R.I.P. William 'Poogie' Hart (17 Jan 1945 - 14 Jul 2022)

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.

Born in Washington, D.C., after singing in several groups, in 1964 William and his brother Wilbert formed The Orphonics with Randy Cain and Ritchie Daniels. Whilst working in a barber shop in 1965, William met Stan Watson who introduced him to a young Thom Bell who he presented with a song he'd written "He Don't Really Love You". Bell produced the music arrangement and it was released on Moon Shot (which later became Cameo-Parkway Records) in Aug 1966. Original pressings were billed as The Del Fonics. It was reissued after their popularity with "La-La (Means I Love You)" as The Delfonics and got to #33 R&B in May 1968.

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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