THE DELFONICS
The Delfonics are best remembered for not one, but two, classics of Philly Soul.
William “Googie” Hart had sung with a number of Philadelphia groups before he and his brother, Wilbert, formed a group called the Orphonics in 1964. They got the name from a stereo system the Harts had in their basement. Randy Cain and Richie Daniels rounded out the quartet; Ricky Johnson stepped in when Daniels joined the military.
In 1965, William Hart worked at a Philadelphia barber shop, where he would sing and play his guitar during lulls. One day, a man named Stan Watson came in and told Hart that he knew an arranger-producer at Cameo-Parkway Records named Thom Bell. The first song Hart brought to Bell, “He Don’t Really Love You,” came out on the Moon Shot label (under the auspices of Cameo-Parkway) in August 1966. By now, the group had rechristened themselves the Delfonics. Their next single, “You’ve Been Untrue,” was released on Cameo itself in April 1967. (A reissue of “He Don’t Really Love You” would make the charts in 1968.)
By December 1967, Cameo-Parkway had announced that it was going out of business. Before the company did so, Bell took the Delfonics into its studio to record William Hart’s composition, “La-La Means I Love You.” Stan Watson formed his own label, Philly Groove, to release the Delfonics’ third single. After he landed a distribution deal with the Amy-Bell-Mala family of labels, the record took off nationally. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Soul chart and #4 pop in 1968, earning a gold record in the process. This led to the Delfonics’ identically titled debut album, which would spawn the singles “I’m Sorry” and “Break Your Promise.”
Over the next two years, the Delfonics placed an additional seven songs on the charts (most of them written by William Hart), but did not have their second major pop hit until 1970. “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” hit #3 Soul and #10 pop in March of that year. It also became the group’s second certified million-seller and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.
Randy Cain left the Delfonics in 1971 and was replaced by Major Harris. By 1972, Thom Bell had moved on to producing the Stylistics and the Spinners. Without his guidance, the Delfonics floundered. After they had placed a dozen hits in the Soul top twenty, nothing they released after 1972 rose higher than #22 on that chart.
In late 1974, Major Harris launched his solo career on Atlantic Records with the smash single, “Love Won’t Let Me Wait.” The Delfonics splintered in 1975. One line-up featured Harris and Wilbert Hart with a new member, Frank Washington. The other group comprised William Hart and all new members. In the ensuing years, members would jump between groups and multiple other line-ups would tour under the Delfonics’ name. This would continue into the 21st century.
In 2006, Randy Cain reunited with the Hart brothers to perform at the Rhythm & Blues Foundation Awards in Philadelphia when the Delfonics were presented with the organization’s Pioneer Award.
Cover versions of “La-La Means I Love You” include Booker T. & The MG’s (1968), the Jackson Five (1970), Todd Rundgren (1973), Samantha Sang (1978), the Jets (1985), Swing Out Sister (1994), the Manhattan Transfer (1995), and Prince (1996). In 2004, the rapper Ghostface Killah sampled the song on “Holla.”
Remakes of “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” include Aretha Franklin (1971), Jackie Jackson (1973), Maxine Nightingale (1977), Millie Jackson (1980), New Kids on the Block (1989), Regina Belle (1995), Lisa Fischer (2000), and Patti LaBelle (2005).
Randy Cain, 63, died on April 9, 2009. And Major Harris, 65, died on November 9, 2012. As of 2020, William and Wilbert Hart continued to perform with their respective groups of Delfonics.
Rock critic Dave Marsh included both “La-La Means I Love You” and “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” in his 1989 book, The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.
Charted singles:
“La-La Means I Love You” (1968) R&B #2, Pop #4
“I’m Sorry” (1968) R&B #15, Pop #42
“He Don’t Really Love You” (1968) R&B #33, Pop #92
“Break Your Promise” (1968) R&B #12, Pop #35
“Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide from Love)” (1968) R&B #14, Pop #35
“Somebody Loves You” (1969) R&B #41, Pop #72
“Funny Feeling” (1969) R&B #48, Pop #94
“You Got Yours and I’ll Get Mine” (1969) R&B #6, Pop #40
“Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” (1970) R&B #3, Pop #10
“Trying to Make a Fool of Me” (1970) R&B #8, Pop #40
“When You Get Right Down to It” (1970) R&B #12, Pop #53
“Hey! Love” (1971) R&B #17, Pop #52
“Over and Over” (1971) R&B #9, Pop #58
“Walk Right Up to the Sun” (1971) R&B #13, Pop #81
“Tell Me This Is a Dream” (1972) R&B #15, Pop #86
“Think It Over” (1973) R&B #47, Pop #101
“I Don’t Want to Make You Wait” (1973) R&B #22, Pop #91
“Alfie” (1973) R&B #88
“I Told You So” (1974) R&B #26, Pop #101
“Lying to Myself” (1974) R&B #60
