Founding member, lead singer and main writer for The Delfonics, William
'Poogie' Hart has died on Thursday (14 Jul 2022) aged 77. He had been
admitted to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia with difficulties
breathing and died after surgery.
The Delfonics are probably best known for their hits "La-La (Means I Love You)" (1968), and million selling, Grammy Award winning, "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" (1970). The first written by Hart and the second by Hart and Thom Bell.
They also hit with another Hart/Bell song "Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)" later covered/sampled by Lauryn Hill / Fugees in 1996.
Their next recording was on Cameo Parkway in Apr 1967 with two songs Hart
wrote with Thom Bell "You've Been Untrue" / "I Was There". They followed it with "La-La (Means I Love You)" which, whilst recorded at Cameo Parkway, was released on Philly Groove in
Dec 1967, a label set up by Stan Watson as Cameo Parkway was about to go
bust. The song was written by Hart who was also the lead falsetto vocalist,
produced by Stan Watson and Thom Bell (who also arranged it) and reached #4
on Billboard's Hot 100 gaining a national release on Bell Records. The
success of the song resulted in the group recording their first album with
the same title which included six Hart/Bell compositions and five cover
songs.
They went on to release four more albums produced by Bell: "The Sound of Sexy Soul", "The Delfonics Super Hits", "The Delfonics" and "Tell Me This Is a Dream".
In the Thom Bell era between 1968-72 they had twelve R&B top 20 hits,
two top 10 and six top 40 Hot 100 hits but as the hits dried up by 1975 they
had split up with the brothers both creating different versions of The
Delfonics. Cain left the group in 1971 being replaced by Major Harris. Cain
was instrumental in setting up Blue Magic in 1973. Thom Bell moved on to
work with The Stylistics and then The Spinners and Major Harris left in 1974
to pursue a solo career.
As a fitting tribute, below are two playlists, one consists of all their
hits and another a selection of B sides and album tracks which may be less
well known which is only just scratching the surface of some of their
tremendous recordings.
The Hits
B Sides / Album Tracks
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1 comment:
Another part of my youth is leaving. What a wonderful group with that inimitable voice of William Hart. Listen to "La La Means I Love You": we haven't done better in Sweet Soul. A monument!!! I am very sad today.
Yves
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