William with new members. Lineups would become confusing as members shifted between groups and multiple groups toured. Major Harris moved to William's group around 1980, with their third member being the returning Randy Cain. Frank Washington also switched from Wilbert's group, joining in 1985.
While the main recording lineup of the group was William Hart, Major Harris, and Frank Washington, they would tour as two separate trios with additional members added. One group was William, Randy Cain, and Garfield Fleming, and the other was Frank, Major, and Freddie Ingleton. William also toured with another two members, Johnny ("JJ") Johnson and Pat Palmer, and toured in Japan at least one time with Ingleton and Dr. Sallam Love.
80s and on
Through the '80s and the '90s, the Delfonics groups continued to perform. The William Hart/Major Harris/Frank Washington group made several recordings, including backing vocals on the track "After the Smoke has Cleared", on the 1996 hip hop album
Iron Man by
Ghostface KillahDennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
. Their works continued to be sampled. Rapper
The Notorious B.I.G.Christopher George Latore Wallace , popularly known as Biggie Smalls , Frank White , and by his primary stage name The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper.Raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, Wallace grew up during...
sampledIn music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also...
"Hey Love" in his song "Playa Hata", released in 1996, and that same year rapper
NasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones , who performs under the mononym Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was born and raised in the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City...
sampled their "Walk Right Up To the Sun" for his hit "If I Ruled the World." Rapper
Missy ElliottMissy "Misdemeanor" Elliott is an American recording artist, producer and actress. With record sales of over seven million in the United States, she is the only female rapper to have six albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one double platinum Under Construction.Elliott is known for a...
sampled "Ready Or Not Here I Come" in her hit "Sock it 2 Me."
Eazy-EEric Lynn Wright , better known by the stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper, producer, and record executive from Compton, California....
,
Gang StarrGang Starr is an influential East Coast hip hop duo that consisted of MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier and a former trio. The group was known mainly for their unique style, which combines elements of New York swing jazz and hip hop.-Background:...
, and Ed OG have sampled "Trying To Make a Fool of Me."
The groups reorganized in the late 1990s. William Hart started touring with Johnny Johnson and Garfield Fleming; this group recorded as the Delfonics. Major Harris toured with Frank Washington and Pat Palmer. Wilbert also led a Delfonics group; members in the 1990s included Dr. Salaam Love (formerly in William's group) and Eban Brown (falsetto). They were replaced by Greg Hill (former bassist for Teddy Riley & New Edition) and Van Fields (member of the Stylistics)
The William/Johnny/Garfield lineup of the group was featured in concert on the
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
's "The Big Show" and "'70's Soul Jam," whereas Wilbert Hart's group with Greg Hill & new vocalist Joe Branch are featured on the DVD "Old School Soul Party Live!", which was part of the PBS
My Music series. Harris is also featured on the recently re-released DVD
Blue Magic/Margie Joseph/Major Harris Live!, which was recorded in 1975.
Recent times
Garfield Fleming left the group, and a 2006 album,
Best of Delfonics, featured William, Johnny, and Major Harris. Johnny Johnson left shortly thereafter and joined
The Fonics. William now leads a group with two new members. Frank Washington left around 2003 to join The Spinners as lead. His place was taken by Johnney Smalls, and this group (Major Harris/Pat Palmer/Johnney Smalls) also continues to tour.
Wilbert also continues to tour with his Delfonics group ( Greg Hill & Joe Branch) sometimes called "The Delphonics", "The New Delfonics" or simply billed as "Wilbert Hart". Eban Brown went on to become the lead singer of The Stylistics along with Van Fields. Wilbert released a CD in 2005 with Greg Hill and Joe Branch,
Fonic Zone. Wilbert Hart and Greg Hill Have been touring together for the past 12 years and Joe Branch have been with them for 11 years. Along with touring, the trio (Wilbert, Greg and Joe) recorded a single with platinum rap artist Rick Ross entitled "Here For U".
Members
Formed in
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.In 2008, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area's population of 5.8 million made it the country's fifth-largest...
, in 1965 and originally known as The Four Gents, The Delfonics classic line-up featured:
- William Hart (born January 17, 1945, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
)
- Wilbert Hart (born October 19, 1947, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.In 2008, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area's population of 5.8 million made it the country's fifth-largest...
)
- Randy Cain
Randy Cain was a Philadelphia soul singer with the The Delfonics . He also helped set up the group Blue Magic.-External links:*...
(born Rudy Cain May 2, 1945, in Philadelphia, died April 9, 2009 in Maple Shade Township, New JerseyMaple Shade Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 19,079....
) (until 1971).
- Major Harris
Major Harris is a former college football quarterback for West Virginia University during the 1980s. Harris was a 1989 All American and finished third and fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1988 and 1989, respectively. He was also the ECAC Player of the Year in 1988 and 1989...
(born Major Harris III, February 9, 1947, in Richmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
) (from 1971 to 1974)
Albums
- 1968: La La Means I Love You
- 1969: Sound Of Sexy Soul
- 1969: Super Hits
- 1970: The Delfonics
- 1972: Tell Me This Is a Dream
- 1974: Alive & Kicking
- 1998: Back 2 Back: Delfonics and Chi-Lites
- 1998: The Professionals
- 1998: Greatest Hits & More
- 1999: Forever New (Volt) (f. Wm. Hart-Major Harris-Frank Washington)
- 1999: The Definitive Collection (also released as La-La Means I Love You: The Definitive Collection)
- 2000: Didn't I Blow Your Mind
- 2003: Delfonics Collection (f. Wm. Hart-Garfield Fleming-Johnny Johnson)
- 2005: Love Songs
- 2005: Fonic Zone (Wil Hart, Greg Hills, Randy Cain, Joe Branch)
- 2006: La La Means I Love You (f. Wm. Hart-Garfield Fleming-Johnny Johnson)
- 2006: Delfonics R'n'B Soul (Direct Source) (f. Wm. Hart-Garfield Fleming-Johnny Johnson)
Singles
| Title (Year) |
Position
US Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
Position
UKThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
Position
US R&B |
| "He Don't Really Love You" * (1966) |
#92 |
— |
— |
| "You've Been Untrue" (1967) |
— |
— |
— |
| "La-La (Means I Love You) "La-La " is a 1968 song originally performed by The Delfonics. It was written by Thom Bell and William Hart and produced by Bell and Stan Watson....
" (1968) |
#4 |
#19 |
#2 |
| "I'm Sorry" (1968) |
#42 |
— |
#15 |
| "Break Your Promise" (1968) |
#35 |
— |
#12 |
| "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love) "Ready or Not Here I Come " is a well-known single from The Delfonics, produced by Thom Bell and released in 1968. The song peaked at number 35 on the U.S. pop chart, number 14 U.S. R&B, and number 41 in the UK. The song has been sampled by several rappers, most notably by Missy Elliott in her hit...
" (1969) |
#35 |
#41 |
#14 |
| b/w "Somebody Loves You" (b-side) (1969) |
#72 |
— |
#41 |
| "Funny Feeling" (1969) |
#94 |
— |
#48 |
| "You Got Yours and I'll Get Mine" (1969) |
#40 |
— |
#6 |
| "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) "Didn't I " is a 1970 single by The Delfonics, produced by Thom Bell and released on his Bell record label. The recording is considered one of the most notable early Philly soul singles to be released and is regarded as a classic, winning a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group...
" (1970) |
#10 |
#22 |
#3 |
| "Trying To Make a Fool of Me" (1970) |
#40 |
— |
#8 |
| "Over and Over" (1971) |
#58 |
— |
#9 |
| "Hey Love" (1971) |
#52 |
— |
#17 |
| "Walk Right Up To the Sun" (1971) |
#81 |
— |
#13 |
| "When You Get Right Down to It" |
#53 |
— |
#12 |
| "Tell Me This Is a Dream" ** (1972) |
#86 |
— |
#15 |
| "Think It Over" * (1969) |
— |
— |
#47 |
| "I Don't Want To Make You Wait" (1973) |
#91 |
— |
#22 |
| "Alfie "Alfie" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.It was the theme from the 1966 film Alfie. It was performed in the film during the end credits by Cher in an arrangement by Sonny Bono....
" (1973) |
— |
— |
#88 |
| "I Told You So" (1973) |
— |
— |
#26 |
| "Lying To Myself" (1974) |
— |
— |
#60 |
*re-released in 1968
**both the b-sides of "I'm a Man"
External links