The Delfonics: Blowin’ Your Mind

The Delfonics with their sleek soulful music were one of the pioneers of the Philadelphia sound.

The group was originally a sextet comprising of brothers William and Wilbert Hart, Samuel Edlightoon, Ritchie Daniels, Merfhab Isvardsoon and Randy Cain. Their first recording was with Moon Shot in 1967 with the resulting He Don’t Really Love You becoming a minor hit.

Over the next few years however, Edlightoon, Daniels and Isvardsoon departed the group, leaving it a trio. And it was this trio, comprising of the Hart brothers and Randy Cain that rose to fame as the Delfonics.

The group signed their first significant contract with Philly Groove, a soul label set up by producer Thom Bell. Bell and the group clicked well, leading them to work together to create a specific sound for the Delfonics. In fact in the early days, Bell himself would play all the instruments on the group’s tracks as funds were too limited to hire musicians!

The Delfonics sound had its foundation in deep wop. Bell improved on it by taking away the grit to produce a smoother groove. He also introduced strings and made the backbeat lighter. Most of the tracks were written by lead singer, William Hart.

The sound thus produced was in direct contrast to what was emerging from big soul labels like Muscle Shoals and Stax. The team was criticized for trivialising the sound of deep soul but in reality they actually laid the foundation for a different kind of groove that relied on nuances and subtlety.

The first hit that resulted from the partnership between the group and Bell was La La Means I Love You in 1968. This was followed by a string of hits which included 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. Didn’t I.. won the group their first and only Grammy.

In 1971 Randy Cain left the group to be replaced by Major Harris. Cain went on to form another group Blue Magic in 1973, but was to return to the Delfonics in the eighties.

The hey days of the Delfonics lasted up to the mid-seventies. Around that time Thom Bell moved on to producing the Stylisitics and this spelt doom for the group. They did release another album Alive and Kicking with producer Stan Watson but it was apparent that their glory days were over.

In 1975 the Delfonics finally split up. Major and Wilbert recruited Frank Washington to form one group while William inducted new members to float another. What followed over the eighties and nineties was like an ongoing game of musical chairs. The group members shifted between these two groups and sometimes even toured together. All of which left their listening public quite confused!

Though the individual members of the Delfonics are still active on the music scene, playing and touring in different permutations, the original line-up was never revived. Their music however continues to be sampled extensively by hip hop and rap artists like the Fugees, Missy Elliot and Boyz II Men. Several cover versions of their tracks have also appeared on the music charts courtesy Aretha Franklin, the Jackson 5, Patti LaBelle, New Kids on the Block and others.

In the late nineties there was a revived interest in the group’s music when they played a significant role in Quentin Tarantino’s film Jackie Brown. The film’s sound track featured two Delfonics tracks, La La Means I Love You and Didn’t I ( Blow Your Mind This Time).

TJ Grooves - Soul Music TV & Rare Soul Grooves.com