William “Poogie” Hart, lead singer of Philly soul greats The Delfonics, has died. Hart’s son Hadi relates: TMZ that the singer-songwriter was taken to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia due to breathing difficulties and that he died Thursday (July 14) from complications resulting from surgery. He was 77.
The Delfonics were one of the leading figures of Philadelphia’s rising soul scene of the late ’60s and early ’70s, with classic hits such as the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits “La – La – Means I Love You” (No. 5, 1968) and “Haven’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” (No. 10, 1970). Collaborating with legendary local writer-producer Thom Bell, the group’s lush, dreamy harmonies matched Bell’s symphonic mini-soundscapes to create a smoother, more blissful soul sound than usually heard in the poppiere, spicier hits from the Motown assembly line in Detroit, or the grittier, funkier singles coming out of Stax/Volt in Memphis.
Hart co-founded the Delfonics (then known as the Orphonics) in Philadelphia with his brother Wilbert, eventually fleshing out the group’s classic lineup that included Randy Cain and Major Harris. They signed to famed local label Cameo-Parkway, where they first made contact with Bell, though they were shuffled to Philly Groove Records shortly after Cameo-Parkway went bankrupt in 1967. Debut album La La Means I Love You was released in 1968, a trio of hits in the title track, “I’m Sorry” (No. 42) and “Break Your Promise” (No. 35).
As the group’s lead vocalist, Hart’s falsetto-heavy vocals were an instant difference-maker, both spellbinding and powerful—and the way he leaned toward certain words (“A lot of guys have come to you with a line that wasn’t true”) with its distinctive sharpness made them unforgettable on the first listen. Somewhat unusually for the time, Hart also wrote most of his group’s biggest hits with Bell—making songs that were smart, but always knew when to steer clear of a huge hook, and melodies that swoon- were worthy while still maintaining a modern edge.
The Delfonics’ popularity continued throughout the early 1970s, likely peaking with their self-titled album in 1970, their highest on the Billboard 200 albums chart (#61), with the album “Didn’t I” even winning a Grammy for best R&B vocal performance by a duo or group in 1971. But with the rise of the more energetic Philly soul in the mid-decade (which paved the way for disco’s takeover in the late 1990s 70), the group sputtered commercially and splintered in two in 1975, after Harris’ solo breakthrough with the Hot 100 No. 5 hit “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” in 1974. Both versions of the group continued to tour in the decades that followed, although original recordings were scarce and relatively unsuccessful.
However, The Delfonics’ legacy was secured in the mid-’90s, when the group’s hits were revived by a generation of rappers: The Fugees found the hook on the group’s 1968 hit “Ready or Not Here.” I Come (Can’t Hide From Love)” for their own hit “Ready or Not” in 1996, while Missy Elliott sampled the song’s royal horn intro for her single “Sock It 2 Me” a year later. Quentin Tarantino heavily plotted his 1997 crime drama Jackie Brown, in which Robert Forster’s elderly bailiff shared a moment with the title character of Pam Grier’s flight attendant while listening to “Didn’t I” and later bought a Delfonics cassette to listen to in his own car.
This story was originally posted on Billboard.